Two Minutes With The Bible

[nChrist]

Subject: Two Minutes With The Bible - IS IT EVER RIGHT TO LIE?


Aug 23

IS IT EVER RIGHT TO LIE?

By Russell S. Miller

"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Heb. 11:31).

We surely had a good discussion at the Bible study on "Rahab, the harlot". No doubt she was guilty of more sins than "harlotry" as a simple reading of the text of Joshua 2:1-24 would indicate. That she also lied is an obvious conclusion. And "yes", she could simply have said, "If you wish to search the house, please do so", and left the outcome to God. But in her "little" faith she sought to help God out instead, perhaps in fear of her life, as Abraham and Sarah before her had done (Gen.16:1-16). But lest you should judge this new believer too harshly—what might your reaction have been, had you been in her given circumstances (Gal. 6:1)? Remember, please, that our God is not only a God of justice, as at Jericho, but He is also merciful, kind, and gracious. He is more willing to bless us than we are to be blessed.

Is it wrong to lie? Of course it is wrong to lie, under any circumstances.

But like Jacob, that old "supplanter" or "deceiver" (Gen.27:36), this dear soul wanted the blessing of God more than any thing else in her whole life. That God honored her faith, not her lie, is clearly seen in the words of the Apostle Paul:

"BY FAITH THE HARLOT RAHAB PERISHED NOT WITH THEM THAT BELIEVED NOT, WHEN SHE HAD RECEIVED THE SPIES WITH PEACE" (Heb. 11:31).

A question: How is it possible that God’s Son, who "cannot lie" (Tit.1:2), our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, should have come through the line of these renowned sinners, if not to die for sinners on Calvary’s cross?

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

Yes, it cost our blessed Saviour His life’s blood to save us from our sins, so terrible is sin in the sight of God—even a little white lie! As God could save Rahab, by grace, so He can save you too, if you will only believe Him.

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - SEVEN TIMES A FAILURE


Aug 24

SEVEN TIMES A FAILURE

By Cornelius R. Stam

Despite man’s natural tendency to boast, history has proved again and again that he is a failure, in deep need of God and His grace.

The Age of Innocence closed with man rebelling against his Creator and becoming a fallen, sinful creature (Rom. 5:12).

The Age of Conscience opened with one murder (Gen. 4:8) and before another age was ushered in "the earth was filled with violence" (Gen. 6:11).

Then came Human Government, but the world’s first ruler made a spectacle of himself through drunkenness (Gen. 9:20,21). Little wonder we soon find the race intoxicated with its own importance so that God had to confuse their language at Babel (Gen. 11:4,7,8).

The Age of Promise came next, with Abraham failing to enter the promised land through unbelief (Gen. 11:31-12:3). It closed with Israel, his seed, failing to enter the promised land through unbelief (Heb. 3:19).

The Age of Law began with Israel worshipping a golden calf before Moses had even gotten down from Sinai. Little wonder it ended with the rejection of Christ.

The Age of Grace commenced with the Apostle Paul, God’s ambassador of love and grace, persecuted and imprisoned (Eph. 6:20). This showed man’s attitude toward God and His grace. It will be brought to a close as man continues persistently to go on in his sin rather than accept redeeming grace through Christ (II Cor. 4:4; II Tim. 3:1-5). The Kingdom of Christ, which is to follow the present age, will begin with our Lord rebuking strong nations
(Micah 4:3) and will close with multitudes, who for a time had rendered enforced obedience, following Satan (Rev. 20:7-9).

How all this demonstrates man’s need of God and salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ! "All have sinned" (Rom. 3:23) but, thank God: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). Though surrounded by sin and rebellion, multitudes down through history have called and have been saved.

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - WHAT SHALL WE DO?


Aug 25

WHAT SHALL WE DO?

By Cornelius R. Stam

When John the Baptist appeared as Christ’s forerunner, God’s chosen people had lived under the law of Moses for fifteen hundred years but had not kept it. Hence John’s call to repentance and baptism for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4).

