Two Minutes With The Bible

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

December 31, 2009

THE LAW MISUNDERSTOOD
by Cornelius R. Stam


There are three misconceptions that most people entertain about the law of God and its Ten Commandments:

   1. Most people have a vague notion that the law always was in existence and that it must have been given to the first man, Adam, or soon after. Actually, God gave the law to Moses for Israel about 1500 B.C., after about 2500 years of human history had elapsed (John 1:17). So mankind lived on earth for about 2500 years without the law or the Ten Commandments.

   2. Most people suppose that the law and the Ten Commandments were given to mankind in general, while, in fact, it was given to Israel alone (Deuteronomy 5:2,3).

   3. Most people suppose that the law and the Ten Commandments were given to help us to do right. Even some clergymen teach this, although the Bible clearly teaches that they were given to show us that we are guilty sinners.

It is true that the law, while given to Israel, also shows the Gentile that he is a sinner. This is why Romans 3:19 says:

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God."

But most important of all: Few people realize that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins to deliver us from the just condemnation of the law. This is taught in the following Scriptures:

"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).

"For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE" (Rom.6:14).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 1, 2010

THE GIFT OF GOD
by Cornelius R. Stam


Men have given many gifts to each other down through the ages, but in James 1:17 we read that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above," and comes to us from God. The greatest of these gifts is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the redemption He has purchased for us. In speaking to the sinner-woman at Sychar's well, our Lord drew a picture, contrasting the barrenness of her own life with the refreshing joy of salvation, saying:

"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water... Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst..." (John 4:10-14).

By nature we are all sinners, but by the grace of God we all may be saved.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).

"For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9).

Thus St. Paul speaks of "the gift of the grace of God" (Eph. 3:7) and constantly emphasizes the fact that salvation is a free gift.

But a gift is not possessed until it is accepted. Thus the Apostle, in Rom. 5:17, refers to those who "receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness." Those who receive Christ and the salvation He has wrought for them, find it natural to exclaim with Paul-

"THANKS BE UNTO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT!" (II Cor. 9:15).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 2, 2010

THE HOLY SPIRIT AT PENTECOST
by Cornelius R. Stam


The one hundred twenty disciples in the Upper Room had, of course, been much like any other group of believers in history. They had not all been equally spiritual or devoted, or faithful. Some had been more so than others, and where some had excelled in one virtue, others had excelled in another. Yet now they were all FILLED with the Spirit, from the least to the greatest of them.

The thoughtful student of Scripture will, of course, ask why all these believers were now filled with the Holy Spirit. Was it, perhaps, because they, as a group, had been more godly than those before them? The gospel records prove that this is not so. Peter boasted, Thomas doubted, James and John sought personal gain, and when our Lord was taken prisoner, "they all forsook Him and fled."

Was it then because they had prayed long enough or earnestly enough for the Spirit to come upon them and take control? No; they had been instructed to go to Jerusalem, not to pray for the Holy Spirit to come, as some suppose, but to "wait for the [fulfillment of the] promise" regarding the Spirit (Acts 1: 4,5) -- and right here is the answer to our question.

The believers at Pentecost were filled with the Holy Spirit, not because they had prayed long or earnestly enough for the Spirit to come, but because the time had arrived for the fulfillment of the divine promise. The Old Testament prophets and the Lord Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit should some day come to take control of God's people (Ezek. 36:26,27), and that day had come. They were filled with the Spirit because God, according to His promise, had baptized them with the Spirit (Acts 1:5).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 4, 2010

OUR BAPTISM INTO CHRIST
by Russell S. Miller


“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom.6:3,4).

Yes, Romans 6 teaches us that when we got saved God took us back to Calvary, made us one with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection; and we have been made one with one another also. And not only are we made one with Jesus Christ in His death, but our sins, and that old sin nature, has been put away forever out of God’s sight (Lev.16:1-34; Heb.13:10-14), and we have been set gloriously free! Just as Jesus Christ was actually buried, so we have been buried with Him. “Therefore,” says the Apostle, “we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom.6:4). Again it is the Apostle Paul who tells us how these things are accomplished:

“Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through THE FAITH OF THE OPERATION OF GOD, [not ministers, but GOD] who hath raised [Christ] from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col.2:12,13).

