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June 8, 2009

BIRTH, DEATH AND REBIRTH
by Cornelius R. Stam


St. Peter declares that to obtain eternal life we must be born again, since by nature we were born but to die.

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away. But the Word of the Lord endureth forever, and this is the Word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (I Pet. 1 :23-25).

Our Lord emphasized this same fact to the Pharisee Nicodemus. "That which is born of the flesh," He said, "is flesh... Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again" (John 3:6,7).

Nicodemus was devoutly religious, and he even recognized Christ as "a teacher come from God" (John 3:2). But he was not saved. He had not been "born of the Spirit," and "that which is born of the flesh is flesh," even though it is "religious flesh." Therefore it must die. Nicodemus, like many sincerely religious people today, needed to be born again -- of the Spirit, by faith in the Word, of which the Spirit is the Author.

Some suppose that Paul did not teach the new birth, but they are wrong. He taught it consistently, and nowhere more clearly than in Titus 3:5, where he wrote by divine inspiration:

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration [re-birth] and renewing of the Holy Spirit."

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June 9, 2009

POWER TO OVERCOME
by Cornelius R. Stam


Every true Christian knows by experience that the Holy Spirit does not, upon saving us, take possession of us and thenceforth supernaturally cause us to live lives pleasing to God. Rather, as with salvation, so with the Christian life, He operates in the believer "by grace through faith".

Powerful assistance to overcome sin is freely provided by grace, but this help must be appropriated by faith in each individual case. There is no blanket provision for continuous victory throughout our whole life. We must look to Him in faith for the help we need in each separate battle.

Thus the Scripture teaching with regard to victory over sin is not that it is not possible for the believer to sin, but rather that in any given case it is possible for him not to sin. Thus too, the question in times of temptation is generally whether we truly desire to overcome, for deliverance is freely provided by grace if we will but appropriate it by faith.

But just how is deliverance provided? The answer is: BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. No longer need the believer remain enslaved to sin; for the Holy Spirit within, who imparted spiritual life to begin with, will also impart strength to overcome temptation. When tried and unable even to pray as we ought, "the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities" and "maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:26). When weak and ill, we may be "strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph.3:16). Indeed, the Spirit even strengthens God's people physically to overcome sin, for we read:

"But 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 [strengthen] your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11).

And the following verse goes on to say:

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh" (Rom.8:12). The thought is that, since believers have the Holy Spirit to help them overcome sin, they are debtors -- and not to the flesh, but to God, to live pleasing to Him.

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June 10, 2009

ONE IS ENOUGH
by Cornelius R. Stam


As a young man appeared in court, the judge thundered at him, "What's the reason your father is not here? He should have been here two weeks ago."

The young man responded: "Your Honor, there are seventeen reasons why my father is not here."

"What are they?" roared the judge.

The lad replied: "The first is that my father died a little more than two weeks ago."

"Well," conceded the judge, "I don't think we'll need to hear the other sixteen reasons!"

This brief interchange may well illustrate a principle involving the twelve apostles and Paul.

There has been much debate over whether or not Paul was God's choice for Judas' place as one of the twelve. Many hold that the eleven acted in the flesh and were out of the will of God in appointing Matthias as one of their number to replace Judas. Paul, they say, was obviously God's choice for this position. But many unanswerable arguments have been advanced from Scripture to prove that this is not so and that, indeed Paul could not have qualified as one of the twelve.

Some of these argument are: The twelfth apostle had to be chosen before the kingdom could be offered at Pentecost; the eleven acted only after many days of united prayer; the candidate had to be one who had followed with Christ all through His earthly ministry (Matt.19:28 ); Paul did not even see Christ until after His ascension; he was not even saved at the time; he persecuted the Pentecostal Church and laid it waste considerably after the choice of Judas' successor had become necessary. Finally, Acts 1:26 says that Matthias "was numbered with the eleven," and Acts 2:4 adds: "They were all filled with the Holy Ghost."

Any one of the above arguments would suffice to vindicate the action of the eleven and silence their critics. But this is particularly so of the last one. What further discussion need there be when God's Word says that Matthias "was numbered with the eleven...and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost?"

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June 11, 2009

FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE
by Cornelius R. Stam


"And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

St. Paul had been discussing, in 1 Corinthians 13, some of the miraculous signs that were to vanish away as God's revelation became complete. But faith, hope and love, he declared, would abide as a triune evidence of true Christianity.

These three are all we need in the present "dispensation of the grace of God." Any church where faith, hope and love are found in abundant measure is a "full" church. It may have but a few members, but what greater blessing could it wish for than faith, hope and love in its fellowship?

Faith, hope and love are a trinity often referred to in St. Paul's epistles. Each is of basic importance in its way, and none can exist without the other two.