John was in earnest, too, for when the thoughtless multitude came to him to be baptized, he sent them back, saying: "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:7,8). Their lives were to be changed and they were to show it. When the people asked: "What shall we do, then?" he told them to live for others rather than for self (Luke 3:10,11). When the tax collectors asked: "What shall we do?" he demanded that they stop cheating the tax payers and live honestly (Vers. 12,13). When the soldiers asked: "What shall we do?" he told them to forbear violence, false accusation and bribery (Ver. 14). Clearly, righteousness was demanded under John’s message. His hearers were to repent, be baptized, and bring forth the fruits of true repentance. When our Lord appeared, He proclaimed the same message as John (Matt. 3:1,2; 4:17). A lawyer asked: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" and He replied: "What is written in the law?" When the lawyer recited the basic commands of the Law, our Lord answered: "This do and thou shalt live" (Luke 10:25-28). God was still demanding righteousness. They were all under the Law (Gal. 4:4,5; Matt. 23:1,2; etc.).

Some suppose this was all changed after Calvary by the so-called "great commission." This is not so. When, at Pentecost, Peter’s hearers were convicted of their sins and asked "What shall we do?" Peter commanded them to "repent and be baptized... for the remission of sins" just as John had done (Mark 1:4; cf. Acts 2:38). He did not tell them that Christ had died for their sins.

Paul was the first to say: "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested... [We] declare His righteousness for the remission of sins" (Rom. 3:21-26).

When the Gentile jailor fell on his knees and asked: "What must I do to be saved?" Paul replied: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:30,31). This is God’s message for sinners today, for "we have redemption through [Christ’s] blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - CHRIST S DEATH FOR ALL


Aug 26

CHRIST’S DEATH FOR ALL

By Cornelius R. Stam

Paul preached Christ’s death for all men. In I Tim. 2:4-7, he states emphatically that this glorious truth was first committed specifically to him:

"Who will have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

"For there is one God, and one mediator BETWEEN GOD AND MEN, the man Christ Jesus;

"Who gave Himself A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time. "WHEREUNTO I AM ORDAINED A PREACHER, AND AN APOSTLE, (I SPEAK THE TRUTH IN CHRIST, AND LIE NOT;) A TEACHER OF THE GENTILES IN FAITH AND VERITY."

Note the words "to be," "in due time" and "whereunto I am appointed." Thus this glorious message of Christ’s death for all was not part of prophecy or of the so-called "Great Commission," but was later committed to Paul.

Nowhere in Old Testament prophecy do we read that Christ would die for all, including the Gentiles. Even in that famous prophecy, Isaiah 53, which Gentile believers are so apt to apply to themselves, the Hebrew prophet says:

"All we like sheep have gone astray ," and "the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Ver. 6). Now, if I tell you that "we all," or "all of us" are going on an outing, this does not mean that all the world is invited. And in this case Isaiah’s meaning is especially clear and emphatic for, speaking still as a Hebrew prophet, he goes on to say: "For the transgression of my people was He stricken" (Ver. 8 ).

How then could Paul have meant in I Cor. 15:3 that his preaching of the cross as good news for all, was in fulfillment of prophecy? Indeed, he distinctly states that it was a "mystery," a secret, first revealed to him.

"For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

"How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery..."
(Eph.3:1-3 ).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - TWO ANXIOUS MOTHERS


Aug 27

TWO ANXIOUS MOTHERS

By Cornelius R. Stam

Some time ago, in Chicago, a little baby was kidnapped right out of her mother’s arms in a hospital room, while another mother left her baby in a cardboard box on top of a garbage can.

We have the feeling that in all probability the woman who abandoned her baby -- and it probably was a woman -- was just as much beside herself as the one who had her baby stolen from her arms.

