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May 23, 2012

DEMON POSSESSION
by Cornelius R. Stam

The modern revival of E.S.P., fortune telling, astrology, magic, the Ouija board, the spirit seance and a score of other occult practices have caused many to wonder whether human beings may be possessed or controlled by evil spirits.

Many Christian people recall the cases of demon possession recorded in the Bible in connection with our Lord's earthly ministry.

There is indeed much evidence that there was a great outbreak of demon activity when Christ was on earth. This outbreak seems to have abated soon after the Lord's ascension to heaven, but many are asking: Has another such epidemic broken out?

Whatever the answer to this question, the Scriptures clearly indicate that the best defense against the activity of Satan and his hosts is sincere faith in Christ, of whom we read that, "having vanquished" the powers of evil at Calvary, "He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15). It is on the basis of Christ's finished work of redemption that St. Paul joins believers in...

"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" (Col. 1:12,13).

Not only is the true believer in Christ "delivered... from the power of darkness," but upon believing he becomes "the temple of the Holy Spirit," a living shrine where Christ is worshipped. Thus St. Paul says again: "What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" (I Cor. 6:19). How then could the Christian's body also be the dwelling place of an evil spirit?

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May 24, 2012

TWO THINGS WE KNOW
by Cornelius R. Stam

In Romans 8 St. Paul points to two great truths which every true believer knows. The first (Verses 22,23) he knows by experience; the second (Verse 28 ) he knows by faith.

Rom. 8:22,23: "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

The words "until now," in this passage, are significant, for our Lord came to earth healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, making the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to leap for joy. But He was rejected by sinful men and nailed to a cross.

After His resurrection and ascension His persecutors were given another chance, however, as Peter called upon them to repent so that "the times of refreshing" might still "come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19,20). But again the King and His blessed kingdom were rejected so that, in the words of Paul, the whole creation continues to groan and travail in pain "together until now."

But in this passage the Apostle points out that even God's children are not exempt from this suffering, for the most sincere believer, the most consecrated saint, must still partake of the sufferings and sorrows of the world while he waits for "the redemption of our body," when "we shall all be changed" (I Cor. 15:51).

But while every believer knows about suffering and sorrow by experience, there is something else he knows by faith. Verse 28 speaks of this:

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

The true Christian is not a mere optimist; he is a believer in God's Word, and God has much to say about how He is working all out for the good of His own. We have room here to quote but two passages:

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

Rom. 8:18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

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May 25, 2012

A FAITHFUL SAYING
by Cornelius R. Stam

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (I Tim. 1:15).

Of all Paul's "faithful sayings," this is perhaps the most wonderful, and the one through which most people have found the joy of sins forgiven.

The subject is that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Why else would Christ have had to leave His glory in heaven if it were not, as the Bible says, to come to earth in human form to represent us in the payment for sin? And, thank God, He paid the full price for the sins of all men, for it was not a mere man who died on Calvary's cross. So complete was His payment that Paul could exclaim: "He came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." Paul, himself, though once Christ's chief enemy on earth, had now been saved by Him and, had come to know the joy of sins forgiven.

The great tragedy is that so many people do not feel their condition to be hopeless apart from Christ. They have not yet seen how far they come short of the glory and holiness of God. They know they are sinners, but they do not yet feel that their condition is so hopeless that they need a Sav- ior. Thus they keep trying, trying, trying -- and failing, failing, failing!

How much wiser we are to confess our sins before God -- to take the place of sinners, so that He can save us. This is the first step to heaven. When we have done this we are in a position to accept God's offer of full pardon and justification through Christ, who died to pay the penalty for our sins.

Since none are perfect and all have sinned, "this is," indeed, "a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Why not believe God's Word, accept Christ as your Savior and be saved today?

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May 26, 2012

PEACE WITH GOD
by Cornelius R. Stam

When our Lord was born at Bethlehem, the angels proclaimed:

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14).

Today we see anything but peace on earth, for He, "the Prince of Peace," has been rejected, and this world will never know peace until He is in control. This is why the Father said to the Son: "Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool" (Matt. 22:41-45). It is possible, however, for each individual to enjoy peace with God and to know that all is well as far as his eternal destiny is concerned.

