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November 17, 2007

PAUL’S THREE "I AM’S"
by Cornelius R. Stam

Three times in Romans 1:14-16, the Apostle Paul uses the phrase “I am”, and each one carries an important message for every true believer in Christ.

First, he says in verse 14: “I am debtor” — debtor to all men, to tell them about the saving work of Christ. But why was he indebted to people he had never even seen? For several reasons:

First, he had in his hand what they needed to be saved from the penalty and power of sin. If I see a drunkard lying across the railroad track and I do nothing about it, am I not a murderer if he is killed by the train? If I see a man drowning and I have a life buoy in my hand but do not throw it to him, am I not a murderer if he goes down for the last time? If I see millions of lost souls about me and, knowing the message of salvation, do not tell them, am I not guilty if they die without Christ?

Further, Paul felt himself a debtor to others, because the Christ who had died for his sins had also died for the sins of others. As he says in II Corinthians 5:14,15: “Christ died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them and rose again.”

Finally, the Christ who had died for Paul’s sins, had commissioned him to tell others of His saving grace. Thus he says in I Corinthians 9:16,17:

“Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel! For…a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me” (ICor.9:16,17).

Paul could say further what every true believer should be able to say: Not “I am debtor, but”, but rather, “I am debtor…SO, as much as in me is, I AM READY…” (Rom.1:15). He was ready to discharge his debt because he had that with which to discharge it — the wonderful “gospel of the grace of God”. And he did indeed make this the message known to others with all that was in him.

And now the third “I am”: “I am debtor…So I am ready… For I AM NOT ASHAMED of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” (Ver. 16). Paul was always proud to own Christ as the mighty Saviour from sin. Do you know Christ as your Saviour? Do you tell others of His saving grace?

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November 18, 2007

FEAR OF DEATH IS IT NECESSARY?
by Cornelius R. Stam

Most people live in almost constant fear of death. They do not like to think that man’s days are as grass and all his glory as the glory of a fading flower (Psa. 103:15,16). They do not wish to face up to the fact that "it is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb. 9:27).

This is natural, for God’s Word declares that death is "the wages of sin" (Rom. 6:23) and "after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27) and the "second death" (Rev. 20:14). This is why I Cor. 15:56 says that "The sting of death is sin."

Yet the Psalmist David was not afraid of death. He said: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" -- but note the reason: "for Thou art with me" (Psa. 23:4). David had come to know God and had been graciously delivered from the fear of death. But we, today, have an even greater reason to be free from the fear of death, for 1,000 years after David, Saul of Tarsus, the chief of sinners, was saved by grace and was sent forth to proclaim the "gospel [good news] of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24).

He went forth to tell men how "Christ died for our sins" (1 Cor. 15:3) and robbed Satan of all his claims against us:

"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2: 14, 15).

When the Apostle himself neared death, he said: "To die is gain" (Phil. 1:21), "to depart, and to be with Christ... is far better" (Ver. 23), and "the time of my departure is at hand... henceforth there is laid up for me a crown..." (II Tim. 4:6-8 ).

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November 19, 2007

DELAY IN JUDGMENT
by Cornelius R. Stam

The Scriptures leave no doubt that the Lord Jesus Christ will come to this earth again, "in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God" and who "receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (II Thes. 1:8; 2:10). Nor will He forget His promise to give the twelve apostles thrones in His kingdom (Matt. 19:28 ). There can be no successors to Peter and the eleven, for they themselves are to reign with Christ in glory. What is happening now is a parenthesis in God’s prophesied program. Delaying Christ’s return to judge and reign. God chose another apostle, separate from the twelve, to bring a message of grace to this Christ-rejecting world. How great is His mercy and love!

And how are men saved today? How are their sins remitted? Must they come to some recognized authority and be "baptized for the remission of sins"? Some, still following Peter rather than Paul, say, "Yes." But let us see what St. Paul, by divine inspiration, has to say about this.

"FOR BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED, THROUGH FAITH, AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD: NOT OF WORKS, LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST" (Eph. 2:8,9).

"NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH WE HAVE DONE, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US, BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION, AND THE RENEWING OF THE HOLY GHOST" (Tit. 3:5).

This stands in striking contrast to Peter’s "Repent and be baptized... for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38 ). It stands in contrast, also, to the words of the so-called "Great Commission": "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark 16:16). Does not this indicate that a change in dispensation took place with the raising up of Paul, that other apostle?

But what about the kingdom? Does some man on earth hold the keys? No, for both the King and His kingdom are in exile. When a sinner obeys God and receives Christ as His Savior he is "translated into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. 1:13), and "made accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6).

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November 20, 2007

THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER
by Cornelius R. Stam

"He shall pray for thee" (Gen. 20:7).

Abimelech, king of Gerar, had taken Abraham’s wife as his own, but had done so innocently. Sarah was a beautiful woman and Abraham, fearful for his life, had said: "She is my sister," and Sarah had vouched for Abraham’s subterfuge, telling Abimelech: "He is my brother."

But to save the errant couple from the consequences of their own sin God appeared to Abimelech, warning him that if he valued his life he would immediately return Sarah to her husband -- "and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live."

What is this? Will God hear the prayers of guilty Abraham for innocent Abimelech? Yes, for Abimelech was a pagan who served other gods, while Abraham, with all his failure and sin, was God’s own child.

Abraham’s prayer would, of course, be a confession of his sin and a plea that it might not be laid to the charge of innocent Abimelech -- innocent of this particular sin -- but nevertheless it was Abraham, not Abimelech, who had access to God.

Many unsaved people point to the failures of God’s children and say: "I would not be guilty of that." Nevertheless, such "good" people are lost, while poor sinners who have trusted Christ for salvation are "accepted in the Beloved."

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).

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November 21, 2007

The Path of a Good Soldier
by Paul M. Sadler

“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” — II Tim. 2:1,2

If we were to ask the average Christian to write down what they expect in a spiritual leader the list would probably read something like this: A man of God must have completed college and seminary. He should be eloquent and be able to articulate his thoughts well, enthusiastic, insightful, creative, and have a good sense of humor. In addition, he should not have too many shortcomings, and be well dressed.

Interestingly, just the opposite was true of the spiritual leaders found in the Scriptures. Most of the giants of the faith in biblical times were unlearned and ignorant men by the world’s standard. The Bible is a who’s who of shortcomings: Noah’s drunkenness, Moses’ speech impediment, David’s adulterous ways, Peter’s denials, Paul’s repulsive appearance, etc. Nevertheless, God used these souls mightily to the pulling down of strongholds. As it has been said, “God took a handful of nobodies and made somebodies in His sight.”

While we are an advocate of higher education, intellectualism is not a prerequisite to be used of the Lord. God has accomplished great things through those who merely had a willing heart. Timothy, for example, wasn’t educated at the Ivy League Schools of Jerusalem, nonetheless, God chose him to carry the torch of grace after Paul’s martyrdom.

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November 22, 2007

A LITTLE LEAVEN AND LOST BLESSING
by Cornelius R. Stam

It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine from Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, just what the Galatian believers thought the rite of circumcision would accomplish for them spiritually. We doubt that they knew themselves, but the Judaizers had come in among them and had captured their attention so that these, who had been so gloriously saved by grace, now "desired to be under the law" (Gal. 4:21). They did not deny the efficacy of the finished work of Christ, but they were interested -- just interested -- in submitting to a religious ceremony which would in itself be a denial of the all-sufficiency of His redemptive work (3:1; 5:2-4). Result: the blessing was already vanishing (5:14) and the Apostle had to warn them: "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (5:9). You can’t admit a little leaven and expect it to stop there.

With the Corinthians it was rather a case of countenancing moral wrong. One of their members had been living in grievous sin. But then, their number was large, and he was just one, and the congregation as a whole abounded in spiritual gifts. Feeling quite satisfied with themselves, therefore, they simply overlooked this disgrace to the name of Christ. But listen to Paul’s -- God’s -- view of the matter:

"And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you" (I Cor. 5:2).

"Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a lithe leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
"Purge out therefore the old leaven..." (Vers. 6,7).

In these days when both spiritual error and moral wrong are made so palatable, when apostate unbelief and worldliness are presented so appetizingly, we do well to take heed to the Spirit’s warning to quickly purge out the "little leaven" that threatens to permeate the whole loaf.

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November 23, 2007

DEMON POSSESSION
by Cornelius R. Stam

The modern revival of E.S.P., fortune telling, astrology, magic, the Ouija board, the spirit seance and a score of other occult practices have caused many to wonder whether human beings may be possessed or controlled by evil spirits.

Many Christian people recall the cases of demon possession recorded in the Bible in connection with our Lord's earthly ministry.

There is indeed much evidence that there was a great outbreak of demon activity when Christ was on earth. This outbreak seems to have abated soon after the Lord's ascension to heaven, but many are asking: Has another such epidemic broken out?

Whatever the answer to this question, the Scriptures clearly indicate that the best defense against the activity of Satan and his hosts is sincere faith in Christ, of whom we read that, "having vanquished" the powers of evil at Calvary, "He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15). It is on the basis of Christ's finished work of redemption that St. Paul joins believers in...

"Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet [fit] 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" (Col. 1:12,13).

Not only is the true believer in Christ "delivered... from the power of darkness," but upon believing he becomes "the temple of the Holy Spirit," a living shrine where Christ is worshipped. Thus St. Paul says again: "What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" (I Cor. 6:19). How then could the Christian's body also be the dwelling place of an evil spirit? 

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November 24, 2007

POOR ZIGGY!
by Cornelius R. Stam

Ziggy is said to have been the world’s largest male Indian elephant in captivity and had a reputation for being mean. But Ziggy got careless one day here at Chicagoland’s Brookfield Zoo and fell into the deep moat in front of his cage.

It was no fun to be trapped there for 31 hours in an uncomfortable position with both tusks broken and head bleeding, unable even to move.

Cranes, tow trucks and other pieces of equipment were employed in vain. They could not even move Ziggy’s 7-ton (That’s 14,000 lbs.!) hulk to a more comfortable position. Finally, though, someone thought of building a ramp by pouring gravel -- 42 tons of it -- into the moat, and Ziggy was freed.

When we learned about Ziggy’s sad plight it reminded us of the fall of man. Through sin man has fallen into trouble and misery and cannot extricate himself. When he deceives himself into thinking that he can surmount the situation by his own efforts he soon learns that he is vainly trying to pull himself up by "his own bootstraps" and his outlook only continues to darken.

Like Ziggy, fallen man needs help from the outside. Trying, hoping, deciding, determining, vowing, looking on the bright side -- none of these prove successful; he needs a Savior.

How blessed, then, to know that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" and that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved"!

Once we acknowledge our condition as fallen sinners and call upon Him to save us, He is quick to respond.

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November 25, 2007

THE SON OF MAN
by Cornelius R. Stam

In the four “Gospel” records, the Lord Jesus Christ refers to Himself about eighty times as “the son of Man”. This title is based upon a passage in Daniel’s prophecy in which “dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” are given unto one who appeared as “the Son of Man” (Dan.7:13, 14). This kingdom, says the passage, “shall not pass away, and ... shall not be destroyed.”

As the term “Son of God” speaks of our Lord’s deity and the term “Son of David” emphasizes His title as King of Israel, so the term “Son of Man” identifies Him as the representative of mankind in general.

It is as “Son of Man” that He will reign as King of the world, as “King of kings” as we have seen above. It is also as “Son of Man” that He will judge the nations just before His kingdom reign:

“When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him will be gathered all nations” (Matt.25: 31,32).

As Son of man He will also be the Judge at the final judgment at the Great White Throne (Rev.20:11-15).

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son… because He is the Son of man” (John 5:22,27).

Surely God could not be more just in His dealings with mankind. But best of all it is as Son of man that our Lord represented us at Calvary, paying the penalty for our sins that He might deliver us from the judgment to come. “For the Son of man came…to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). In “due time” the Apostle Paul was raised up to proclaim the glad news that the great Mediator had given Himself “a ransom for ALL” (I Tim.2:6).

