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
_______________________________________________

March 1, 2010

POWER PERFECTED IN WEAKNESS
by Cornelius R. Stam


To Paul was committed the greatest revelation of all time. He was divinely commissioned to proclaim the glorious all-sufficiency of Christ's redemptive work, God's offer of salvation by free grace to all who trust in Christ and their heavenly position, blessings and prospect.

Lest he should become puffed up by the glory of these great truths, God gave him what he calls "a thorn in the flesh", an aggravating physical infirmity of some sort. "For this thing," he says, "I besought the Lord thrice [three times], that it might depart from me" (2 Corinthians 12:8 ). But the Lord knew better than Paul what was best for him:

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (Ver.9).

How right God was! Every Christian knows that with brimming health and "good fortune" comes the tendency to forget our need of Him, while infirmity causes us to lean harder and to pray more and this is where our spiritual power lies. Every believer should acknowledge this and say with Paul:

"Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities...for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9,10).

Infirmities of the flesh are common even to God's choicest saints. What satisfaction there is, then, in just believing God's Word: "My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness".

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 1, 2010

THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION
by Russell S. Miller


“For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

“Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain ONE new man, so making peace;

“And that He might reconcile both unto God in ONE BODY by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

“And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

“For through Him we both have ACCESS by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:14-18 ).

On that Day that Christ Died, we know that “the veil in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom...” (Matt.27:51), but the meaning of this terrific event is hidden from the understanding of Jew and Gentile until we come to the Epistles of St. Paul. In the book of Exodus, God “put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel” (Exodus 11:7). In giving the Law of Moses, He “put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” (Leviticus 10:10; 11:47; 20:25). And in the Prophets, God condemned the priests for “violating” His law and “profaning” His “holy” things: “...they have put no difference between the holy and profane...between the unclean and the clean...and I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26).

But in Paul’s Gospel, the Apostle declares that “there is no difference” today, between Jews and Gentiles: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22,23). Israel was “nigh” but through their unbelief the Jews had become as “far off” as the Gentiles. And Paul further points out that God is now dealing with all mankind today—by His grace:

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for 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” (Romans 10:12,13).

This should not too difficult for us to understand. It simply shows that there is now no longer a difference between Jews and Gentiles today. And this, brethren, this occurs before Acts 28; before Acts 18:6; before Acts 13, but after Acts 2. It shows that with Paul’s conversion in Acts 9, and the commencement of the dispensation of the GRACE of God, that “the middle wall of partition” was broken down. It shows that the gospel of the grace of God is to all peoples and nations without distinction today (Acts 9:15).

God has put an end to all the bigotry, prejudice, and biased opinions of religious men and women! The Lord Jesus has “abolished the enmity” through “the blood of His cross” making, “in Himself, of [the] twain ONE new man, so making peace” (Ephesians 2:15). Thus Paul’s exhortation:

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31,32).

Clearly, then, this wonderful “access” to God that all peoples have today is first revealed to the Apostle Paul by our Lord Jesus Christ in Romans, Ephesians, and Hebrews:

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:19,20).

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 2, 2010

IS WATER BAPTISM FOR OUR OBEDIENCE TODAY?
by Russell S. Miller


“For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:17,18 ).

Is water baptism specifically for our obedience today? Since our Lord, in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15-18, commanded His disciples to baptize, our opponents teach that we must be obedient “in baptism” also. But according to I Corinthians 1:17 the Apostle Paul was “not” sent “to baptize”! Why? In their efforts to follow the so-called Great Commission our Baptist friends have justified this practice by insisting that baptism has taken the place of circumcision. However, there is surely an inconsistency here, because when the apostles water baptized their converts, they were also still circumcising according to the Mosaic Law. And thus by their own argument, for if baptism has taken the place of circumcision as the Baptists teach, then baptism availeth nothing also:

“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6).

Ah, my dear friend, if you have been confused and divided over this subject of water baptism, I beg of you, be willing, at least, to look into it. Water baptism, like Old Testament circumcision, has no more place in the program of God for this dispensation than do the sacrifices.

Brethren, it must be Christ, and Christ alone, for Christ is ever the touchstone between God and men. It is not water baptism, then, but the Cross of Christ that has the “power” to “save” today! God doesn't say: There's a Baptist, there's a Methodist, there's a Presbyterian, or there's a Pentecostal. NO, the Lord says: Have you trusted Christ as your Saviour? If not, I beg of you, do it today.

“And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offense of the cross ceased” (Galatians 5:11).

