Two Minutes With The Bible

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October 22, 2008

FOUR KINDS OF MEN
by Cornelius R. Stam

According to St. Paul's inspired epistles, the human race is divided into four categories:

1. The natural man, i.e., the fallen son of Adam, as he is, without God. Of him the Apostle says: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (ICor.2:14).

2. The babe in Christ. When a person sees himself as a sinner and trusts Christ as his Saviour, he is "born again" and becomes a "babe in Christ". But babes can and should grow, so these are exhorted: "As newborn babes, desire the sincere [pure] milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby" (IPet.2:2).

3. The carnal Christian is one who, though perhaps a Christian for years, has not grown, due to indifference and neglect of the Word of God. He still has to be treated as a babe in Christ. The Corinthian believers were examples of this. Paul had to write them: "I...could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear [digest] it, neither yet now are ye able" (ICor.3:1,2). Everybody loves a baby, but the joy that fills the hearts of loving parents turns to bitterest sorrow if their baby fails to grow.

4. The spiritual Christian is one who, through prayerful study of the Word of God, has grown to spiritual maturity. He is no longer merely a child of God; he is a "man of God". We should all "desire the sincere [pure] milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby" (IPet.2:2) -- "THAT WE HENCEFORTH BE NO MORE CHILDREN, TOSSED TO AND FRO, AND CARRIED ABOUT WITH EVERY WIND OF DOCTRINE" (Eph.4:14). Let us then heed St. Peter's inspired exhortation: "BUT GROW IN GRACE, AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST" (IIPet. 3:18 ).

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October 23, 2008

WHAT ABOUT ME, AND THE FUTURE?
by Cornelius R. Stam

Is it not amazing that men who can produce intricate electronic mechanisms, build giant sky-scrapers, fly men to the moon and back -- is it not amazing that such men often do not even know what will finally become of themselves! And what is more amazing still is that most of them do not even try seriously to find out.

They are intelligent enough to plan carefully for the future where temporal affairs are concerned, but foolish enough to neglect their eternal welfare. They make plans for themselves in case they become ill and need additional funds for surgery, medicine and hospital care. They even make plans for their loved ones in case of death and bereavement, but fail to ask themselves: "What will become of me after death?"

Daily "the wise of this world" witness the truth of Hebrews 9:27, that "it is appointed unto men once to die", and most of them know that the Bible adds: "after this the judgment". They may hope that this is but a false alarm, but they do not know. They can only wonder and worry. Hebrews 2:15 declares that "through fear of death" they are "all their lifetime subject to bondage". Like Adam, they run and hide from God instead of running to Him and asking: "What must I do to be saved?" Too cowardly to face up to their own grave, no hope beyond the tomb -- too afraid, generally, to even discuss death.

The believer in the Word of God is not left thus in the dark. He glories in the truth of the passages from which we have quoted in part above. We quote them now in full:

Hebrews 2:14,15: "Forasmuch then as the children [of Adam] are partakers of flesh and blood, He [Christ] also Himself likewise took part of the same; 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."

Hebrews 9:27,28: "And 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; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without [lit., "apart from"] sin unto salvation."

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October 24, 2008

THE ONE TRUE CHURCH AND HOW TO JOIN IT
by Cornelius R. Stam

Many people have been saved and have truly come to know Christ after having been sincere, religious "church members" for years. Though faithful supporters of some earthly church organization they had never experienced the truth of II Cor. 5:17: "If any man [be] in Christ there is a new creation." It is possible to be a member in good standing of a church organization, yet be outside the one true Church of which the Bible speaks.

This is because the true Bible Church is not an organization, much less a political state. It is a living organism, a spiritual body, with a living Head and living members. Again and again St. Paul, by divine inspiration, calls the Church, the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:5; I Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30).

It should be observed too, that the true Bible Church has one Head -- not a man on earth, but the glorified Christ in heaven (Eph. 1:22; 4:4,5; 5:23; Col. 1:18 ). Nowhere in Scripture do we read that any man is to act as His earthly representative as Head of the Body.

How, then, do we become members of this one true Bible Church, the Body of Christ? First, we must acknowledge ourselves to be sinners in God's sight, for Ephesians 2:16 relates how Christ died for sinful men "that He might RECONCILE both [Jew and Gentile] to God in one Body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." Thus, when believing sinners are RECONCILED to God by faith in Christ, they are REGENERATED, given a new life, by the Spirit, and by the Spirit are BAPTIZED into the Church, the Body of Christ.

