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March 7, 2009

ACCESS TO GOD BY GRACE
by Russell S. Miller


If "grace" reigns today, and the Apostle Paul states emphatically that it does, then it must reign from "the throne of grace" in Heaven.

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:20,21).

Thank God that grace was dispensed when He could have justly poured out His righteous judgment upon a Christ-rejecting world. There is nothing in prophecy to prevent His wrath upon mankind except His own heart of love toward an undeserving world. God, in grace, reached down from heaven to save His chief enemy on earth, Saul of Tarsus. The very one, who represented a doomed world, was also the one to whom our Lord was pleased to reveal "the riches of His grace" and "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 1:7; 3:8,11).

In the Epistles of St. Paul, we have "grace" and "peace" to enter God's presence without fear through the finished work of Christ on Calvary:

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19).

In this new dispensation Jews and Gentiles are bidden by God, Himself, to come confidently into His presence "through Jesus Christ our Lord":

"IN WHOM WE HAVE BOLDNESS AND ACCESS WITH CONFIDENCE BY THE FAITH OF HIM" (Eph. 3:11,12).

Indeed, Old Testament saints could not even imagine the access we have today into God's presence "by His own blood" (Heb. 9:12). In grace He gives us a full and complete audience whenever we call:

"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. 4:14-16).

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March 8, 2009

GRACE NOT EARNED
by Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever noticed that God does not hold the great men of Scripture up to us because of their personal goodness? Almost invariably their records are marred by failure and sin, but God bids us look at their faith, to see what their faith did for them. Even those who lived consistently good lives are not held up to us for their personal worth, because God knows their imperfections. Thus Rom. 4:2,3 says:

"For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory-- but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

And Verse 6 goes on to say about David:

"Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works."

This is because man cannot live a life good enough to make him acceptable to God, for with God only perfection is good enough. One sin spoiled the earth; God will not allow one sin to spoil heaven too. This is why in grace He gave Christ to die for our sins and to pay the just penalty for us. Because of the all-sufficient payment of Christ in our behalf, God can now be "just, and the Justifier" of those who place their faith in Christ (Rom. 3:26).

The famous eleventh chapter of Paul's letter to the Hebrews bears out the fact that salvation, or acceptance with God, is obtained, not by human effort, but by faith. This great chapter on the heroes in God's "Hall of Fame," begins with the words: "For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good report," and then goes on: "By faith Abel ...," "By faith Enoch...," "By faith Noah...," "By faith Abraham...," etc., and closes with the declaration:

"...these all...obtained a good report through faith..."

[nChrist]

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March 9, 2009

WHO SHALL SEPARATE US?
by Cornelius R. Stam


"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Rom. 8:35).

True Christians have been saved from the penalty of sin for one reason alone: because of "the love of God, which is [manifested] in Christ Jesus our Lord."

St. John wrote by divine inspiration:
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sin.
"We love Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:10,19).

Let us understand this clearly and remember it always. It is not our love to Him, but His love to us, that saves us -- and it is His love to us that keeps us saved. This is where we must begin the Christian life.

A wayward husband returned to his grieving wife one day, after many months of living in sin. Sobbing his heart out in remorse and shame, he told her how often he had longed to be home again with the wife he knew to be so true to him. Asked why, then, he had not returned sooner, he explained that he was ashamed; to which his wife replied: "John, I want you to know something and never forget it: I love you." John sobbed in response: "Who wouldn't want to live for a woman like this!"

Just so it is the knowledge that Christ loves us no matter what; that nothing shall ever separate us from His love; it is this that makes the sincere believer determine, by God's grace, to be always true to Him.

Thus the Scripture doctrine of the believer's eternal security in Christ by no means leads to careless living. On the contrary, it affords the greatest possible motivation to "live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Tit. 2:11,12).