“But God forbid that I should glory [boast], save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

Our Lord's disciples preached the Kingdom Gospel which required repentance and water baptism, but Paul preached the Gospel of Grace based on the finished work of Calvary's cross.

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 3, 2010

THE CHRISTIAN HOME
by Cornelius R. Stam


"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).

There is no place in all this world so wholesome and refreshing as a Christian home, a home where Christ is truly loved and honored.

This writer was brought up in such a home. There were ten of us: dad, mother and eight children. There was lots going on all the time, but a truly happy home it was, for dad and mother never let us get so busy with temporal things that we brushed eternal values aside.

On the basis that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4), we read some small portion of the Bible before every meal, and had family devotions before retiring at night.

Result: all eight children have blessed the dear dad and mother who led them aright, morally and spiritually, and best of all, taught them the importance of trusting in the Savior who died for all our sins. More: five of the children and many of the grandchildren have given themselves for full time Christian service, and have become pastors, college deans, Christian writers and missionaries in various parts of the world.

This is not because we are one whit better than others, but because we have experienced the help and grace of God in our lives. And it all began as, one day, a young American, like Joshua of old, came to a decision and declared:

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 4, 2010

THANKSGIVING
by Cornelius R. Stam


God's verdict upon the pagan world is that "they are without excuse, because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful..." (Romans 1:20,21).

The Psalmist, on the other hand, declares:

"IT IS A GOOD THING TO GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, AND TO SING PRAISES UNTO THY NAME, O MOST HIGH:

"TO SHOW FORTH THY LOVINGKINDNESS IN THE MORNING. AND THY FAITHFULNESS EVERY NIGHT" (Psalms 92:1,2).

Believers today have even more to be thankful for than did the Psalmist, for we can rejoice in what God has done for us through Christ and His redeeming work. Thus Paul, by divine inspiration, speaks of...

"GIVING THANKS UNTO THE FATHER, WHO HATH MADE US MEET [FIT] TO BE PARTAKERS OF THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT:

"WHO HATH DELIVERED US FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS, AND HATH TRANSLATED US INTO THE KINGDOM OF HIS DEAR SON" (Colossians 1:12,13).

It is because of this "deliverance" that the humblest believer can cry with Paul: "Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ!" (2 Corinthians 2:14) and "Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:57). How appropriate, then, are the following exhortations:

"In everything give thanks" (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ) and "By [Christ], therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise... giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).

"For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:15).

Most of all, "THANKS BE UNTO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT," our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! (2 Corinthians 9:15).

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 5, 2010

CAN THE TEN COMMANDMENTS SAVE?
by Cornelius R. Stam


St. Paul pointed out a basic Scriptural -- and logical -- fact, when he said:

"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (Romans 2:13).

Many people suppose that God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us to be good. The fact is, however, that He gave them to show us that we are bad. Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:19 and a hundred other Bible passages teach this clearly.

How can the Law be of any advantage to a law-breaker?

How can it justify us unless we keep it -- perfectly?

Do you recall the woman caught in adultery, in John 8? She was a Jewess. She was better off than the Gentiles, for she had the law of Moses to show her right from wrong, but this didn't justify her; it condemned her. So her "advantage" turned out to be a serious disadvantage, for "not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."

James 1:23,24 says that one who knows the Law but doesn't obey it, is like a man looking into a mirror, seeing his dirty face, and then walking away without doing anything about it. This is why Romans 2:14,15 declares that the consciences of the heathen confirm what the Law says, "their thoughts the meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one another."

Those in heathen lands know that it is wrong to lie and steal and commit adultery, yet they know nothing about the law of God, or the Ten Commandments. How, then, do they know that these things are wrong? God made them with this knowledge; He gave to them, and to us all, conscience, a sense of blameworthiness in doing wrong.

How good to know the One who has paid the penalty for our sins so that our hearts may be cleansed from "an evil conscience" (Hebrews 10:22)!

"Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3).

"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
_______________________________________________

March 6, 2010

THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF GOD'S WORD TO THE BELIEVER
by Cornelius R. Stam


The Bible will always have first place in the life of the spiritual Christian.

It is of utmost importance that we understand this, for some who feel themselves quite spiritual give much time to prayer, but little, if any, to the study of the Word. Such have actually fallen for the subtle trick of the adversary to play upon their natural human pride and cause them to exalt self and push God into the background.

In saying this we do not for one moment minimize the importance of prayer; we only stress the supreme importance of the holy Word of God. In this we are surely Scriptural, for David says, by inspiration:

"For Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name" (Psalms 138:2).