Faith is of primary importance. "Without faith it is impossible to please [God]" (Hebrews 11:6), and how can there be hope and love without faith?

Hope holds the central place among the three. Hope in the Bible is more than a wish; it is the opposite of despair, an eager anticipation of blessings to come. Hope is the Christian's experience, his living with eternity's glory in view.

Love is the crowning virtue of the three; it is the fruit of faith and hope, and is greatest in the sense that it is "the bond of perfectness." Moreover, love is eternal. Some day, for every true believer, "faith will vanish into sight; hope be emptied in delight" and love will reign supreme.

May God help us, in our fellowship with each other, to evidence a full measure of faith, hope and love.

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June 12, 2009

GLORIOUS PROSPECT
by Cornelius R. Stam


To the true Christian one of the most wonderful passages in the Bible is Eph. 2:7, where we read of God's purpose, "That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." This passage appears the more wonderful when viewed in the light of its context.

Verses 2-6 tell how we were all once the "children of disobedience," and therefore "by nature the children of wrath, even as others." But then we read those wonderful words of hope, "But God." "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love wherewith He loved us..." And the next verses tell how He has taken believers in Christ from the lowest position of condemnation and wrath and given them the highest place of favor and blessing in Christ at His own right hand in the heavenlies.

The simplest, humblest believer in Christ has been given this position in the heavenlies, for God no longer sees him in himself, but in Christ, who died for his sins. This is why St. Paul so often writes about "those who are in Christ Jesus."

It is for the believer now to occupy this exalted position, to appropriate by faith the "all spiritual blessings" which are his in Christ (See Eph. 1:3). Like Paul, he may be lifted by grace, through faith, above the troubles and sorrows of "this present evil age" and enjoy his position and blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. And even this is not all, for looking far ahead to the future the Apostle, by divine revelation, goes on to say (in Eph. 2:7) that God has done this all for us, "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

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June 13, 2009

DON'T DOTE ON PERSONALITIES
by Cornelius R. Stam


When Paul instructs Timothy to charge his followers not to "give heed" to "endless genealogies" (I Tim. 1:4), he refers to the status symbol of the personality of his day.

Recently this writer was informed by a correspondent from an eastern state that it appeared that he might be related to a Revolutionary general named Stam -- and, did we wish him to investigate further! We replied that we were far too excited about where we were going to care much about where we had come from!

While there are some in our day who are very proud of their ancestry and have coats of arms displayed in their homes, the average Christian probably, has never had his family tree traced back very far. But in Paul's day genealogies were very important, even among believers. One's family relationships meant a great deal. If you were a second cousin to Christ or even a third cousin to Peter you "had it made." You might be crude, or stupid, or even wicked, but all this was overlooked: you were closely related to Christ Himself or to the Apostle Peter and all were ready to give you audience.

Actually, the personality cult is still with us in the Church today though it manifests itself in different ways. We live in a day of mass communications, when the faces of prominent men and women are seen again and again in newspapers and magazines and even their personalities come through to us over radio and television. Thus it is the prominent "Christian" politician, athlete, actor, beauty queen, or even former gangster who commands the attention today. Those who arrange evangelistic campaigns often seek to engage such personalities to attract crowds. Such prominent figures, though perhaps actually saved, may be very much "of the world," dishonoring their Christian calling every day, but their presence draws crowds and their shallow testimonies are used to justify their public participation in the work of the Lord.

The new evangelicalism has borrowed many prominent personalities from the world to help swell its audiences, while the old prayer that the witness may be hid behind the cross is to all intents and purposes considered passe.

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June 15, 2009

THE REIGN OF GRACE
by Cornelius R. Stam


It is amazing that God should still send forth the good news of His grace in a world where His Word and will are increasingly despised.

The growing wickedness of "this present evil age," of course, only emphasizes the true character of grace, for grace is the mercy and love of God toward those who do not deserve it (See Eph. 2:2-6).

It is interesting to observe that while the four "Gospels" and the Acts take up twice as much space in our Bibles as the Epistles of St. Paul, yet the word "grace," in the original, appears only 27 times in the "Gospels" and the Acts, while it occurs 107 times in the Pauline epistles: a ratio of 27 to 214 in favor of the Pauline epistles! Furthermore, only a very few times in the "Gospels" and the Acts is the doctrine of grace referred to, while in the Epistles of Paul almost every reference has to do with the doctrine of God's love and favor to undeserving sinners.

True, "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," but it was not manifested at His birth, or even during His earthly life, for He lived and died under the Law (Gal. 4:4,5). As "the law was given by Moses," not at his birth, nor when a prince in Pharaoh's court, nor yet when he served with his father-in-law in the desert, nor even when he returned to deliver Israel from Egypt, but years later at Sinai, so "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," not at His birth, nor during His earthly ministry, nor even during His resurrection appearances, but after His ascension to heaven, when He committed the dispensing of it to Paul (Eph. 3: 1-4).