[nChrist]

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March 10, 2009

I WASN'T PRAYING RIGHT
by Cornelius R. Stam


We were having supper in a restaurant in Albany, Georgia, and had just given our waitress a gospel tract. This brought about an incident we shall probably never forget. The young lady was married and had one child, though still a teenager, but she was a sincere believer and had already learned one lesson which is bound to enrich the life of any Christian.

About ten months previous her little baby, only two months old, had become seriously ill. The little one was taken to the hospital but his condition worsened daily. "I was on my knees so much those days," said the young mother, "begging the Lord day after day not to take my little child, and I guess I got a little bitter one night when the doctor warned me in a kind way not to expect too much.

"I went home again and began claiming promises from the Lord, when it dawned on me that I hadn't been praying right. All of a sudden it came to me, and I said: 'Lord, I'm your child and I know perfectly well that you wouldn't do anything to harm me, so please help me just to trust you and to understand that whatever you do is for my good.'

"I felt better then," she said, "and I guess the Lord just wanted me to learn that lesson, because what do you think! The very next morning when I went to the hospital one of the nurses came to me almost dancing. She said: 'Honey, your baby's going to live. The crisis is over. You should see how well he's doing!' And he was! You should have seen him! And you should see how fine and healthy he is now!

"I'm so thankful. And believe me, I've learned that lesson, and won't go demanding things from the Lord again."

[nChrist]

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March 11, 2009

FAITH AND HEARING
by Cornelius R. Stam


"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17).

This important passage of Scripture is, sad to say, little understood. Many people think of faith in the abstract, as though it had some mysterious power in itself. They speak of faith, but what do they mean? Faith in what? or in whom? Surely it is not possible just to have faith, without something or someone to have faith in.

Faith is not wishing hard, or feeling confident. It is not optimism or presumption or imagination. Faith must have a basis, a foundation. Thus the Christian's faith is founded on "the Word of God" -- on what God has said in the Bible.

The above passage explains: "Faith cometh by hearing." Isn't that simple? Isn't it true? Some have said that "seeing is believing," but a moment's reflection will reveal that, like the phrase: "I'm from Missouri," this saying is an expression of unbelief. When we have seen a thing we need no longer believe it; it has been demonstrated to us. But when we hear [or read] a matter reported, we may either believe or doubt it. "Faith cometh by hearing." And likewise hearing comes through what has been said. We believe, or doubt, what we hear and we hear what has been said. The Christian's faith, then, comes by hearing (God) and hearing by the Word of God. All true Christian faith is founded on the Word of God.

Actually the word "hearing," in Rom. 10:17, however, has the idea of heeding -- paying attention, listening eagerly. This is why Gal. 3:5 speaks of "the hearing of faith." And thus Eph. 1:13, referring to Christ, says: "In whom ye also trusted, having heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." Thus, too, we read in John 5:24 the words of the Lord Jesus:

"HE THAT HEARETH MY WORD, AND BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT SENT ME, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, AND SHALL NOT COME INTO JUDGMENT, BUT IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE."

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March 12, 2009

THE WORD OF THE LORD
by Russell S. Miller


There is something terribly sad and wrong about this dogma that the Bible is just a book of fables. Oh no, the Bible is no storybook, not at all. The fact is that God's Word is "divinely inspired." As the Apostle Peter said:

"KNOWING THIS FIRST, THAT NO PROPHECY OF THE SCRIPTURE IS OF ANY PRIVATE INTERPRETATION. FOR THE PROPHECY CAME NOT IN OLD TIME BY THE WILL OF MAN: BUT HOLY MEN OF GOD SPAKE [AND WROTE] AS THEY WERE MOVED BY THE HOLY GHOST" (II Peter 1:20,21).

So it is not merely the words on the page that are inspired, for the men who wrote those words were also inspired of God, as He "breathed" His Word into their very beings. Consequently, we can place our complete confidence and trust in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Prophets, in the Law of Moses, and in the Psalms, and particularly in THE EPISTLES OF SAINT PAUL.

"ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD, and is PROFITABLE for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE PERFECT, THROUGHLY FURNISHED UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS" (II Timothy 3:16,17).

The Old Testament foretold of the coming of Christ--of His death, burial, and resurrection--and just as this prophecy was fulfilled to the very letter, so He is coming again. First, to deliver the saved from "this present evil world" (Gal.1:4). And then, according to the Book of Revelation, to reclaim what is rightfully His, by Creation, pouring out His wrath and judgment upon all those who have rejected "the Word of His grace" today (Acts 20:32; Rev.19:11-16).

In the New Testament, God manifests HIS GRACE toward sinners and awaits upon them to believe "the Gospel of His Son" before the prophesied judgments are poured out upon this world (IIThes.1:1-12). And thus the gravity, the seriousness, and the extreme importance of believing God's Word, rightly divided!

Few realize that we shall all give account to that Great Eternal Being, not merely of our actions, and words, but "of the thoughts and intents of the heart" with regards to what He has said in His Word about sin (Heb.4:12). Let us not forget that this JESUS, whom men nailed to the cross of Calvary, who bled and died for the sins of the whole world, AROSE FROM THE DEAD, and He is coming again.

In the Epistles of Saint Paul, however, the Apostle writes about the Lord's coming for believers before those judgments of God are poured out upon this doomed planet:

"For this WE SAY UNTO YOU BY THE WORD OF THE LORD, that...WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (IThes.4:13-18 ).

Be a true Bible student, then, as the noble Bereans of Acts 17:11 were, "and search the Scriptures daily, whether these things are so." Consider what the Apostle says in God's Word, and remember: God is not your enemy; He loves you with an eternal love and sent His Son to pay the awful penalty for our sins.

My friend, "Jesus" will save you from your sins, from Hell and from the Lake of Fire, and from an eternal loss, if you will simply ask Him (Rev.20:11-15). Do it today.

[nChrist]

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March 13, 2009

LIVING TO THE GLORY OF GOD
by Cornelius R. Stam


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

This is the great guiding principle of the Christian life.

The Apostle Paul points out in the preceding context that what may be perfectly right for one person to do may trouble another's conscience. The sincere and gracious believer, therefore, will not carelessly violate his brother's conscientious scruples, offending him by indulging in that which he considers wrong. In Paul's day, this particularly involved the foods of which men partook, but from both Romans 14 and I Corinthians 10 it is evident that Christian conduct in general is involved.

If, in my daily conduct, I consider not only my own, but also my brother's conscience, it does not follow from this that I am disobeying Gal. 5:1, failing to "stand fast... in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free." True, I have no right to give up my blood-bought liberty, but I do have liberty to give up my rights. This the world about us is slow to do, but it is one of the signs of true regeneration.

My aim in life should not be to gratify my own desires, much less to show up my brother's weaknesses by vaunting my liberty in Christ. My one aim should rather be to glorify God in all I say and do.

All this, of course, has to do only with the conduct of believers in Christ. The unbeliever can do nothing to the glory of God. His very rejection of Christ is a continual offense to God who, in love, gave His Son to die in our place. The only way in which the unbeliever can honor God is to turn from his unbelief and trust Christ as Savior and Lord.

[nChrist]

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March 14, 2009

CHOOSING COMMISSIONS
by Cornelius R. Stam


How foolish and wrong it is for any of us to use "snatch-grab" methods, as Pastor J. C. O'Hair called them, in ascertaining our Lord's will for us! What right have we to choose some particular segment or segments of our Lord's instructions to the eleven in the forty days between His resurrection and ascension, and to apply only these to ourselves or to the Church today?

Nothing could be clearer than the fact that our Lord "showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). In those forty days then, one Person, our Lord, spoke to eleven men, and gave instructions as to the program they were to carry out after His ascension. In every single case it is crystal clear that these commands were not directed to others, who were to live at some future date, but to the apostles, who were to commence to carry them out after His departure, when the Holy Spirit had endued them with power.