Of those who would still object and place first emphasis upon prayer rather than upon the Word, we would ask one simple question: Which is the more important, what we have to say to God or what He has to say to us? There can be but one answer to this question, for obviously what God has to say to us is infinitely more important than anything we might have to say to Him. Our prayers are as fraught with failure as we are, but the Word of God is infallible, immutable and eternal.

Yet some, having fallen for one of Satan's "devices" and feeling quite spiritual about it, are like the talkative person to whom one listens and listens, occasionally nodding his head, but receiving little or no opportunity to "get a word in edgewise." They do all the talking, but give little time listening to what God has to say to them.

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 7, 2010

WHO'S BEEN GOOD TO WHOM?
by Cornelius R. Stam


As I once left a restaurant, the cashier and part owner asked how "the pastor" was feeling. I replied: "Fine. The Lord has been very good to me."

With this she began to tell how good the Lord had been to her. She had come to America from Greece and had raised a family and prospered here until now, with her family, she owned and operated a good-sized restaurant. "So", she said, "the Lord has been good to me", and after a moment's hesitation, "but then, I've been good to Him too!"

Imagine! How He needed her! It is sad, but this is the low conception of God held by many religious, but unsaved people. They entertain the strange notion that if they put a few dollars into the Church, God ought to bless them -- or the still more foolish notion that if they are good to others, He ought to be good to them!

But He owes us nothing just because we may have been good to others! And even if we sought only to please Him, this would not make Him our debtor. He does not need us. There is nothing we can do to enrich Him. This is why Ephesians 2:8-10 declares that salvation is "not of yourselves", and "not of works, lest any man should boast".

No, we cannot gain His favor by "being good to Him". Yet, it is true that His children will be rewarded for faithfulness to Him. This is not a dispensational matter; it is a promise that God has always held out to His people (Daniel 12:3; Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:7,8; 1 Peter 5:1). But such rewards are "rewards of grace".

Let us who know Him, then, seek above all else to be faithful in our service to Him, not to gain acceptance with God, for He has already "made us accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6), but rather out of love and gratitude to Him who gave Himself for us.

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 8, 2010

THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY
by Cornelius R. Stam


The believers at Pentecost "were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4), but the Apostle Paul never anywhere says that all the members of the Body of Christ are filled with the Holy Spirit. It is surely clear from the record that the Corinthians and the Galatians, for example, were not filled with the Spirit, for Paul's letters to these churches contain much of rebuke and correction. And it is also evident that believers today are not -- even the best of them -- wholly filled with the Spirit. The filling with the Spirit is now a goal, an attainment, which the Apostle, by inspiration, sets before us. We are not all filled with the Spirit as a matter of fact, as were the Pentecostal believers. While the Spirit does indeed dwell within us by God's grace, we must daily appropriate His help by faith.

Hence the Apostle now exhorts believers: "Be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18 ) just as he exhorts them and prays for them, that they may be "filled with the fruits of righteousness" (Philippians 1:11); "filled with the knowledge of His will" (Colossians 1:9); "filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:19), yet none of us have been filled with any of these.

The reason why we are not automatically filled with the Spirit is another matter, but let the reader not fail to first recognize the fact that while the believers gathered in the upper room at Pentecost were all filled with the Spirit, the believers under Paul, and since that time, have not all been filled with the Spirit. Moreover, while it is distinctly stated, again and again, that the Pentecostal believers were, or were to be, baptized with the Spirit, not once does Paul in his epistles teach that members of the Body of Christ are baptized with or in the Spirit. Instead he exhorts them to appropriate God's grace by faith so that they may be filled with the Spirit.

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 9, 2010

GOD NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS
by Cornelius R. Stam


In Romans 2:11 we read that "there is no respect of persons with God," and these very words, with slight variations, are found many times in the Bible. How wonderful! No "big wheels" with Him! Rather, all stand on the same footing before His bar of justice.

Do you know why the kings in Israel's history were -- and were meant to be -- so rich? This was so that they might rule with true justice, beholden only to God. The rich could not bribe the king, nor could the powerful intimidate him, for he was far richer and more powerful than they. There was only one person over the king, spiritually: the prophet, who kept reminding him of the Word and the claims of God.

Well, God is infinitely richer than all the wealthy rulers, barons and money magnates of this world put together, thus there is "no respect of persons with Him." Also, justice is one of His divine attributes, hence it is unthinkable that He should show favoritism.