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June 16, 2009

Avoiding Strong Drink
by Paul M. Sadler, President


Scripture Reading:

"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken."
-- Habakkuk 2:15

There are many passages in the Word of God, such as the above, that are timeless and transcend all the dispensations of God. While the liquor industry goes to great lengths to get people to believe that drinking is a harmless way to have a good time, the facts are otherwise. They are very careful never to advertise the drunk driver who kills innocent people or the homes that have been destroyed by strong drink. But a voice in the crowd says that a few social drinks will never hurt anyone. Most recovering alcoholics, however, tell a much different story of how their slide into a life of drunkenness all started with a social drink. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Prov. 20:1).

A couple of years ago, I was driving through Apollo, Pennsylvania where I saw a piece of twisted wreckage along side of the road. Upon slowing down, I discovered that it was an automobile, or at least what was left of it. Apparently someone survived the crash because there were beer cans strategically placed beside the car along with a sign at the rear bumper which read, "And they told us we were going to have fun." Someone lied!

While the world refers to alcoholism as a disease, the Word of God calls drunkenness a sin. It is not a disease, it is a matter of choice. Oh, the sorrow and heartache that has been caused by careless men and women who have given themselves over to the treachery of this sin. The answer is not found in the bottom of a bottle -- the answer is Christ. Only He can deliver the drunkard from his drunkenness.

Therefore, a life yielded to God is the solution to the bondage of this terrible sin. Throughout the year social gatherings often bring with them a strong temptation to join the crowd. For those who struggle with this temptation, it is important to remember that the victory is already yours though Christ Jesus our Lord. Simply claim it! Then live one day at a time, by God's grace, for His grace is more than sufficient (II Cor. 12:9). Amen!

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June 17, 2009

TRUE RICHES IN CHRIST
by Cornelius R. Stam


To know God through Christ and His redeeming work is to be rich indeed.

The Scriptures have much to say about the infinite riches of God. They tell us of "the riches of His glory" (Rom.9:23; Eph. 3:16), "the riches of His wisdom and knowledge" (Rom.11:33), "the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering" (Rom.2:4) and "the riches of His grace (Eph.1:7; 2:7). God would have us enjoy these riches through faith in Christ, who died for our sins.

"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (IICor.8:9).

We should rejoice continually that God, in addition to being rich in wisdom and knowledge and in glory and power, is also "rich in mercy" (Eph.2:4) and that "the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom.10:12,13).

To St. Paul, the chief of sinners, saved by grace, God revealed the greatest riches of all. Paul said: "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given, that I should preach among the nations the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph.3:8 ). These riches include, among other things, "all the riches of the full assurance of understanding" (Col. 2:2). How wonderful to have an intelligent understanding of God's plan of salvation and of all He has purposed in His heart of love for those who accept the salvation He has provided through His beloved Son!

True riches are not comprised of material things. The Scripture calls these "uncertain riches" and warns us not to trust in them (ITim.6:17). True riches is "to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" and so to be "filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph.3:19).

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June 18, 2009

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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June 19, 2009

"AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST"
by Russell S. Miller


"Now then we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: WE PRAY [beg] YOU IN CHRIST'S STEAD, Be Ye Reconciled to God.

"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.5:20,21).

Believers are NOT agents of the United States, nor envoys for any other government, although we do represent the country in which we live. Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul tells us, that, as Christians, we ARE representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ in this world and, as such, we are to "walk worthy" of this vocation (Eph.4:1).

As an Ambassador for Christ, then, are you telling others about the Lord and His saving grace? Do you explain that, by simple faith alone in Jesus Christ, believers may walk in the Light of His Word? Do you "speak the truth in love" that people may understand the Bible, and learn to "rightly divide the Word of truth"? Or, do you still believe the devil's age-old lies? Are you growing in spiritual maturity as a member of the Body of Christ? Does your pastor, and are you, "preaching Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery" (Rom.16:25)?

If the saints are not being edified, neither is the Lord Jesus being honored. As representatives of the Lord, every one of us "shall give account of himself to God" for what we have done for Him in His Body (Rom.14:12; IICor.5:10,11).

It is a matter of whether or not we believe God's Word. Why else would God have sent His "only begotten Son" into this sin cursed world to die on a cruel cross? It is what Christ did on the cross that God accepts, and as we accept Christ's redemptive work on our behalf, God "accepts" us in His beloved Son.

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? HE THAT SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON, BUT DELIVERED HIM UP FOR US ALL, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? IT IS CHRIST THAT DIED, yea rather, THAT IS RISEN AGAIN, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom.8:31-34).