This is emphasized by the phraseology found in all five records of the so-called "Great Commission": Matt. 28:19: "Go ye," Mark 16:15: "Go ye," Luke 24:48: "Ye are witnesses," John 20:21: "So send I you," and Acts 1:8: "Ye shall be witnesses." How preposterous, then, to argue, as so many hard-pressed theologians have done, that one or more segments of the great commission are to be carried out by another generation at a later time!

By what rule of hermeneutics or logic have we the right to exclude from the interpretation of these commands the very persons to whom our Lord gave them, and if this commission is binding on the Church today, what authority have we to choose which part or parts we shall obey?

[nChrist]

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March 15, 2009

WHY CHRIST CAME
by Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever asked yourself why the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world? Have you ever "searched the Scriptures" to find out why? The majority of religious leaders and their followers seem to think that Christ lived on earth to teach us by His words and His example how we should live. But let's think this through.

Our Lord did indeed show men how they should live with each other and before God. But what were the results? Did the people say: "How wonderful! Now we know how to live together and enjoy life! Let's follow His teachings and the world will be a happier place to live in!" Is this what they said? Far from it! As the record indicates, they hated Him, they ridiculed Him, they heckled Him and finally nailed Him to a cross.

As to His example: Have you ever seen how a jeweler will put a diamond on a piece of black felt to show it to a prospective customer? The diamond is seen most clearly in all its brilliance against a dark, black background -- and vice versa. In the same way, man has never really followed Christ's example -- he couldn't. Rather, the pure white light of Christ's holiness only shows up the dark, black character of the human heart, and man by contrast stands rebuked and condemned.

But why, then, did Christ come into the world? The whole volume of Scripture bears witness to St. Paul's answer in I Tim. 1:15: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

Consider the Old Testament types and prophecies. Consider its Psalms and poems. Consider the words of Christ Himself and you will see that He came, not to live, primarily, but to die -- to die "for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3), to pay our penalty that we might be justified -- cleared of all the charges which the Law held against us.

These same Scriptures also declare that He, the Prince of Peace, arose from the dead and will come again as King of kings and Lord of lords. But meantime we may trust in the rejected Savior and enjoy "peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

[nChrist]

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March 16, 2009

"GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON"
by Russell S. Miller


"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Gal.4:4,5).

"When the fulness of the time was come" --
Vine's dictionary defines fulness as "the end of an appointed period". It might easily be answered, "It was the time appointed of the Father".

"God sent forth His Son"--
Isaiah foretold how God would "send forth" His Son. "...A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel [God with us]" (Isa.7:14). So it was that Joseph was told, "...Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

"And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt.1:20,21).

His death on Calvary's cross is sufficient and efficacious, not for His people only, for the Apostle Paul declares that He "tasted death for every man" (Heb.2:9).

"Made of a woman" --
Note: He was not made of a man and woman. Our text very distinctly states that He was "made of a woman". When was the last time that you saw a child born of a virgin? Such a thought as a virgin birth is scientifically impossible. But, then, so is "resurrection", but nothing is "too hard for the Lord" (Gen.18:14). There is a very specific reason that Christ was born of a virgin. You see, though Mary had tainted blood coursing through her veins, Christ was miraculously conceived, and entered the stream of humanity as a babe in a manger with none of Adam's tainted blood being transferred to Him. So the sacrifice He offered to God on our behalf was accepted.

"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" (Rom. 3:26).

"Made under the law" --
Consequently, not only did He fulfil the righteousness of the Law, but He can impute His very "righteousness" to every believer (Rom.4:3-5; IICor.5: 21).

"To redeem them that were under the law" --
There was no other way to redeem mankind.

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us..." (Gal.3:13).

"For [God] hath made Him to be sin for us, [Christ] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (IICor.5:21).