But now a question: If God is no respecter of persons, why did He favor one nation, Israel, above all the rest and, for many centuries, bless them above all others? The answer: God made a difference to show that "there is no difference" (Romans 3:22,23). He made an artificial difference, a dispensational difference, to show that there was no essential difference, no moral difference. He erected a "middle wall of partition" between us to show that that wall must be broken down (Ephesians 2:14-16).

And thus it is that the same God who once said to Israel:
"Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant ... Unto you first..." (Acts 3:25,26) -- this same God now says:

"There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek [Gentile], for 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" (Romans 10:12,13).

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 10, 2010

PAUL, NOT ONE OF THE TWELVE
by Russell S. Miller


“For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office” (Romans 11:13).

These are Paul’s inspired words in Romans 11:13. He is not one of the Twelve Apostles as many teach today and certainly was not chosen to take Judas’ place. Acts 1:16-26 gives ample proof that Saul of Tarsus did not even qualify as a follower of Jesus Christ at that time, he was an unbeliever! He had not followed the Lord from John’s baptism “unto that same day that [Jesus] was taken up from us” (Acts 1:22). Listen to Paul’s own testimony as he later recounts his conversion before King Agrippa:

“And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities” (Acts 26:11).

When Paul finally does come upon the scene in the Acts of the Apostles, Acts 9:1,2 reveals him as “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious” (1 Timothy 1:13), on his way to imprison and “put to death” Christ’s followers at Damascus (Acts 26:10). This is a far cry from being eligible for the position that Judas held with the disciples of the Lord. Paul was therefore most ineligible, for he had not seen Jesus Christ of Nazareth during Lord’s earthly ministry! The qualifications for the position that Judas held are clear enough:

“Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His resurrection” (Acts 1:21-22). The “lot” therefore fell to “Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26).

Later, when Saul finally did get saved, it is the Lord Himself who stopped Saul in his tracks, and saved him from further persecution of Messiah’s followers:

“And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? … And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus” (Acts 22:7-11).

Thus, Paul is specially “chosen” by God through whom God’s Son is to be revealed to all nations since the favored nation refused Messiah under their so-called “Great Commission.” This is what makes Paul’s ministry, and apostleship, so very distinct from that of the Twelve, and their kingdom gospel.

Furthermore, Colossians, chapter one, makes it clear that God began something very new and different with Paul’s conversion—the Church which is the Body of Christ:

“Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the Church:

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the Word of God;

“EVEN THE MYSTERY WHICH HATH BEEN HID FROM AGES AND FROM GENERATIONS, BUT NOW IS MADE MANIFEST TO HIS SAINTS:

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:24-27).

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 11, 2010

ST. PAUL AND THE RESURRECTION
by Cornelius R. Stam


The Apostle Paul, in discussing the resurrection of the dead, came to the simple and valid conclusion: "If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen" (1 Corinthians 15:13).

But the Apostle does not stop here. Hear him as he presses a further argument home: "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (Ver. 14). And this leads to yet another conclusion: "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished" (Vers. 17,18 ).

These are frank words about stern realities. If there is no such thing as the bodily resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised from the dead, and if such is the case we have no living Savior.

But granting all this, can we believe in what is palpably impossible? Ah, but is resurrection palpably impossible? Paul answers this question quite simply in this same discussion, in 1 Corinthians 15:35

"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?"

Mark well, this is not an interested inquiry, but a challenge, meant to prove that resurrection is impossible, and the Apostle answers it as such:

"Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die" (Ver. 36).

What a devastating reply! We may point out all the reasons why resurrection is "impossible," but after all is said and done we are still surrounded by overwhelming evidence that it is a fact. Every blade of grass, every ear of corn, every beautiful flower bears witness to the fact of resurrection from the dead.

Yes, Christ is alive from the dead, and "able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him..." (Hebrews 7:25).

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 12, 2010

THE SPIRIT OF PROMISE
by Cornelius R. Stam


"[Having] believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13).

Of all the wonderful Scripture passages on the eternal security of the believer in Christ, this is perhaps the most blessed of all.

"[Having] heard the Word of truth you believed," says the Apostle, and "[having] believed, you were sealed." Now a seal speaks of finality and permanency, whether it be the official seal on an important document, the seal on an electric transformer or the seal on a jar of preserves. But the most blessed fact of all is that the believer in Christ is "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Mark well, he is sealed not by the Spirit but with the Spirit; the Spirit Himself is the seal.

Here, let us say, is a woman sealing jars of preserves with wax. The jars are sealed by the woman, but with the wax. Thus the humblest believer is sealed with the Spirit. It is He Himself who keeps us safe in Christ through all eternity.