Titus 3:5: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of REGENERATION, and renewing of the Holy Spirit."

I Corinthians 12:13: "For BY ONE SPIRIT ARE WE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY".

Every one of us should ask himself: "Have I been baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ?" Those who have not, do not belong to the one Church which God recognizes. But membership in the true Church is still open. Simply, but sincerely, trust Christ as your Savior. He is the Head of the Church. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31). Then associate yourself with some local assembly where Christ is honored and the Bible taught, rightly divided. We will be glad to suggest such a place of worship.

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October 25, 2008

IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME
by Russell S. Miller

“Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27).

In the shadow of Calvary’s dreadful cross our Lord uttered these words concerning the purpose of God in His approaching crucifixion. And later, at Gethsemane, when that horrid hour arrived, the Son of God was deeply troubled, so terrible was the judgment of God upon sin:

“And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt.26:39).

In the above passage our Lord saw the accursed cross and the dregs of that “cup” He must drink on account of sin for your salvation and mine.

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matt.27:46).

When Christ was “forsaken” of His Father, the judgment of God that would have sunk a world to hell was poured out upon Jesus Christ. The sins of all mankind were laid upon Jesus Christ at Calvary. Our “sin” nature was placed on Christ, and He bore our “sins” away to that far country as well. When God abandoned His Son to the judgment of sin, He “forsook” His own Son that we might never be forsaken of God. What love and what grace! This is why Paul quotes the Lord in I Corinthians 11:24,25, and instructs believers to observe the Lord’s Supper “in remembrance of Him”. In this celebration, the Apostle Paul makes the bread a symbol of Christ’s body, “which was broken for you,” and the cup a symbol of His shed blood, and he states:

“FOR AS OFTEN AS YE EAT THIS BREAD, AND DRINK THIS CUP, YE DO SHEW THE LORD’S DEATH TILL HE COME” (ICor.11:26).

While we await His coming, the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians explains precisely how God’s love can forgive our sins through Jesus Christ:

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

It was not a conditional salvation, then, that Christ wrought for us upon the tree but a perfect and complete redemption was fully purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ on that cruel cross. If there had been another way surely “the only wise God” would have known. “…If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the Law” (Gal.3:21). But there was no other way! “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die” (Rom.5:7), but who would die for sinners? There was no one good enough to pay the price of sin, no one to stand between us and God, no one who could save us from our sins.

“As it is written, THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE…” (Rom.3:10-12).

No one but the Lord Jesus can save you from your sins, from Hell, and from the Lake of Fire. And just as there was “no cause” in the Lord Jesus for their bitter hatred of Him, so “without a cause” in us, God “freely” offers us salvation today:

“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).

“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).

It is a really good idea to keep the all-sufficiency of Christ’s perfect sacrifice in our memory. “To seize on” this truth, and to “hold” this truth “fast”, and to “remember” that His death on that cruel cross was for our sins, and to never let it depart from our minds. Oh, keep this “in memory” and don’t ever forget that “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS”.

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October 26, 2008

THE NOBLE BEREANS
by Cornelius R. Stam

We have said that the Bereans were commended for listening with open minds to teachings which they had never heard before. Yes, when they were confronted with them. It was the Athenians, not the Bereans, who made it their policy to consider as many viewpoints as possible on every subject (Acts 17:18-21).

The strength of the Bereans was that they kept close to the Scriptures. When confronted with some new doctrine, they did indeed give it an interested hearing, but then "searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Had they found anything in Paul's message which contradicted the Scriptures they would immediately have rejected it. And for this God calls them "noble." They were the truly great, the spiritual aristocracy of their day. Too many believers today aspire to be like the Athenians rather than the Bereans. They say they wish to have open minds, and this is good if it is remembered that an open mind is like an open mouth; not everything should be put into it.

The Athenians went to the other extreme from the Thessalonians, who would not even consider a new doctrine when confronted with it -- would not even consider it in the light of the Scriptures. The Bereans were the wisest of the three. They kept close to that blessed Book, and, when confronted with unfamiliar teachings, immediately subjected them to the test of Scripture.

This is the wisest course, even if only because we are all limited in time and strength. Obviously we cannot spend a great deal of time looking into the conflicting teachings of men without sacrificing a great deal of much-needed time for Bible study, and in the measure that we do this we are bound to grow spiritually weaker.

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October 27, 2008

THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW
by Cornelius R. Stam

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight..."
(Rom. 3:20).

