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November 28, 2009

DOUBTING THOMAS
by Cornelius R. Stam


Don't believe your doubts. Believe God's Word.

Said our Lord: "Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know" (John 14:4).

Said Thomas: "We know NOT whither Thou goest, and how can we know the way?" (Verse 5).

Who was right? Of course our Lord was right. He knows us better than we know ourselves. But Thomas, believing his doubts rather than his Lord, found himself not merely questioning, but contradicting Christ Himself.

The trouble was that Thomas was thinking on a lower level than was our Lord. Thomas was thinking only in terms of locality and method, while our Lord had persons in mind. All through these pre-crucifixion chapters of John, our Lord appears to be occupied with thoughts about His Father, He had not been talking about going to heaven, but of going to the Father (13;1; 14:12). Nor had He referred to moral conduct or theological dogma when He said, "the way ye know". Rather He had referred to Himself, who alone could gain for Thomas an entrance to the Father. "No man cometh unto the Father," He said, "but by Me" (14:6).

So our Lord was right. Thomas did know whither Christ was going: "to the Father." And he did know Christ, the way. Had Thomas, rather than our Lord, been right, Thomas would have been a lost soul but, only a few hours later, in our Lord's hallowed prayer to His Father, He was to say: "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent" (John 17:3).

We must be careful about criticizing Thomas too severely, for while he was apt to look on the dark side of things he was also ready to give his life for his Lord. Of all the apostles, it was he alone who said, when the Lord proposed to go to Judaea shortly before His crucifixion, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:16).

At our Lord's resurrection, however, we again find Thomas believing his doubts, in fact, defending them, as he says: "Except I shall... put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). But when, "after eight days," he was invited to do just that -- as he stood in the very presence of Him who is "the resurrection and the life", he repented the folly of his unbelief and exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" (Verse 28 ).

Lesson: Don't believe your doubts. Believe what God says.

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November 30, 2009

A NEW YEAR WISH
by Cornelius R. Stam


Grace be to you and peace
Though days be dark about us.
God's working out His plan
All enemies regardless.
We know that Bethlehem's Babe
Once crucified, is risen
And seated now above,
At God's right hand in heaven.
And soon He'll come again
His loved ones to deliver.
We'll share His glory then
Forever and Forever.
So while we watch and wait
O, may His love constraining
Help us to live for Him
In all the hours remaining.

-- C.R.S.

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December 1, 2009

THE HOPE OF GLORY
by Cornelius R. Stam


We are taught in Romans 5 that the believer in Christ receives justification, peace with God, access to God and the "hope," or anticipation, of sharing His glory some day. God wants His children to enjoy this coming glory by faith, to live in eager anticipation of it.

How much there is to humiliate us in this life! God created man in His own image and likeness, but man sinned and fell from his exalted position. To Adam God said:

"Cursed is the ground because of thee; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life."

Since that dreadful day man's life has been a constant struggle. Everything tends to go wrong rather than right. Each has his share of trouble, sorrow, sickness and then -- death, the greatest humiliation of all, when in sickness and pain, or at best in utter weakness, he must give up this life itself.

Sin and the fall! This is what modern science and philosophy fail to face up to. Most popular scientists and philosophers today hold that man has come up from the slime pit and the ape to modern man; that man is improving all the time. But the truth of God's Word is that man has fallen through sin and is growing worse morally and spiritually until now he can kill more of his fellowmen faster than he ever could before.

But it is this fact, this fact of sin and the fall that God has so graciously provided for. He took all the suffering and shame, paid all the penalty for our sins, and then rose from the dead so that we might rejoice in the hope, the eager anticipation, of glory to come!

As St. Peter puts it in I Pet. 1:3:

"[He] hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

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December 2, 2009

WHAT IS SAVING FAITH?
by Cornelius R. Stam


"What saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness" (Rom.4:3).

The Apostle Paul uses the above quotation from Genesis 15:6 to prove that "to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom.4:5).

It is wonderful that God does not require -- indeed, does not permit -- human works for salvation, but only faith. But the question is: What is faith? What kind of believing saves?

There is no indication in Scripture that "the gospel of the grace of God" or "the preaching of the cross" was proclaimed to Abraham. We must go back to the passage which Paul quotes to see what Abraham believed. Genesis 15:5 says:

"And [God] took [Abraham] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell [count] the stars, if thou be able to number [count] them: and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be." It is this simple, wonderful promise about the multiplication of Abraham's seed which is followed with the words: "And he believed in the Lord; and He counted [reckoned] it to him for righteousness" (Ver.6). We do not mean to imply that this was the first expression of Abraham's faith, for in Hebrews 11:8 we read:

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."

This took place considerably before the Genesis 15 incident and we are specifically told that through his faith he "obtained a good report" (Heb.11:2).