A Registered Nurse told us some time ago that the proportion of mothers who do not want their babies is becoming alarming. We do not believe that these women wouldn’t want their babies under normal circumstances. Everybody loves a baby! But in such cases sin has come in to bring trouble and shame and misery. Some of these mothers are unwed and have been disgraced; others are separated or divorced from their husbands or would have to bring their babies home to nothing but bickering and trouble. Still others have passed diseases on to their babies and wish that they had never been born.

This is how sin wrecks lives and homes, but it is wonderful to know that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," as we read in I Tim. 1:15. How does He save sinners? First He bore the penalty of sin for us: "Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3). But He will save us from sin’s control too, if we let Him. Rom. 6:14 says to believers in Christ: "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace," and millions have proved this to be true.

Salvation is more than a religious term, or a feeling or sentiment, it is actual deliverance from the penalty and power of sin, through the redemptive work of Christ on Calvary, where He "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" for every one who simply but sincerely trusts Him as Lord and Savior.

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - WHEN THE LORD BECAME ANGRY


Aug 28

WHEN THE LORD BECAME ANGRY

By Cornelius R. Stam

"And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. "And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other" (Mark 3:4,5).

Why did our Lord become angry when the Jewish leaders refused to answer His questions? He was "grieved for the hardness of their hearts." Their silence was not the silence of ignorance but of willfulness. They had "watched Him whether He would heal... on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him," but they could not tell Him what was wrong about it. Indeed, when He asked them what was wrong they refused to answer His questions.

How inconsistent! How unreasonable! How unjust! And, as we read the context, we are amazed to find that this sullen, stubborn opposition came not from the Sadducees but from the Pharisees, not the religious "liberals" but the "conservatives," the Bible-believers of the day!

They were the orthodox group. Nevertheless, because of their pride and bigotry generations following have looked down upon them and have pronounced with contempt the name Pharisee.

Paul stood with them, doctrinally, against the Sadducees. He said: "Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee" (Acts 23:6), nevertheless the Pharisees had joined the Sadducees in their opposition to him and to the glorious message he proclaimed. In this respect times have not changed, for those who stand boldly for God’s message and program for our day will find themselves still opposed by Sadducees and Pharisees alike.

________________________

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(My Note: God has given mankind thousands of years to repent and accept JESUS CHRIST as Lord and Saviour. The Holy Bible makes it clear that there will be a time of great wrath, and the people of the earth will be judged. JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF will wield a terrible swift sword, and the time will be too late to accept him. Won't you make your decision for CHRIST today?)

[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - IT S ALL IN THE BIBLE


Aug 29

IT’S ALL IN THE BIBLE

By Cornelius R. Stam

We couldn’t help hearing it! This woman had a voice that could be heard at considerable distance and we distinctly heard her say: "I doped it all out from the Bible." "Well, at least somebody’s interested in the Bible," we said to each other.

But as she prattled on it turned out that she had used the records in an old family Bible to establish her claim to part of an estate. These records, introduced in court, had won the case for her.

There was, after all, no indication that she was interested in the Bible -- only in those pages between the Old and New Testaments which, in some editions of the Bible, are kept for family records.

Actually she was no different from the masses about us who go about from day to day interested only in the things of this life and ignoring almost completely the things that really matter: God, heaven, hell and their own eternal destiny.

If these people only knew what treasures are to be found in the Bible! Among these are "riches of mercy" (Eph. 2:4), "riches of grace" (Eph. 1:7), "riches of glory" (Phil. 4:19), "riches of wisdom and knowledge" (Rom. 11:33), "the riches of the full assurance of understanding" (Col. 2:2), "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8). And the best part of it is that anyone may have these riches simply for the asking:

"For there is no difference... 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" (Rom. 10:12,13).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - REBELLION AGAINST PAULINE AUTHORITY


Aug 30

REBELLION AGAINST PAULINE AUTHORITY

By Cornelius R. Stam

One of the chief reasons why so many sincere religious people are left in doubt and uncertainty as to salvation is because the organized Church has rebelled against a distinct and important revelation from God to us who live in this present age. This revelation is found in the inspired words of Paul, in Rom. 11:13:

"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles. I magnify mine office."