And this is but the "earnest," the first installment, "of our inheritance" (Ver. 14), for the Spirit keeps us secure in "this present evil age" so that "in the ages to come" God might show "the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (2:7).

Little wonder the Apostle closes this passage on our security with those appropriate words: "To the praise of His glory" (1:14).

What some theologians have called "the perseverance of saints" is not our perseverence at all, but God's faithfulness. We have not persevered; He has preserved us by His grace for His glory.

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 13, 2010

THE GOSPEL OF GOD
by Russell S. Miller


This phrase, “the gospel of God”, found seven times in the New Testament, is mainly used by the Apostle Paul (Romans 1:1; 15:16; 2 Corinthians 11:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:2,8,9), though it is also found in 1 Peter 4:17. But the Apostle Paul says that the gospel of God was “promised afore by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” So the question, What is this gospel of God?, is worthy of our inquiry and finds its answer in the fact that God has always had “good news” for Adam and his sinful, sorry, helpless sons and daughters in whatever “the prophets and Moses did say should come.” And this is now revealed in the Pauline revelation:

“That Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23).

This is why Paul tells us in Galatians 1:16 that God’s Son is revealed IN him, NOT in the prophets, and this is confirmed in 1 Peter 1:12. Paul’s “gospel” is therefore “the revelation of Jesus Christ” in all that God had “promised” and in all that God “kept secret” regarding the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is, of course, blessedly true where the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned that all the types and shadows of the Mosaic sacrificial system (Hebrews 10:1-4) mysteriously pointed forward to Christ and Calvary’s cross. Thus we can see the importance of 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES.”

Here Paul incorporates that which God had “promised afore” with that which he had “received” and “delivered” to the Corinthians, and to us. And this he calls “the gospel which I preached unto you” (1 Corinthians 1:1-3). Isn't this the very key that unlocks our understanding here? It was not CONTRARY to the Scriptures that “Christ died for our sins,” but rather it is in ACCORDANCE with the Scriptures.

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

Now it becomes clear that the saints of old were not saved on the basis of the Mosaic Law. Rather their atonement awaited the merits of Christ’s propitiatory sacrifice on Calvary’s cross as revealed though Paul:

“NEITHER BY THE BLOOD OF GOATS AND CALVES, BUT BY HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED IN ONCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE, HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR US” (Hebrews 9:12).

“BUT THIS MAN, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD” (Hebrews 10:12).

It is faith “in the blood of Christ” that saves us today. No longer does the Mosaic Law, or water baptism, nor Peter’s call to repentance in Acts 2:38, have any merit, but faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ:

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
“Even the righteousness of God which is BY [FAITHFULNESS] OF JESUS CHRIST unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Romans 3:21-22).

And who, but the Apostle Paul, could write more appropriately “concerning God’s Son Jesus Christ our Lord” and the “Good News” that awaits believers!

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
“To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26).

[nChrist]

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

For Questions Or Comments:  berean@execpc.com
_______________________________________________

March 14, 2010

THE END OF THE WORLD
by Cornelius R. Stam


    There has been a great deal of discussion lately about some Hindu astrologers who have predicted that this world will come to an end this February. The fact is that some sincere Christians fear that these prophets might be right, since our Lord did speak several times about the coming "end of the world."

    These Hindu astrologers, however, are wrong. This February will not see the end of the world, for according to the Bible the world, or earth, will never come to an end. The word "world," which our Lord uses in this connection, does not refer to the earth, or even the people on it. It is the old Greek word aion, or age. Several ages in God's program have already come to an end, and others will, but no matter what destructive weapons man may devise, the earth will never be destroyed. In Isaiah 45:18 we read:

    "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens: God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it; He created it not in vain; He formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord, and there is none else."

    But doesn't Rev. 21:1 predict "a new heaven and a new earth"? Yes, but the context clearly indicates that this refers to the future renewing of the present heaven and earth, not the creating of different ones. Verse 5 says:

    "He that sat upon the throne: said, Behold I make all things new."

    Note: He didn't say "I make all new things," but "I make all things new." There is a difference.

    We should not be concerned about the end of the world, but rather about the end of this present age in which we live under "the dispensation of the grace of God," for God has never promised how long this will last. Every hour He delays the return of Christ to recall His ambassadors, is an hour of wonderful grace, in which men may be saved by grace, through faith in Christ who died for our sins. This is why Paul urges us:

    "We then, as workers together with [Christ], beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.... Behold, now is the accepted time; Behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:1,2).

    To the Reader:
    Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

    "It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

    We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.