From all this it is clear that Abraham believed what God told him and was counted righteous -- as we now know, through a redemption still to be wrought by Christ. We, now, must believe what God tells us -- and this is nothing less than the account of the all-sufficient finished work of Christ, wrought in our behalf, on Calvary's cross.

"[He] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom.4:25).

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December 3, 2009

CREATION AND CHRIST
by Cornelius R. Stam


When we believing Christians hear some "scientist" speak of "our ancestors" roaming this earth, say, 40,000,000 years ago, we become upset, and exclaim: "What nonsense!"

Why? The answer is that we know that the speaker is not stating scientific facts; he is propagating the long-disproven theory of evolution. Worse than that, the speaker has denied God's own account of creation by disseminating a theory far more difficult to believe.

Yet, when the believer hears a scientist refer to some planet, say, 460,000,000 miles away he rejoices and exclaims: "How great is our God!" Why the difference? Ah, because astronomy, unlike evolution, is basically a science.

Granted, some astronomers may go far afield when they speculate on the origin of the universe; they may even make many errors in their calculations, but astronomy proper is nevertheless a science, based mainly on mathematics and physics. This has proved to be true as men from earth have orbited the earth and the moon and have landed on the moon, returning back to earth again. Indeed, it is only a few months since two soft landings (of instruments) were made on the planet Venus, about 67,000,000 miles away, and all the above with the earth, the moon and Venus, not only travelling through space at incredible speeds, but with each all the while revolving on its own individual axis!

The Lord Jesus Christ dwelt in glory "far above all heavens" in eternity past and came to earth to subject Himself to humiliation and death only that He might pay the penalty for our sins and redeem us to Himself:

"That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).

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December 4, 2009

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
by Cornelius R. Stam


The last great book of the Bible opens with the words: "The revelation of Jesus Christ," and from these words it derives its title: "The Revelation." In this book St. John deals largely with the return of Christ in glory to judge and reign.

II Thes. 1:7,8 tells us that one day "the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven... in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that... obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." This is what the book of the Revelation is basically about. But this phraseology is also used in Paul's epistles, for in Gal. 1:11,12 he says:

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

Surely this is not the same "revelation of Jesus Christ" of which John wrote. St. Paul refers not to "the revelation of Jesus Christ" in glory, but to "the revelation of Jesus Christ" in grace while He delays the judgment; not His revelation to the world in person, but His revelation to the world through Paul the chief of sinners, saved by grace. In Verses 15,16 of Gal. 1, the Apostle says: "...it pleased God... to reveal His Son in Me." What a revelation of grace to a sin-cursed world when God saved Saul, His bitter, blaspheming enemy! He tells about it in I Tim. 1:13-16, where he says:

" was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious... Howbeit, FOR THIS CAUSE I OBTAINED MERCY, THAT IN ME FIRST JESUS CHRIST MIGHT SHOW FORTH ALL LONGSUFFERING, FOR A PATTERN TO THEM WHICH SHOULD HEREAFTER BELIEVE ON HIM TO LIFE EVERLASTING."

This is why Paul says: "...it pleased God... to reveal His Son in Me." By saving the chief of sinners (as Paul calls himself in I Tim. 1:15), God would show us that He is willing to save any sinner, "for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).

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December 5, 2009

CHURCH-GOING
by Cornelius R. Stam


There is an important passage on church-going in Hebrews 10:23-25:

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.... And let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is... "

We are often urged, these days: "Go to the church of your choice." The implication is that one church is as good as another -- just so you go to church. But this is not so.

The Scriptures teach that the true Church is composed of those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior who died for their sins. Such are told to "hold fast" the faith which they have professed, without wavering. This must come first, for it is only those who have first exercised such faith who can meet together with unity of mind and purpose to encourage each other "to love and to good works."

It is a truly blessed experience for those who have been saved by the grace of God, to assemble to express their praise together in song, to lift their hearts together in prayer and to join together in the study of God's Word so as to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

In these days of tension and confusion there is a tendency for even the most sincere Christians to be so occupied with temporal things that they deprive themselves of the encouragement and spiritual uplift that comes from getting together with other Christians. But these are just the times when true believers need the encouragement of each other's company and should particularly remember the admonition of Scripture not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is."

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December 7, 2009

TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD
by Cornelius R. Stam


Because of a failure to understand God's purposes as outlined in the Scriptures some have felt it necessary to alter many of the plainest statements of Holy Writ. Supposing that God could not have meant exactly what He said, they have concluded that these things must be interpreted in a "spiritual" sense.

Actually there is nothing spiritual about failing to take God at His Word, and seeking to explain away difficulties by arbitrarily altering what He has plainly said.

First, this would leave us at the mercy of theologians. If the Scriptures do not mean what they say, who has the authority to decide what they do mean? And how can we turn to the Word of God for light if it does not mean what it says, and only trained theologians can tell us what it does mean?