Many minimize that which the Word of God magnifies here. They insist upon following Peter rather than Paul, failing to see that Peter’s authority concerned the now-rejected kingdom of Christ on earth over Israel and the nations. Our Lord had said to His twelve apostles:

"Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, YE ALSO SHALL SIT UPON TWELVE THRONES, JUDGING THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL" (Matt. 19:28).

Surely there are no twelve tribes in the Church today, nor was any provision, specific or implied, made by our Lord for "apostolic succession." This dogma is built upon the unscriptural assumption that the Church today is the kingdom which Christ established when on earth, and that our ministry today is but a perpetuation of that which the twelve began.

The fact is that the ministry of the twelve was halted by the rejection of the King and His kingdom and that the apostles themselves finally agreed to turn their proposed Gentile ministry over to Paul, that other apostle, to whom had been committed "the gospel of the grace of God" (Read carefully, Gal. 2:2-9 and Acts 20:24).

If only the confused religious masses could see that when Israel joined the Gentiles in rebellion against God, when the world’s sin had risen to its height and all was ready for judgment, God revealed "the exceeding riches of His grace" by saving Saul, the chief of sinners, and sending him forth as both the herald and the living example of His grace! Thus he writes:

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound, BUT WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND: "THAT AS SIN HATH REIGNED UNTO DEATH, EVEN SO MIGHT GRACE REIGN, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:20,21).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - GOD FOR US


Aug 31

GOD FOR US

By Cornelius R. Stam

Many people, even religious people, suppose that God is against sinners. "Do what is right," they think, "and God will love and bless you, but do what is wrong and He will be angry with you and curse you."

Perhaps this view of God comes from the fact that many Scripture passages, especially in the Old Testament, reveal God as the Enemy of the workers of iniquity. But He is the Enemy of the workers of iniquity as such -- as workers of iniquity, not as individual persons.

In Ezek. 18:23 God asks: "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die... ?" And in II Pet. 3:9 we learn that when God might have judged this world for the crucifixion of Christ. He delayed the judgment because He is "long-suffering" and "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

The Apostle Paul, referring to the crucifixion, declares that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (II Cor. 5:19). How could He have shown sinners more conclusively that He desires their good than by imputing their sins to Christ and telling them that He is not imputing their trespasses unto them? Their trespasses will be imputed to them, of course, if they reject God’s provision of salvation through Christ, but for the present it is a wonderful fact that we can go to any sinner and say on the authority of God’s written Word: "Your sins have been paid for; God is not holding them against you. Will you accept His love and receive Christ as your Savior?"

No, unsaved friend, God is not against you. He loves you and provided abundantly for your salvation by paying for your sins Himself at Calvary.  This is the essence of "the gospel of the grace of God" (See I Tim. 2:4-7). Will you believe it? Will you trust Christ now, acknowledging Him as your Lord and Savior?

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - THE BIBLE AND ITS AUTHOR


Sep 1

THE BIBLE AND ITS AUTHOR

By Cornelius R. Stam

Back on the shelf she placed the book with a sigh. It was too dull and uninteresting to wade through. She didn’t feel like reading anyway; in fact, she was utterly bored, and didn’t feel like doing anything.

The next night was different -- very different. At a party she had met the kind of man she could really go for. He seemed interested in her too, and in the weeks that followed they saw more and more of each other, until she was sure she loved him.

One night he mentioned something about a book he had written, and somehow the title rang a bell with her. Where had she seen it? It bothered her that she couldn’t remember. When she reached home, however, it dawned on her all of a sudden. This was the book she had found so boring. She hadn’t even noticed the name of the author.

Taking the book down from the shelf again, she began reading. As she read page after page, she asked herself: "Why did I think this book was dry? Say, this is some book! I had no idea he could write -- and so well!" And thus, avidly, she continued reading far into the night.