Make this Christmas the year that you trust Christ as your Saviour, and a Blessed Christmas will be yours indeed:

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

[nChrist]

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March 17, 2009

THE ONE TRUE CHURCH
by Cornelius R. Stam


Religious people -- even sincere Christian people -- may divide themselves into various denominations or churches, but there is no indication in the Bible that God recognizes these divisions. Indeed, God makes it abundantly clear that in His sight there is but one Church, composed of all who truly trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. In I Cor. 12:12,13 the Apostle Paul declares by divine inspiration:

"For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ:

"FOR BY ONE SPIRIT ARE WE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY...."

Again, in Rom. 12:5, he says:

"SO WE, BEING MANY, ARE ONE BODY IN CHRIST, AND EVERY ONE MEMBERS ONE OF ANOTHER."

Indeed, it is on the basis of the fact that there is but "one body" in God's sight that He exhorts us to seek to "keep the unity of the Spirit":

"ENDEAVORING TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND OF PEACE.

"THERE IS ONE BODY...." (Eph. 4:3,4).

How can we become members of that "one Body ," the true Church? Ephesians 2 explains how Christ died for all, Jew and Gentile alike, "that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross..." (Ver. 16). Indeed the Epistles of St. Paul show how God "hath concluded... all in unbelief that He might have mercy upon all" (Rom. 11:32), and offer to them reconciliation and salvation by grace through faith in Christ who died for our sins.

The question, then, is not: What church do you belong to? but, Do you belong to the Church, the Body of Christ, composed of all who have acknowledged themselves to be sinners in the sight of God and have trusted in Christ and His finished work for salvation?

[nChrist]

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March 18, 2009

A TWOFOLD PURPOSE
by Cornelius R. Stam
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Have you ever noticed the wording of the majestic statement with which the Bible opens?

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1).

It does not say that God created "the universe," but "the heaven" and "the earth."

This is because God had a special purpose for the earth quite distinct from His purpose for the rest of the universe. This purpose concerning the earth and the nations to dwell upon it is progressively revealed in the Scriptures. We look forward to its glorious consummation when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" -- when the Christ who was crucified here shall come into His right, reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords.

But God also had a very special purpose concerning heaven which He kept hidden in His own heart of love until man's sin and rebellion had reached their climax. Then He stooped down, saved the "chief of sinners" and used him to make known the wondrous secret of His purpose to offer to sinners everywhere, salvation by grace through faith alone, reconciling them to Himself in one body by the cross and giving them a present position and a future prospect in the highest heavens.

God's purpose concerning the earth and Christ's reign upon it is the subject of prophecy (Luke 1:68-76), His purpose concerning heaven and our exaltation there with Christ is the subject of "the mystery" (Eph. 2:4-10; 3:1-4). Into these two great subjects the Scriptures are basically divided.

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March 19, 2009

THE GOSPEL PRODUCES ASSURANCE
by Russell S. Miller


"For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake" (IThes.1:5).

Many people do not have assurance in these days in which we live. They base their salvation upon what some man has said, or upon some church doctrine, rather than God's Word. Even their so-called "good works" cannot please God because they have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and refused to believe Paul's God-given "gospel" of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph.1:7).

The Lord has told us that "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom.6:23). If God's "gift" is eternal life, and we are "justified by [Christ's] blood" (Rom.5:9), should we not believe what God has said? He is well able to perform that which He has said He will do.

"BEING CONFIDENT OF THIS VERY THING, THAT HE WHICH HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST" (Phil.1:6).

The "performance", here, also goes beyond our salvation to include our daily walk with Him. It is true that "we are HIS workmanship" (Eph.2:10), but it is equally true that we are to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil.2,12). "Shall we continue in sin [then], that grace may abound?" (Rom.6:1). Paul answers this with an emphatic: "God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom.6:2). This lifestyle does not produce assurance; it rather produces guilt as we can readily see from the world about us! It therefore behooves every child of God to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, THAT YE MAY PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD (Rom. 12:1,2).