Second, this altering of the Scriptures affects the veracity of God. It is a thrust at His very honor. If the obvious, natural meaning of the Old Testament promises are not to be depended upon, how can we depend upon any promise of God? Then, when He says: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13), He may also mean something else instead of what He actually says.

Third, this "spiritualizing" of Scriptures endorses apostasy, for it allows men to alter the meaning of God's Word according to their will.

The path to a true understanding and enjoyment of the Bible is not in altering but in "rightly dividing" it (II Tim. 2:15).

Those who have resorted to the "spiritualization" of the prophetic Scriptures because they cannot account for the seeming cessation in their fulfillment, will find the solution to their problem in a recognition of the unique character of Paul's apostleship and message. Recognize "the mystery" revealed through Paul and there will be no need to alter prophecy.

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December 8, 2009

WHERE DO YOU STAND?
by Cornelius R. Stam


Joshua 5:13 and 14 contain a lesson which every believer should learn. God had appointed Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the land of Canaan. It was just before the battle of Jericho that the great leader looked up to see a man with a drawn sword facing him. His sudden appearance must have startled Joshua, but he showed no trace of fear -- not Joshua!

Advancing toward the man Joshua demanded: "Art thou for us or for our adversaries?" No wonder the answer brought him to his knees! He had been standing face to face with the captain of the Lord's hosts, no doubt Michael, the angelic prince of Israel (See Dan. 10:21 and 12:1).

The question was not whose side was the angel of God on, but whose side was Joshua on! Was he himself in harmony with God's will?

What a lesson to learn! In the constant battle over truth and error there is a tendency for Christians to demand of other Christians: "Whose side are you on? Are you for us or for our adversaries?"

If this is as far as we have gotten in our service for the Lord we still have much to learn, for the great question is not: "Are you on my side?" but "Am I on God's side?"

God's truth will prevail. His purposes will be carried out, and even though we might be on the side of the most powerful and influential of men, we will surely be driven to defeat if we are not in harmony with God's Word and will.

Should we not all fall on our faces with Joshua, then, and ask: "What saith my Lord unto His servant?"

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December 9, 2009

HE GAVE THANKS
by Cornelius R. Stam


At the institution of the Lord's Supper, as He took the bread and the wine, we read that he "gave thanks" (Matt.26: 26,27; Luke 22:19,20).

Surely on this occasion He did not give thanks for food supplied! He was handling the symbols of His broken body and His shed blood. How we would like to know just what He said at this solemn moment; just what He gave thanks for!

This we shall never know in this life, but there are some basic facts we do know.

It was for love for sinful men that He was to die. He was to pay their debt of sin, and He looked forward to the time when, not only redeemed Israel, but the redeemed of every nation and dispensation will rejoice in sins forgiven and all that this entails for them. As He "gave thanks" in view of Calvary, He will then rejoice at the results of Calvary. The overflowing joy that will be the portion of the redeemed will be a greater joy to Him.

Thus Paul's words in Hebrews 12:2 give us cause to rejoice in true thanksgiving of our Lord's finished work of redemption on Calvary cross:

"Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

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December 10, 2009

THE RICHES OF GOD
by Cornelius R. Stam


Some years ago there came to this country a very poor young man. He found a job in the timber lands of Wisconsin. Being industrious he gradually accumulated some timber acreage of his own. Soon be began to prosper, and after a few years he invested in a lumber milling industry. It was not long after that until he owned more than one mill. This led him to expand into northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Before long he was very rich, investing in timber acreage in the far northwest and eventually owning valuable land by the thousands of acres, the very finest timber in the country. At the time of his death neither he nor his relatives nor friends knew what he was worth financially, so wealthy had he become.

When the time came for him to die, however, he could not take one cent of his riches with him, for as I Tim. 6:7 says: "We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out."

It seems difficult for most men to learn that "a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). They close their ears to the words of wisdom spoken by our Lord:

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal" (Matt. 6:19, 20).

The truest, most lasting riches of all are referred to in II Cor. 8:9 where the Apostle Paul says:

"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."

And these riches may be had by faith -- by accepting them as a gift, for "the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).

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December 11, 2009

GRACE, FAITH AND SALVATION
by Cornelius R. Stam


The largest segment of the organized Church has long opposed the teaching that salvation is by grace, through faith alone. She teaches that it is by grace, through faith and good works, protesting that we do not place the proper stress on good works, and that she does place as much emphasis upon grace and faith as we.

One advocate of this religious denomination agrees that men cannot be saved without Christ or faith or grace, but objects that the grace of God, accepted by faith in Christ, is not enough to save.

He says: "All men are born in original sin, and all must be cleansed by Baptism. In Baptism, Grace is implanted in the soul by God and confers the right to heaven."