Yes, it makes a great deal of difference if you know the Author -- and especially if you love him! How many believers in Christ there are whose most precious hours are spent in reading and studying the Bible -- a Book which once seemed dull and uninteresting to them!  The reason? They have come to know and love the Author!

Our Lord said: "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). But how do we obtain the "life eternal" with which this knowledge is bound up? Our Lord said: "He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47). Salvation is, after all, a love story to be believed, and by which we come to know Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible - THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER


Sep 2

THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER

By Cornelius R. Stam

The question is sometimes asked: If God’s will and purpose are unalterable, why pray? The answer is simply: Because the divine purpose, which any answer to prayer must represent, includes the prayer itself. It is enough that He "who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11) invites and exhorts His people to "come boldly unto the throne of grace" to "let [their] requests be made known unto God" (Heb. 4:16; Phil. 4:6).

But prayer is not merely petition, as many suppose. It is one aspect of active communion with God (meditation on the Word being the other) and includes adoration, thanksgiving and confession, as well as supplication. Hyde, in God’s Education of Alan, Pp. 154,155, says: "Prayer is the communion of two wills, in which the finite comes into connection with the Infinite, and, like the trolley, appropriates its purpose and power."

We have an example of this in the record of our Lord’s prayer in the garden, for, while He is not to be classed with finite men, yet He laid aside His glory, became "a servant" (Phil. 2:7) and "learned obedience" (Heb. 5:8; Phil. 2:8). In this place of subjection He made definite and earnest requests of His Father, but closed His prayer with the words:

"Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done" (Luke 22: 42) with the result that He was "strengthened" for the ordeal He had to face (Ver. 43).

Thus prayer is not merely a means of "getting things from God" but a God-appointed means of fellowship with Him, and all acceptable prayer will include the supplication   -- as sincerely desired as the rest: "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done."

________________________

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Two Minutes With The Bible - SICKNESS AND SIN


Sep 3

SICKNESS AND SIN

By Cornelius R. Stam

One thing that really concerns this writer about modern life, is how sin is constantly called sickness. A man commits some moral outrage and they say he is sick -- they even tell him that.

I went to see a man some time ago who had fallen into unspeakable immorality and it had caught up with him. For years his sanctimonious life had been a sham; now the mask was torn off and he was in trouble -- deep trouble.

I had been telling him that now his best course was to make a clean confession -- to the courts and to God. But someone else had gotten to him first. While he stood by, listening, this man had told his wife: "You must get Jim to see that he’s sick and needs help. I’m not condoning what he has done, but I’m hopeful that if he gets the proper help he can be cured."

What a way to evade the sin question! Of course the man was sick -- I imagine you and I would be sick too if we lived as he had been living! But let’s get this straight: His sickness came from his sin, not his sin from some sickness. He would have been far better off to sob out his heart in contrition before God for his sin than to excuse his conduct on the grounds of illness. Rom. 5:12 says: "By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin," and Rom. 6:23 says: "The wages of sin is death."

The sobering fact is that while there may be differences in the kinds of sins we commit, or in the degrees of our sin, Rom. 3:23 declares that there is no difference in this, that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

This is why we are so pleased and proud to proclaim "the gospel of the grace of God," how Christ paid the penalty for our sins that we might have a perfect standing before a holy God, "being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!" (II Cor. 9:15).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - FAITH


Sep 4

FAITH

By Cornelius R. Stam

Faith is one of the most precious treasures a man can possibly possess. It is a pity that so few understand what the Bible teaches about it.

Faith is often confused with presumption, optimism, determination, superstition and imagination. Actually it is simply believing. This is why we read in Rom. 4:5:

"But to him that worketh not, but BELIEVETH on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his FAITH is counted for righteousness." Obviously, faith honors God, while doubting His Word must insult and displease Him. The Apostle John wrote:

"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.... He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son.