We have all been so fully identified with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. So complete is our salvation in Christ. The Lord thought of everything in saving us from our sins. And because these things have actually, really, taken place, Paul says we are to “reckon” them to be so in the daily lives we live for the Lord Jesus:

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom.6:11).

This is the gospel that Paul preached, not popular, because it “crucifies the flesh with the affections and lusts” (Gal.5:24). But “godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (ITim.4:8 ). Consequently there is no excuse for sin in the believer’s life today.

“If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained” (ITim.4:6).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 5, 2010

THE CHURCH THAT PAUL PERSECUTED
by Russell S. Miller


"For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
"And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers" (Galatians 1:13,14).

"And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ:
"But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.
"And they glorified God in me" (Galatians 1:22-24).

These are the words of the Apostle Paul concerning his former lifestyle in the religion of the Jews. However there is much that is misunderstood these days concerning "the church of God" that Paul persecuted. Some are teaching that Paul persecuted "the Church, which is the Body of Christ" (Eph.1:22,23).

The word "church" simply means a "called-out assembly," not the local building in which many attend Sunday services. God has always had His "called-out ones", His saints. In Acts 7:38, for instances, there is "the church in the wilderness" that great congregation that Moses lead out of Egypt. The "church" of Matthew 16:18 refers to His prophesied "congregation" (Psa.22:22). However, the Greek word for church--"ekklesia"--is translated "assembly" in Acts 19:32,39,41 and refers to those who worship idols. So, just because "church" appears in our Bibles it does not mean that it is the "Body of Christ."

If we say that "the Body of Christ" was not in existence until Paul's conversion, then which "church" did he persecute? The solution to this is found in Paul's epistles.

Colossians 1:24,25 states that Paul was "made a minister" of the Church, which is "the Body of Christ." He surely did not persecute members of this Church. Paul ministered God's love and grace and peace to these saints. This is the Church which, historically, began when God, in grace, saved Saul, "the chief of sinners," on the road to Damascus and made him its charter member (ITim.1:13-16).

Saul of Tarsus persecuted the church of Matthew 16:18--Messiah's "Little Flock" (Luke 12:32)--and those "added" to that church in early Acts (Acts 2:47; 5:11; 8:1,3). It was this Pentecostal church, these are the believers that Paul refers to in Acts 22:19,20:

"And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on Thee:
"And when the blood of Thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him."

And Luke adds these words: "At that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem" and "the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen..." (Acts 7:58; 8:1). This Messianic Church is the church that Paul had persecuted.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 6, 2010

MORE THAN CONQUERORS
by Cornelius R. Stam


Two boys fight in a back alley. Fists fly. Shouts go up from the other youngsters standing by. "Give it to ‘im! Let ‘im have it!"

Finally one of the two struts away with an arrogant bearing, head and shoulders wagging. He has won!

But has he? Look at him. He has a bloody nose, a black eye and welts on his face and arms. And if looks could kill he wouldn't even be alive, for while his friends shout his praises, the boy he has beaten gives him a look that says: "Just wait." He has not won anything except, perhaps, a bitter and lasting enemy.

So it is with the wars that nations wage against each other. Necessary as it sometimes becomes to defend our liberties, our homes, our way of life, by force of arms, seldom does any nation actually win the war. Rather all lose, even the "victors," as in their "victories" they sow the bitterness and hate which are the seeds of future wars.

It is different, however, with "the good fight of [the] faith," for the Christian may come out of every battle stronger than when he went in. Only the Christian can say with regard to the heartaches and disappointments, the difficulties and obstacles, that cross his path: "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37).

During Paul's busy ministry for Christ he suffered a painful "thorn in the flesh," and "besought the Lord thrice" that it might be taken away. The Lord did not see fit to remove the thorn, but answered Paul:

"My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (IICor. 12:9).

Paul's response:

"Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me... for when I am weak, then am I strong" (Vers. 9,10).

Let all go well, and we are prone to grow careless in our Christian lives. Adversity, on the other hand, makes Christians lean the harder and pray the more -- and therein lies their strength and their victory.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 7, 2010

PAUL, THE MASTER-BUILDER
by Cornelius R. Stam


In I Corinthians 3:10, the Apostle Paul declares by divine inspiration:

"According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise [instructed] master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon."