But what about the thief on the cross, who looked to Christ in his dying moments and never had an opportunity to be baptized? Was he not saved? (See Luke 23:42,43).

If, according to Heb. 10:4, it is not possible for the blood of bulls and of goats to take away sins (even though required by God), could this writer explain to us how any amount of water could possibly wash away one sin or right one moral wrong?

But one might gather from the above quotation that the baptized soul at least is safe and secure, since the grace implanted by God "confers the right to heaven." But not so. "The Church" never gives her devotees true peace or assurance; never sets them free. "The right to heaven," conferred upon the baptized person, is the right to strive for it! This writer goes on to say, "We worship God by the practice of our religious duties in order to obtain our salvation."

How satisfying and reassuring is the Word of God itself on this subject:

"Now to him that worketh [i.e., for salvation] is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
"BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Rom. 4:4,5).

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December 12, 2009

MELTING HEARTS
by Cornelius R. Stam


Melting hearts, in Scripture, are consistently associated with discouragement and fear. Note a few examples:

"And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt..." (II Sam. 17:10).

"Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt" (Isa. 13:7).

"The heart melteth and the knees smite together..." (Nah. 2:10).

Christians, therefore, should not pray for melted hearts, as so many do. There are too many believers with melting hearts now! Indeed, men of God, down through the ages, have always found it a real task to keep the hearts of Christians from melting. Fear can easily become cowardice and cowardice, like courage, is extremely contagious. For this reason God explicitly instructed the military officers of Israel to announce to their armies:

"What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart"
(Deut. 20:8 ).

If ever God's people needed confidence and courage it is in the day of crisis -- especially spiritual crisis -- in which we live. Here Paul's word to the Ephesian believers is appropriate:

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against [wicked spirits] in high places" (Eph. 6:12).

Thank God! While the opposition of our adversary during "this present evil age" calls for special courage and steadfastness of heart, God has made particular provision for us, for He has given us more light on His Word than was given those of former ages and we can meet the enemy with "the whole armor of God." Moreover we have God's Word through Paul, that battle-scarred warrior:

"God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God" (II Tim. 1:7,8 ).

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December 13, 2009

THE HOUR
by Cornelius R. Stam


History records many great and significant events, but none nearly so significant as the crucifixion of Christ on the cross of Calvary. Referring to the time, then still future, when this should take place, our Lord spoke again and again of "the hour," "that hour" and "My hour," and so does the sacred record.

When His enemies would have stoned Him at the Feast of Tabernacles, the record states merely: "they sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on Him, because His hour had not yet come" (John 7:30). Finally, when that dread time did arrive, we read:

"And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him" (Luke 22:14).

"And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:23,24).

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

"Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come... having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1).

Finally, in His great High-priestly prayer, uttered in the very shadow of the cross, He "lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come..." (John 17:1).

This is the hour to which many of the Old Testament sacrifices and prophecies had pointed forward. This is the hour to which the redeemed will look back with gratitude and praise for the ages to come. There would have been no salvation for sinners without it, nor any hope of a restored earth with the curse of sin removed. Thank God, because Christ was willing to face that dreadful hour "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

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December 14, 2009

"LOVE WITHOUT HYPOCRISY"
by Russell S. Miller


"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (Rom.12:9).

The Pauline epistles have much to say about "Love Without Hypocrisy". The meaning of hypocrisy is simple enough -- playing a part rather than actually living the part. The television is clearly an instrument of hypocrisy. The world is full of actors, all pretending to be somebody they're not, whereas believers in Christ ought to be living a true life for our Saviour. The love with which Timothy's mother and grandmother cherished him, however, was most assuredly not produced by Hollywood. What a testimony his life and character was to the truth of God's Word. See II Timothy 1:5:

"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also."

The word "unfeigned" is translated "without dissimulation" in Romans 12:9 and "without hypocrisy" in James 3:17. It is also found in II Corinthians 6:6; I Timothy 1:5; and I Peter l:22.

The word "love", of Romans 12:9, was not produced in Hollywood either. It is that "love of God" (Rom. 5:5,8; 8:35) that eternally secures believers in Christ with "all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies" (Eph. 1:3). But our local assemblies would do well in "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts" (Tit. 2:12). This would produce so much more for the cause of Christ through "His constraining love" (II Cor. 5:14). If believers of all walks of life would only "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph.5:18 ) they would not "fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal.5:16). This is why Paul writes Timothy:

"Now the end of the commandment is charity [agape] out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned [without hypocrisy]" (I Tim. 1:5).

Peter wrote to the Jewish remnant, "scattered throughout" Asia Minor, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently" (I Pet. 1:22).

"A pure heart, a good conscience, and unfeigned faith" produces the kind of true love, that balance in the Christian life, that brings forth fruit, unto God.

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal.5:16).