It is strange that so many sincere people can so misunderstand God's written Word as to suppose that He gave the Law "to help us to be good" or "as a rule of life." The Law was not given to help us to be good, but rather to show us that we are sinners and need a Savior. Rom. 3:22,23 says that "there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." How foolish, then, to look to the Law for help. Though the Law provides for just trial it does not help the criminal; it condemns him. Thus the Bible teaches that the Law was given:

"That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19).

"For by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20).

"The law entered that the offense might abound" (Rom. 5:20).

"That sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful" (Rom. 7:13).

"It was added because of transgressions" (Gal. 3:19).

This leads us to St. Paul's great conclusion:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight" (Rom. 3:20).

This makes sense, for doing a few "good" things cannot right the wrongs we have done. Good is what we should do, hence we should not expect to be rewarded for it.

But, thank God, "Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3) and "by Him all who believe are justified" (Acts 13:39).

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law"
(Rom. 3:28 ).

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

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October 28, 2008

PAUL AND THE NEW BIRTH
by Cornelius R. Stam

The Pauline revelation leads us into glorious truths respecting both our position and experience as believers. Indeed, the new birth itself, as it takes place in the believer today, is directly related to the divine baptism by which Christ and the believer are made one.

How was Christ made one with mankind? He was baptized into the human race. He did not merely come to dwell with men. He became man. How? By being born into the race. Was this by natural birth? No, by supernatural birth. He was begotten of the Holy Spirit. But His baptism into the human race did not end with His birth and life on earth. So fully did He become one with man, that He even died man's death on the accursed tree. He was baptized into death (Luke 12:50) and, as we now know, into our death.

And it is there, at the Cross, that we become one with Him. The moment one looks in faith to Calvary, acknowledging: "He is no sinner; I am the sinner. Christ is dying my death"; that moment he becomes one with Christ; baptized into the crucified, risen Lord Himself (Rom. 6:3; Gal. 3:26,27) not only positionally, in the reckonings of God, but exponentially, by the Spirit. And thus a new life is begotten.

By natural birth? No, by supernatural birth. Some hold that the Epistles of Paul do not teach the new birth, but this is an error. His familiar word teknon, generally translated simply "child" in our English Bibles, means literally, "born one." And he uses this word with regard to our spiritual relationship to God.

Furthermore, the Apostle teaches the very truth of the new birth in Tit. 3:5, where he says:

"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."

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October 29, 2008

THE GOSPEL THAT PAUL PREACHED
by Russell S. Miller

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
“By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
“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” (ICor.15:1-4).

Do you recall that during our Lord’s earthly ministry, and the announcements of His approaching crucifixion (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33,34), that His disciples didn’t comprehend a thing He had said to them about His impending death (Mark 8:32; 9:32; 10:35)?

“And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken” (Luke 18:34).

But it is suggested by some that the words of Christ in Luke 24:25-27 show that our Lord there revealed what He actually accomplished at Calvary. If the Lord had revealed to his disciples that “Christ Died For Our Sins” as He later revealed to the Apostle Paul, this would surely have been the good news that Peter and John would have preached on Pentecost. Instead we find Paul using the personal pronoun “I” in I Corinthians 15:1-4 regarding “the gospel” which he had “received” of the Lord Jesus, and “declared” and “preached” and “delivered,” to the Corinthians, and to us.

In early Acts the Apostle Peter had only known, and preached, the resurrection of Christ to sit upon the throne of David’s prophesied kingdom. He did not know what the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ had accomplished, nor did Peter preach Paul’s gospel at Pentecost. He rather called upon Israel to “repent” of their wickedness in the crucifixion of Christ and submit to water baptism “for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:22-31, 38; 3:22,23). Clearly, at Pentecost, the disciples of our Lord did not know what the cross of Calvary meant; else they would have preached it from the housetops!

On the contrary, God raised up the Apostle Paul for the specific purpose of proclaiming Paul’s gospel for the obedience of all peoples today (Rom.16:25,26). And all this, beloved, though first revealed to Paul, is consistent with Paul’s words in Romans and Corinthians and Colossians that Christ’s death, burial and resurrection was “according to the Scriptures” (ICor.15:3,4).

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October 30, 2008

CHRIST'S DEATH FOR US
by Cornelius R. Stam

Three times in Chapter 5 of Paul's letter to the Romans we read that Christ died for us.

Ver. 6: "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Ver. 8: "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Ver. 10: " ...when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son...."

Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, even in our willfulness, Christ loved us and gave His life to save us. But why does the Apostle say that Christ died for us "when we were yet without strength," "while we were yet sinners" and "when we were enemies"? Did not Christ die for us before any of us were even born? Yes, but here the Apostle writes historically of the whole human race. The rest of the chapter bears this out.

In Verse 12 he refers to Adam, the "one man" by whom sin and death entered into the world. This rendered man truly helpless. In Verse 20 he refers to Moses, by whom "the law entered, that the offence might abound." Thus by the law men were condemned as sinners. Finally, in Verses 20, 21, he refers to Christ, "[who] died for all" (II Cor. 5:14,15), that helpless sinners might be saved, yea that even God's enemies might be reconciled to Him by grace, through faith. By Adam we have the entrance of sin, by Moses the condemnation of sin and by Christ the forgiveness of sins.

Only gradually was the importance of Christ's death for mankind revealed, but now we know that the saints of all ages have been saved on the basis of our Lord's vicarious death alone. No one else could have paid a debt so great. Thus, in our helplessness, in our sinfulness, yes, thank God, in our willfulness, the Lord Jesus Christ died to save us.

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

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October 31, 2008

SOBER CHRISTIANS
by Cornelius R. Stam

"Let us, who are of the day, be sober..." (I Thes. 5:8 ).

Many people entertain the erroneous idea that truly spiritual Christians must always be solemn and long-faced. In fact, they suppose that such Scripture passages as the above teach this.

Nothing could be farther from the truth, for the word "sober," in our English New Testament does not mean solemn, but completely under control. This is also true of the original Greek word from which the English word "sober" is translated.

Sobriety in Scripture, as in modern English, is the opposite of drunkenness. This is brought out in the rest of the passage cited above. Along with its context, the above exhortation reads as follows:

"For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken be drunken in the night.
"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope of salvation.
"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
"Who died for us that... we should live together with Him" (I Thes. 5:7-10).

Thus those who are "of the day," and know Christ as their Savior, should not "sleep" on the one hand, or "be drunken" on the other, but should be awake and alert, their faculties completely under control, so that they might witness the more effectively to the saving grace of Christ.

If ever there was a time when true Christians should "watch and be sober," it is now.

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November 1, 2008

THE STARS OF MESSIAH'S REIGN
by Cornelius R. Stam

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan.12:3).

The day is coming when redeemed Israel and all the saints of the Old Testament times will taste the joy of Messiah's glorious reign. But some -- the wise -- will be honored more than others and will shine in that day as the stars of the firmament.

Who are these "wise" ones? Our text answers: "They that turn many to righteousness". Not those who merely knew all the technicalities of the prophetic program, but remained unmoved, but those who, understanding the prophetic plan and recognizing that God must judge sin, did something about it and labored to turn many to righteousness.

These will be the stars of Messiah's reign.

What a lesson this passage holds for us who have trusted Christ as our Saviour in this present "dispensation of grace"!

When we stand before the Lord, all saved by His abundant grace, not all will be equally honored. Outshining the rest will be "the wise", who, understanding God's message and program of grace and, "buying up the time because the days are evil" (Eph.5:16), URGED THE LOST TO ACCEPT "the gift of righteousness" by faith in Christ. Of these we may well say by way of adaption:

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

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November 2, 2008

KNOWING THE POWER OF GOD
by Russell S. Miller

It will greatly assist the child of God to know that when the Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cross, He not only died for our sins, past, present and future, but He also died to put away that old sin nature, that part of us that always sins.

“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom.6:6).

This word, knowing, has been defined in the Companion Bible as “to know (by experience and effort); to acquire knowledge, become acquainted with; hence, to come or get to know, learn, perceive.”

Thus with “experience and effort” through the study of God’s Word, and prayer, the Holy Spirit leads us to “perceive” (Gal.2:9) and “understand” (Phil.1:12) what Christ actually accomplished for us through “the death of the cross,” and such “knowledge” (Acts 17:13) refutes the doctrine of sin’s eradication.

The child of God is to know that his old sin nature has been “crucified” with Christ. He is to know that no matter how much effort he puts into its restoration the old Adamic nature of man has been “crucified” and “buried,” positionally, with Christ. Thus Paul’s exhortations to practical Christian living:

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instrument of righteousness unto God” (Rom.6:11-13).

Knowing the power of God’s grace the child of God is no longer to “serve sin.” And through knowing these things he can truly appreciate all that Christ accomplished for us at Calvary, and occupy, experientially, that position in Christ that Jesus “purchased with His own shed blood” (Acts 20:28; Eph.1:7).