In what sense was Paul the master-builder of the Church, and what "foundation" did he lay? Did he not himself say that "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ"? Yes, he did -- and in this very passage! He sought to lay no other foundation than Christ, but God had chosen him to proclaim Christ in a new way.

Some years previous our Lord had asked His disciples: "Whom say ye that I am", and Peter had instantly replied: "Thou art the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God" (Matt.16:16). This is how believers in general had recognized Him at that time (John 1:49; 6:69; 11:27; 20:31). Indeed, the Messianic kingdom was to be established upon Christ as God's anointed Son (Messiah means "anointed").

But with the raising up of Paul, God began to form "the Church which is Christ's body" (Eph.1:22,23; Col. 1:24,25). This is the Church of today, and it is founded, not on Christ as King, but as the exalted Lord and Head of the "one body" (ICor.12:13).

Paul does not present Christ as Messiah, but as Lord. In Romans 10:9 he declares:

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as LORD, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Again in I Corinthians 12:3: "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit". And again in Philippians 2:9-11, he declares that God has highly exalted Christ and given Him a name above every name, "that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".

Have you confessed Him as your Lord and Saviour?

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 9, 2010

GOOD WORKS
by Cornelius R. Stam


Millions of people are striving to make themselves acceptable to God by good works. Such people can never be sure of salvation, for the simple reason that they can never be sure whether they have done enough good works or whether they have done them in the right way. Some suppose that heaven can be won if our good works outweigh our evil works, but this does not make sense either, for good works are what all of us ought to do and even one evil deed would prevent a just and holy God from justifying us or admitting us into His presence.

Let's not put the cart before the horse. God does expect good works from His children but not as payment for salvation, for eternal life and glory could not possibly be bought at any price. "Christ Jesus came into the world," says the Apostle Paul, "to save sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15). Then, having saved them by grace, He expects them to do good works out of gratitude.

It is interesting to compare Tit. 3:5 with Tit. 3:8:

Tit. 3:5: "NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US."

Tit. 3:8: " ...these things I will that thou affirm constantly, THAT THEY WHICH HAVE BELIEVED IN GOD MIGHT BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. ..."

Faith is the root; good works the fruit. Thus we read in Eph. 2:8-10:

"For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 10, 2010

WHAT ABOUT ME?
by Cornelius R. Stam


    Hebrews 2 states that unbelievers are, "through fear of death... all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Ver. 15). How often they must ask themselves: "What will become of me: finally become of me?" The best they can hope is that God will be merciful to them and accept them at last, but God cannot do this without a just basis, and since unbelievers have rejected His gracious payment for sin, they must remain under its condemnation. Many hope that physical death will be the end for them, but they fear that the Bible may be true and that death will not be the end.

    This writer once talked with a profane barber who had boasted that he was his own "God," and would be until they put him "six feet under." To this we replied: "The Bible says that ‘it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this is the judgment.' You may not believe this, or accept it as the Word of God, but you can't prove it isn't so, and I would urge you to look into it carefully, asking God to give you light."

    Here we ask the reader a very personal question: Are you saved? Have you accepted Christ and His payment for your sins, now standing before God "justified from all things," and "accepted in the Beloved"? If not, we beg you: do not delay. These are serious times and who knows how soon God will take His own away and bring this dispensation of grace to a close. Then it will be too late, so we urge you, face up to your sinful condition now, and place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ who, in infinite love and grace, bore the burden of your guilt and condemnation at Calvary. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 11, 2010

THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL
by Cornelius R. Stam


Twice in Galatians 2 Paul speaks of "the truth of the gospel." In both cases the Apostle had been forced to speak out to defend the purity of "the gospel of the grace of God."

In Verses 4,5 he refers to his contest with those at Jerusalem who would have brought the Gentile believers under the law of Moses. Among them were "false brethren," he says, "unawares brought in... to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you."

In the second case he refers to a controversy with Peter who, having enjoyed blessed fellowship with Gentile Christians, had been intimidated by some of his Jewish brethren into separating himself from the Gentiles. Concerning this, Paul writes: "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed" (Ver. 11). Why was Peter to be blamed? Verse 14 answers: Because he "walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel," i.e., "the gospel of the grace of God," in which believing Jews and Gentiles are "one body in Christ."