There is more. To the yielded believer, "God works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil.2:13). Indeed our wonderful Saviour desires greater things yet --- "That our hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment [full knowledge] of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ" (Col.2:2).

This is the "gospel" that "established" the believers at Thessalonica and also produces assurance in us today. Listen to what the Apostle wrote in his first letter to them:

"For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance...." When we believe Paul's gospel, we have that assurance of being true "followers of the Lord" (IThess.1:5,6).

[nChrist]

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March 20, 2009

A BOND SLAVE OF JESUS CHRIST
by Russell S. Miller


In Paul's epistles he always opens with his name and, in most instances the phrase, "an apostle of Jesus Christ." But in his epistle to Titus, he opens with the declaration:

"Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness" (Titus 1:1).

Saul, as he was also known, commissioned with authority from the chief priests, was anything but godly in his persecution of Messiah's followers. But suddenly, on the road to Damascus, in Acts 9, the Lord stopped him in his tracks:

"And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? ..." (Acts 9:4-6).

When the Lord appeared to Paul, at Damascus, he was most acutely aware of how wrong he had been, and of how ungodly his life had been without Christ, and it greatly humbled him. Years later this once proud Pharisee wrote that it was only God's grace that had made him the man of God he had become--"an apostle" and the devoted "servant of Jesus Christ" in ministering "the gospel of God" to the Gentiles (Rom.1:1-5). In Ephesians 3:7 he further tells us that he was "made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God, given unto me by the effectual working of His power.

"Unto me, who am LESS than the LEAST of all saints, is this GRACE given, that I should PREACH among the Gentiles THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST" (Eph.3:7,8 ).

In our text the word "servant," doulos in the Greek and rendered "bondman" in Textus Receptus, refers to one who serves. Paul was now the willing "servant" of Jesus Christ. Thus he exhorts believers not to be blinded by the devil's lies, "For we preach not ourselves, but CHRIST JESUS THE LORD; and ourselves your SERVANTS for Jesus' sake" (IICor. 4:5). And because Paul was a faithful "bond slave" of Jesus Christ, he wrote Timothy:

"Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (IITim.4:17,18 ).

[nChrist]

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March 21, 2009

WHAT IS GRACE?
by Cornelius R. Stam


"The father of lies" always hates the truth, but he does not always oppose it by the same methods. If he fails to succeed as a roaring lion he may appear as an angel of light, suggesting that surely a God of love will not condemn Christ-rejectors forever. Sinners, he will contend, are not responsible for their sins anyway, for does not Eph. 1:11 teach that "[God] worketh all things after the counsel of His own will"? And thus God Himself is supposed to have conceived the idea of sin as "a gracious means to a glorious end," and to have caused man to fall into sin so that He might finally save him from it!

Why an almighty, all-wise, all-loving God permitted sin to enter the universe must, for the time being, remain an impenetrable mystery to us, but one thing is certain: He is not the author of sin, and never accepts the responsibility for it -- except that in grace and love He bore its penalty for man.

God calls sinners "children of disobedience" and "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:2,3), explaining in the clearest language that He hates sin and that His anger is kindled against it (Rom. 1:18; Eph. 5:6; John 3:36). But if God meant man to sin and caused him to sin, how was man disobedient and what cause could God have to be angry? Those who would shift the responsibility for sin from themselves to God should remember that He proclaimed His standards of righteousness in the Law "that every mouth may be stopped and that all the world may be brought in guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19).

The contention that all will finally be saved may at first sound like wonderful grace, but actually there is not one particle of grace in it, for it is based on the theory that since God got us into sin it is only just that He save us from its penalty. But grace is God's mercy and kindness to the undeserving. In Eph. 2, after calling sinners "children of disobedience" and therefore "children of wrath," the Apostle Paul goes on to say:

"BUT GOD, who is RICH IN MERCY, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith he loved us... hath quickened us... raised us up... and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come He might show THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:4-7).