"And this is the record: that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son" (I John 5:9-11). Little wonder that we read in Heb. 11:6:

"WITHOUT FAITH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE HIM, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

But why did God give the law, if salvation can be obtained by simple faith? St. Paul answers: "The law was our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, THAT WE MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH" (Gal. 3:24).

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:21).

How grateful we all should be that God, in the Bible, has told us about redemption through Christ and how we may be saved by faith in Him!

"[Christ] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore, being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 4:25; 5:1).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - WHY GOD S CHILDREN SUFFER


Sep 5

WHY GOD’S CHILDREN SUFFER

By Cornelius R. Stam

Contrary to common belief, the Bible does not teach that all men are the children of God. Our Lord said to the religious leaders of His day: "Ye are of your father the devil" (John 8:44), but to the Christian believers at Galatia St. Paul wrote: "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26).

As the children of Adam, it is not strange that we should have to bear suffering; for sorrow, sickness and death entered the world through sin (Rom. 5:12). But some people wonder why God’s children, whose greatest desire is to please Him, should have to suffer along with others.

There are several reasons for this. In the case of Job, God allowed His servant to suffer to prove to Satan that Job did not live a godly life for personal gain -- and Job was richly rewarded later for all he had borne.

Further, God’s people could not be of much spiritual help to others if they were exempt from the sufferings which others have to bear. In such a case the unsaved would say: "Yes, you can talk! You don’t know what it is to suffer disappointments, sickness and pain, as we do."

Then too, it must be remembered that even the most godly saint is not perfect and must at times be disciplined, "for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Heb. 12:6). This is done for our good, to keep us from sin and its consequences.

Finally, suffering and adversity tend to make God’s children pray more and lean harder on Him, and herein lies their spiritual strength and blessing. St. Paul said: "I take pleasure in infirmities... for when I am weak, then am I strong" (II Cor. 12:10).

But there is a great twofold advantage which the suffering Christian has over others. First, his sufferings are only temporary and, second, they earn eternal glory for
him.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (II Cor. 4:17).

________________________

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[nChrist]

Two Minutes With The Bible - The Wonders of His Grace


Sep 6

The Wonders of His Grace

By Paul M. Sadler, President

Scripture Reading:

"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."   -- II Corinthians 8:9

Whether the occasion is a holiday, a birthday celebration, or a graduation, it is customary to give a gift.  While some gifts are given out of necessity, for the most part, a gift is an expression of our love.  We normally bestow these tokens of our affection on those whom we feel deserve the honor.  But God's ways are not our ways.  He gave the gift of His beloved Son to His enemies.  That's a true love story!  Oh, the wonder of His grace that God sent His only begotten Son, the Son of His love, to save sinners like you and me while we were fleeing from the glory of His presence.  Little wonder the Apostle Paul says, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" (II Cor. 9:15).

The word "unspeakable" here has the idea of "indescribable."  The gifts I've received through the years were all describable.  Some may have been a little harder to describe than others, but describable nonetheless!  But the gift of God's dear Son is indescribable. Who can explain the incarnation, how the eternal Son of God left heaven's glory and took upon Himself the form of human flesh, yet was not tainted with our sin.  Who can explain how Christ was wholly God and wholly human in one person?  These wonders can only be received through the eye of faith.

The manger and the Cross stand at the two extremes of our Lord's life, but they are connected by the tapestry of redemption.  Hence, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."  A love story that ends with a death is tragic; in contrast, the death of Christ is the greatest demonstration of love this world has ever seen.  How much does God love you?  He gave His only begotten Son to die on your behalf.  You see, Christ wasn't dying for His sin, He knew no sin; He was dying for your sins and my sins at Calvary.  He was made sin for us that we might receive the righteousness of God in Him.  Have you trusted Him?

Surely you would never think of paying for a gift; why, the giver would be highly offended -- how much more so with God.  The payment for your sins has already been furnished by the Giver; simply receive Him as a gift from God.  If you have, then why not thank Him today for His unspeakable gift?  After all, this is the Gift that includes all others!

________________________

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