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November 26, 2007

SIX BILLION WILLS
by Cornelius R. Stam

As long as man remained obedient to the will of God, his Maker, all was well with him. His life was perfectly balanced because it was centered in God. As soon as he listened to Satan, however, and set his will against God’s, all began to go wrong. His life was now off center and out of balance. It was no longer subject to one central Will. Alienated from God, man now reaped the fruits of his rebellion, not only in his banishment from Paradise but in the self-will of his offspring.

Of the first two children born into the world, one bludgeoned the other to death and this was but the beginning. Whereas God had originally created man in His own “image” and “likeness” (Gen. 1:26,27) we read later that Adam begat Seth “in HIS own likeness, after HIS image” (Gen.5:3).

And so parents down through the ages have begotten children like themselves, with fallen natures and wills of their own, until today we have some six billion wills operating in the world instead of the one central will of God.

This does not mean, however, that God has abdicated, or that the future of the world is now subject to the wills of six billion fallen creatures, but at least we get a glimpse of why the world is in the mess it is. Nor was God forced to formulate new plans because of the fall of man. Far from it, for despite man’s rebellion — even through it — God has been carrying out His plan and every true believer rejoices that God “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph.1:11). While He does not rule directly in the affairs of men, He very definitely overrules, and as a result, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom.8:28 ).

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November 27, 2007

THE TRIUNITY OF GOD
by Russell S. Miller

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

Have you ever considered that God’s image is stamped upon all creation? The whole universe bears the image of God. Just ask yourself what the universe is made of. It bears the image of its Creator.

The Universe is made of three elements: Time, Space, and Matter. And each one of these is a triunity in itself:

Time is Past, Present, and Future.

Space is Length, Width, and Height.

Matter is Energy, Motion, and Phenomena.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them” (Gen.1:26,27).

When God created man, He said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (Gen.1:26). Paul the Apostle tells us that man is “…spirit, soul, and body…” yet one man (IThes.5:23)! In John 1:1 the Lord Jesus Christ is called, The Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1,2). In I John 5:7 we read most clearly these words concerning the Trinity: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

It’s a shame the New World translation leaves these verses out because, not only does nature itself confirm the Triunity of God, but the Bible also clearly declares that God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, three Persons, yet one God—stamped His “image” and “likeness” upon all creation. In Colossians 2:9 the Deity of “the Man Christ Jesus” is confirmed: “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

Much, much more could be said on a subject so involved as the Triunity of God.

“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him” (ICor.8:6).

“…and no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost” (ICor.12:3).

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November 28, 2007

A STONE OF STUMBLING
by Cornelius R. Stam

Some thirty years after the death and resurrection of Christ, St. Peter wrote to the believers of the Jewish dispersion:

"Unto you therefore which believe He is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
"And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient..." (I Pet. 2:7,8 ).

It is true that Israel’s builders, 1900 years ago, "disallowed" Christ as the cornerstone for their building, and that when He became the "Head of the corner," according to Psa. 118:22, it was for them an occasion for stumbling and embarrassment.

But Christ is a "stone of stumbling" to all who reject Him. In Rom. 9:33 St. Paul quotes from several Old Testament passages:

"As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence; and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."

In Peter’s day and in Paul’s, those who looked upon Christ as their Cornerstone were never given cause to be ashamed. It was those who disallowed and refused Him who kept stumbling over Him and were constantly embarrassed by Him.

So today, those who put their trust in the crucified, risen Christ are eternally secure and will never be put to shame for having done so. But those who reject Christ keep forever stumbling over Him. They hear Him preached over the radio, they see Him offered as the One who died for their sins, they are constantly confronted with His claims and they are embarrassed. They keep forever stumbling over Him.

Moral: trust Him now as your personal Savior, for "whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."