The Lord places a "very high value" upon mankind. God loves you. God loves each and every one of us with an everlasting love. But he cannot, and He will not, accept your good works as substitute for Christ's "finished work" of redemption. It is therefore "the Love of Christ" that "constrains" us, as "Ambassadors for Christ," to reach out to you, and to a lost and dying world with the riches of His grace. God has done everything possible to save you from your sins; won't you believe Him and, just now, trust the Lord Jesus as your Saviour?

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

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

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June 20, 2009

"THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH"
by Russell S. Miller


Two Thousand Years ago a certain Man, innocent of all wrongdoing, was taken into custody by the authorities, given a trial in which He was charged of crimes He had not committed, and even when "no fault" could be found in Him, He was condemned to the cruelest death that man could invent.

Now it should not be supposed that simply because these Two Thousand Years have passed that this terrible miscarriage of justice will not be avenged in the Highest Court! Nor should it be supposed that everyone who has had a part in this travesty will escape the judgment of this Court!

You may think you know nothing, at all, about this event. But you are still guilty of His blood, and it behooves you, now, to cry unto Him, "the Judge of all the earth", for mercy and grace, in, what cannot be otherwise, your impending and eternal doom!

His name is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who, in the greatest of love and grace, paid our debt of sin, Himself, on the Cross of Calvary.

Though He was crucified at the hands of wicked men, Jews and Gentiles are guilty of His death. But more, it was your sins, your lifestyle, that nailed Him to the Cross, so you are not innocent in this matter, but guilty as charged. Yet because He not only was innocent of all wrongdoing, but righteous in all that He did, the grave could not hold Him. Death had no claim upon Him. Consequently, by His own Almighty power He arose from the dead; and alive forever more, He is seeking for all those who had a part in His crucifixion.

Now it seems to me that the wisest thing that any man could do under such circumstances is to plead for mercy from this Court of Justice. Because this Man, whom you have crucified (your sins also nailed Him to the cross), is alive, and He is coming again to take vengeance upon all mankind.

Jesus Christ is The Judge of All the Earth!

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June 22, 2009

AN INDISPUTABLE FACT
by Cornelius R. Stam


The theological confusion in the Church today is basically the result of her rebellion against the authority of Paul as the divinely-appointed apostle for the present "dispensation of the grace of God" (Eph. 3:1-3).

On every hand Paul is referred to merely as one of the apostles, sometimes even as one of the twelve, though the record of Scripture proves that he could not possibly have qualified as one of the twelve (See Matt. 19:28 and cf. Acts 9:1).

In Galatians 1 and 2 the Apostle throws down the certificate of his apostleship, as it were, to those who questioned it in his day. He opens his argument with the declaration:

"...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" (Gal. 1:11,12).

The Scriptures teach beyond the shadow of a doubt that Paul's apostleship and message were absolutely unique and separate from that of the twelve or of any who had preceded him. This is what Christendom as a whole has refused to accept. Is it any wonder, then, that they confuse God's prophesied kingdom program with "the mystery," committed to Paul for us in this present dispensation?

The Scriptures emphasize not only the Apostle's constant use of the first person pronoun, "I," "me," "my," but the unique character of his apostleship and message. Ignore this fact and confusion must inevitably result; accept it and a hundred seeming contradictions in Scripture disappear.

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June 23, 2009

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?

[nChrist]

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June 24, 2009

ENEMIES RECONCILED TO GOD
by Cornelius R. Stam


"When we were enemies" (Rom.5:10).

Think of it! God has good news for us even in our willfulness, our enmity against Him! "When we were enemies", says Paul, "We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son".

Here we can almost hear some reader object: "Of all things, don't charge me with being an enemy of God. I'm a religious person, I go to church regularly, I even give to the church". Ah, but God does not say that the unsaved are not religious. Perhaps 999 out of 1,000 are religious. The point is that by your ungodly, sinful life, and certainly by rejecting God's gift of salvation, you have made yourself an enemy of God. You may not be an enemy against the "God" you have conjured up in your won mind, but you are certainly an enemy against God, the God of the Bible.

But despite all this God still sends His ambassadors out to offer reconciliation to all His enemies everywhere -- "by the death of His Son". Think of it! We who believe are reconciled to God, not by some effort or payment offered by us to placate God, but "by the death of HIS Son". He bore the enmity as His own creatures mocked Him, spat in His face and nailed Him to a tree. This is grace indeed! And this is not all, for the whole passage reads:

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
"And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement [Lit., reconciliation]" (Rom.5: 10,11).

The argument of this passage is that if, as His enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more "being reconciled", we may be assured that our living Savior will keep us safe. And not only are believers safe in Christ, but all the while we "joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received", not only help in our helplessness, or the forgiveness of our sins, but "the reconciliation", by which we are brought nigh to God and experience His love toward us.