How we should all thank God for Paul's vigorous defense of the gospel of grace, under which all who trust in Christ as Savior are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one true Bible Church (I Cor. 12:13).

Doubtless Paul's stand for "the gospel of the grace of God" stemmed from the fact that he himself had experienced the truth of this blessed message. As the chief of sinners he had been gloriously saved. All his power and prestige as a Pharisee, all his intellectual achievement, all his rigid Law observance meant nothing now, as in the presence of the glorified Lord he saw himself a sinner, the chief of sinners, and was saved by the matchless grace of God.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 12, 2010

MERCY UPON ALL
by Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever wondered how the pagan world got that way: idol-worshipping, wicked, gripped by superstition and fear?

The Bible supplies the answer in Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Three times in Chapter 1 we read of the Gentile world: "He gave them up... He gave them up... He gave them over...." Why? Because they had given Him up: "And even as they did not wish to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient [becoming]" (Rom. 1:28 ).

It would have been difficult to believe 30 or 40 years ago, that our young people would be dancing to the wild, exotic music of pagan lands (if this can be called music), or that our studios would be selling the twisted, hideous paintings of pagan art (if this can be called art).

When you wonder why the lovely melodies and harmonies of yesteryear have given place to the noise and din of today's "music"; when you wonder why the beautiful paintings of those days have been largely replaced by the masterpieces of chaos that surround us now -- why in so many ways we seem to be reverting to paganism -- read Romans 1.

All this is the natural result of a departure from God and His Word. Yet there is hope and assurance and joy in store for any individual who will yet heed the message of God -- particularly in the Book of Romans. Here we read how Jew joined Gentile in rejecting Christ, and God had to give them all up. But listen to this passage from Rom. 11:32: "For God hath concluded them all in unbelief THAT HE MIGHT HAVE MERCY UPON ALL."

That is, He gave up the Jewish and Gentile nations so that He might show His grace to any individuals who might turn to Him by faith in Christ, thus reconciling both (Jewish and Gentile believers) unto Himself in one body, by the cross (Eph. 2:16).

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 13, 2010

THE EMPTY TOMB AND A VACANT CROSS
by Russell S. Miller


"Concerning [God's] Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:3,4).

To crucify an innocent man, a righteous man, a holy man, shows how wicked men can be when ambitions, and traditions, and politics are placed above the Word of God. Our Lord's words in John 15:25 could not have been more true; "They hated Me without a cause." If ever there was a miscarriage of justice it was upon this dark and gloomy day!

The fact that Jesus Christ was "buried" is the proof that He died upon that cross. We don't bury people who are not dead. In that 24th Chapter of Luke, the believers--Christ's followers, were so depressed and discouraged and down-hearted because they had witnessed His death and burial (Luke 24:13-31). It was at this same place, in Joseph's tomb, that "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary" came to anoint His body, where the angel had said:

"Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay..." (Matthew 28:5-7).

The evidence of Joseph's tomb is more than remarkable, rare, or extraordinary, for it clearly manifested the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was astonishing, miraculous, and is most obviously evidence that no "gardener" had taken Him away. And what joy filled their hearts and souls when they saw the risen Lord.

However it is the Apostle Paul, who declares what was actually accomplished in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In his letter to the Colossians he has these words to say about the empty tomb and that vacant cross:

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with [Christ], having forgiven you all trespasses;
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it His cross;
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in [the cross]" (Colossians 2:13-15).

These things the risen, glorified, Lord Jesus Christ revealed to Paul, and inspired him to write fourteen epistles that Jews and Gentiles, yea, all the world, might know that Jesus saves.

And the Lord Jesus will save you, my friend, if you will simply believe:

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

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 14, 2010

THE PRIMARIES AND CHRISTIAN FAITH
by Cornelius R. Stam


The presidential primaries are now in full swing, with nearly all the candidates talking confidently about winning, but it has long been a question just how much these primaries mean. Some, indeed, have started by winning in the primaries and have gone on to become president. But others have done well in the primaries, yet have never even come close to being nominated by their own parties.