“But GOD BE THANKED, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have OBEYED FROM THE HEART THAT FORM OF DOCTRINE which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Rom.6:17,18 ).

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November 3, 2008

PAUL TELLS OTHERS ABOUT HIS GOSPEL
by Cornelius R. Stam

It is true that now there is but one gospel and God's anathema is pronounced upon any who would presume to proclaim any other (Gal.1:8,9), but those who suppose that Paul proclaimed the same good news which the twelve before him had proclaimed, should carefully read Galatians 2:1-9.

The twelve had been proclaiming our Lord's kingdom rights in "the gospel of the kingdom". The kingdom having been rejected, however, God raised up Paul to proclaim "the Gospel of the Grace of God" (Acts 20:24). In Galatians 1:11,12, this apostle declares:

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

This is only one of many passages in which he declares that he was commissioned to proclaim a special message by the glorified Lord Himself (Eph.3:1-4; Rom.16:25; etc.).

Now in Galatians 2:2, the apostle states: "I went up by revelation [God sent him] and communicated unto them [the apostles and elders at Jerusalem] that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles...." But was he not merely checking to make sure that he and they were preaching the same good news? No, for he goes on to say: "But [I went] privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain".

Verses 7 and 9 then go on to tell how "they saw" and "perceived" the grace that had been given to Paul, so that they publicly and officially gave him "the right hands of fellowship", acknowledging him as the apostle of grace, sent to the world with a message of grace:

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom.3:24).

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November 4, 2008

THE CHARACTER OF A NATION
by Russell S. Miller

"Truth is on the scaffold, and wrong is on the throne."

This statement has more accuracy to it than any of us care to realize, when men in high places lie under oath, lie their way through the courts, across the country, and around the world; and the populous at large does not care enough to stand up and be counted, just so long as the economy is not upset. But this mentality is to be expected, I suppose, in the ungodly world in which we live.

It matters not what the evidence is, just so the villain manages to get away with his sin. Honesty, integrity, and uprightness are unimportant, apparently, in the character of a nation.

God doesn't look at it this way, however, and will bring every sin into judgment. He has brought great empires down to the dust because of pride and arrogance in the peoples of those nations. And regarding these who insist upon perpetrating lies, the words written in Paul's letter to the Thessalonians apply:

"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a [the] lie:
"That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (IIThes.2:11, 12).

Here, the Apostle speaks of the end times, after the Church is caught away and just before Messiah returns to set up His long prophesied Kingdom on earth. During that great tribulation the world shall believe the big lie of antichrist---that he can successfully rule the world without Christ.

The book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ explicitly describes the outcome of his, and the world's, contest with God in Twenty-Two detailed chapters.

"IN FLAMING FIRE TAKING VENGEANCE ON THEM THAT KNOW NOT GOD, AND THAT OBEY NOT THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST" (IIThes.1:8 ).

Clearly, current events affirm that the Coming of the Lord is much nearer today than it has ever been. Are you ready for this moment of "truth"?

"BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED..." (Acts 16:31).

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Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

If you would like to ask a question or make a comment
regarding the content of this article, please email:
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[nChrist]

________________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society

If you would like to ask a question or make a comment
regarding the content of this article, please email:
berean@execpc.com
_________________________________________________

November 5, 2008

THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
by Cornelius R. Stam

Some three thousand years ago, and about one thousand years before Christ, the Psalmist said:

"If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee..." (Psa. 130:3,4).

The Psalmist did not explain, however, upon what basis a just and holy God could forgive a guilty sinner. This was to be proclaimed one thousand years later by the Apostle Paul, himself once "a blasphemer, and a persecutor and injurious"; the "chief" of sinners, but forgiven and saved by the infinite grace of God (Tim. 1:13-15).

Preaching Christ at Antioch, in the province of Pisidia, Paul declared:

"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that THROUGH THIS MAN IS PREACHED UNTO YOU THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, AND BY HIM ALL THAT BELIEVE ARE JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS, FROM WHICH YE COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW OF MOSES" (Acts 13:38,39).

But even this does not fully answer our question, for we must still ask: On what basis does God forgive sins through "this Man"? The answer is: on the basis of His payment for our sins on Calvary's cross. Thus the Apostle wrote to the Romans, explaining how we may be...

"...justified freely by His [God's] grace, THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS" (Rom. 3:24).

Now, thank God, through Christ's finished work, there is not a sinner who needs to remain unforgiven, for:

"In [Christ] we have redemption, through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph. 1:7).
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