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November 29, 2007

HE THAT IS SPIRITUAL
by Cornelius R. Stam

"He that is spiritual judgeth [discerneth] all things, yet he himself is judged [discerned] of no man" (I Cor. 2:15).

The truly spiritual man is so far above the wisest sages of this world, yes, so far above the mass of Christians with whom he comes into contact, that he can understand them, but they can never quite understand him.

We should all long to be truly spiritual, but what is true spirituality?

In the Pauline Epistles the human race is divided, by the Spirit, into four classes: the natural man, the babe in Christ, the carnal Christian, and the spiritual Christian.

All four of these are referred to in one passage of Scripture (I Cor. 2:14—3:4) and it should be noted that they are classified according to their ability to appreciate and assimilate "the things of God" as revealed in His Word.

Through diligent, prayerful study of the Word, and with a sincere desire to obey it, the spiritual man has come to know God and the Lord Jesus Christ more and more intimately. Babes in Christ and carnal believers about him cannot "discern" him, simply because they have not come to know God as he. But he, having grown to spiritual maturity, quite understands them. He is among those of whom it is written:

"But strong meat [solid food] belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14).

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November 30, 2007

"A TRUE VETERAN"
by Cornelius R. Stam

Before you have placed your trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior, there is nothing whatever you can do to please God or to gain acceptance with Him. John 3:35 declares that "the Father loves the Son" and cares what you think about Him and do with Him. This is why Verse 36 goes on to say:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him."

But once you have received Christ as your Savior and Lord there is much you can do to please God. You can witness to His saving grace, you can please Him by living a godly life, you can work for Him, you can sacrifice of your means to further His cause, and yes, you can fight for Him. "Fight for Him" you say? Yes indeed, for this world system, our Adamic natures and Satan and his hosts, are all antagonistic toward the Christ who died for our sins. Satan’s forces, especially, work behind the scenes to "blind the minds of them that believe not" (II Cor. 4:4). These fallen angels, we read, are "the rulers of the darkness of this world" (iEph. 6:12).

This is why God urges His children to be "strong in the Lord," putting on "the whole armor of God," so as to meet and defeat these evil forces (Vers. 10,11). This is why He puts a sword ("the Word of God") into our hands and bids us "stand... stand... stand!" (Vers. 11-14).

Ah, but a great veteran, who waged many battles in making Christ known to the lost, gives us an inkling of the thrill that goes with being "a good soldier of Jesus Christ." In his last words, just before his execution, the Apostle Paul declared triumphantly: "I have fought a good fight!" (II Tim. 4:7). It was indeed "a good fight" in which he had been engaged, a fight to bring light and salvation and blessing to benighted souls. And the reward:

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown" (Ver. 8 ).

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December 1, 2007

HE SHALL PRAY FOR THEE
by Cornelius R. Stam

Abimelech, king of Gerar, had taken Abraham’s wife as his own, but had done so innocently.

Sarah was a beautiful woman and Abraham, fearful for his life, had said to Abimelech: “She is my sister”. Indeed, Sarah, also fearful, had vouched for Abraham’s lie, telling the king: “He is my brother”.

But to save the failing couple from the consequences of their own cowardice and sin, God had appeared to Abimelech, warning him that if he valued his life he would immediately return Sarah to her husband — “and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live” (Gen. 20:7).

Can this be a correct account of what actually took place? Will God hear the prayers of guilty Abraham for innocent Abimelech? Yes, for Abimelech was a pagan who served other gods, while Abraham, with all his failure and sin, was God’s child.

Abraham’s prayer would, of course, be a confession of his sin and a plea that it might not be laid to the charge of innocent Abimelech, but nevertheless it was Abraham, not Abimelech, who had access to God.

This is an important lesson to learn, for many unsaved people point to the failures of believers and say: “I wouldn’t be guilty of that. If he goes to heaven, I certainly will get there”. Nevertheless, such “good” people are lost, while poor sinners who have trusted Christ for salvation are saved and “made accepted in the Beloved One” (Eph.1:6).

There is only one way to find acceptance with God; this is by faith in His Son. Our Lord said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6), and in John 3:35,36 we read:

“The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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