It's something like this with faith. The primaries are like mental assent, or intellectual faith. Before a person can be saved he must, of course, know about sin and salvation and must give mental assent to what the Bible says about these things. He must agree that Christ died for man's sins.

But while intellectual faith is a good start, it is not enough to save you. You must go on from there to trust yourself to Christ, who died for our sins (I Corinthians 15:3), otherwise your intellectual faith has done you no good.

God wants our heart trust; it is this kind of faith that honors Him, and it is this kind of faith that saves. In Romans 10:9-13 He says:

"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith: Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

If Christ is not a risen, living Savior, He is no savior at all. We must believe this in our hearts if we are to call upon Him for salvation.

Thank God that "He showed Himself alive, after His passion, by many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3) and that millions have indeed found the peace and joy of sins forgiven through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His redemptive work at Calvary.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 15, 2010

"HE SHALL REIGN"
by Cornelius R. Stam


For 2500 years "death reigned from Adam to Moses" (Romans 5:14).

During this period of history it was demonstrated that "death passed upon all men," not because the Law of Moses had condemned them to death, but simply because they were the offspring of fallen Adam, and depraved by nature. Entirely apart from the Law, "sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (James 1:15). Thus "death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had NOT sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression."

For 1500 years, under the law, "sin... reigned unto death" (Romans 5:20,21).

Sin had surely risen to its height during Paul's early years. Christ had been crucified and even after His resurrection His enemies had stood by that awful deed. Israel had joined the Gentiles in declaring war on God and His anointed Son (Psalms 2:1-3) and Saul of Tarsus was the leader of the revolt. It was no longer merely a matter of sin; it was now rebellion.

For 1900 years, "grace [has] reigned, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21).

Thus we are now living under the reign of grace. As "DEATH REIGNED from Adam to Moses" (Romans 5:14); as SIN REIGNED "unto death" after "the Law entered" (Vers.20,21), so now grace abounds, THAT GRACE MIGHT REIGN "through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Vers.20,21).

For 1000 years the Lord Jesus Christ will reign upon this earth (Revelation 20:1-6), as King over Israel and the nations.

The kingdom will then be delivered over to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24-28 ).

For all eternity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will reign in the person of Christ (Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:10).

Note: From Adam to the present day God has always been "on the throne", but rather than ruling directly, has overruled in the affairs of men.

[nChrist]

_______________________________________________
Two Minutes With The Bible
From The Berean Bible Society
Free Email Subscription

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

January 16, 2010

THE VALUE OF ONE INDIVIDUAL PERSON
by Cornelius R. Stam


Just imagine! It had been three weeks since a big Air Force plane had disappeared over the Pacific with a crew of eight and a Navy enlisted man.

Now, in that general vicinity, the pilot of an Air Force cargo plane reported sighting a raft with one man standing up in it, waving for help.

Almost immediately the Air Force dispatched sixteen planes to the area and called upon all ships nearby to help, in the hope of finding this one man.

Again and again we have witnessed the almost unlimited effort and expense that men will go to to rescue even one of their fellowmen from death. This is as it should be, for it is only in this life that we can prepare for eternity and it is important that each of us should have the greatest possible opportunity to prepare, in case through carelessness we may have put this important matter off.

It was with eternity in mind that the Lord Jesus Christ paid the greatest possible price to save men from judgment to come, and what the Bible calls "the second death."

"Christ also hath once suffered for sins," says 1 Peter 3:18, "the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." Tit. 2:14 says that "He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity." 1 Peter 2:24 declares that He "bore our sins in His own body on the tree," and in Galatians 2:20 St. Paul exclaims: "He loved me and gave Himself for me."

After three weeks alone on the ocean, the man referred to above was keenly conscious of his need. He stood up and waved frantically, in the hope that someone on the plane might see him and bring help. Some people, adrift in this world of sin and trouble, go on for many years before they become aware of their need-or at least, before they will acknowledge it. But not until we do acknowledge our sin and our need, can we expect help or salvation. "Christ

Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). Good people do not need a Savior, but who is really good? Romans 3:23 says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," and our consciences bear witness. But let us rejoice that "Christ died for our sins," and trust Him for salvation.

"He that believeth on the Son [of God] hath everlasting life" (John 3:36).