Job 22:21 rightly says: "Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace," and Psa. 25:12,13: "What man is he that feareth the Lord? ...His soul shall dwell at ease." Even when the multitudes were about to crucify Christ, He said to His own:

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).

Every one of Paul's epistles opens with an important official declaration which God sent him to proclaim to all men: "Grace be to you and peace." And he explains how we may have this peace.

By nature all of us have sinned against God, but in Paul's epistles we are told that "He [Christ] is our peace" (Eph. 2:14), "having made peace through the blood of His cross" (Col. 1:20). In other words, we have sinned against God but Christ died for our sins so that we might be reconciled. And those who trust Christ and His finished work at Calvary are thus reconciled.

Surely this great truth could not have been more plainly stated than it is in Rom. 4:25; 5:1:

"[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."

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May 27, 2012

BOLDNESS TODAY
by Cornelius R. Stam

Some may suppose that it would require little boldness today to proclaim grace in all its purity. Who is ever persecuted now, at least in free, enlightened lands, for preaching God's grace? Ah, but do not be deceived. Satan was no less active in his opposition to the truth when Constantine exalted the professing Church to prominence than when his predecessors persecuted the Church and sent its members to death by fire and sword. Indeed, the devil was doubtless more successful in Constantine's day than he had been when persecution raged.

Does any believer in the Word of God suppose that Satan has relented in his opposition to the truth today, just because men, at least in this land, are not burned at the stake or thrown to the lions? Do not be misled. Satan's enmity against God and against His Word continues undiminished. His hatred of "the gospel of the grace of God," is as bitter, and his opposition to it as determined as it ever was. But well does he know that the constant discouragements connected with being in the minority often succeed in silencing those who would stand against physical persecution.

Today Satan uses the new evangelicalism with its highly-organized, highly-financed campaigns -- and its woeful lack of doctrinal and dispensational teaching of the Word -- to neutralize the saints. Multitudes are attracted to these neo-evangelical extravaganzas, at which the participants are for the most part performers, and those who stand for the truth often feel very small as compared to the vast unthinking majority. But let us never forget that God uses "things that are not" to accomplish His work (See I Cor. 1: 26-29).

Let us, who know and love the truth, then, determine by God's grace that nothing shall make us unfaithful to our glorious commission; that, whatever the cost, we shall faithfully and boldly proclaim to others the unadulterated gospel of the grace of God, "the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery."

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May 28, 2012

JUSTIFIED FREELY
by Cornelius R. Stam

"Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 3:24).

It is wonderful to know that we sinners are not justified by praying, or paying, or saying, or sighing, or crying, or doing anything. We are justified freely, by the grace of God. But this passage from Romans will mean more to us when we learn how the word rendered "freely" here is translated elsewhere in the Bible. The same expression is found in John 15:25, where our Lord, quoting from the Psalms, said: "They hated me without a cause."

Why did men hate Him? He went about doing nothing but good: healing the sick, giving the blind their sight, causing the lame to leap for joy, preaching good news to the poor and deliverance to those who were bound. There was no good reason for crying, "Away with Him!" and "Crucify Him!" They hated Him "without a cause."

But in the same way we might ask: "Why should He die for sinners? Why should He pay for their sins? He had done nothing wrong." Ah, it was in love that He deliberately gave Himself into the hands of sinful men, that He, the sinless One, might pay for their sins. He did not die His own death, for death is "the wages of sin." He died our death, paying for our sins. So, as men hated Him "without a cause" (except their own sinful condition), so Christ has "Justified" believers "without a cause" (except His own divine love).

And so it is that we can now proclaim the glorious news that God has sent us to tell all mankind, that His righteousness is conferred "upon all those who believe," and that believers are "justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

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May 29, 2012

THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST
by Cornelius R. Stam

"...the righteousness of God... by [the] faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe" (Rom. 3:22).

Note, the Apostle Paul here does not refer to faith in Christ, but the faith of Christ. Nor does he refer to what Christ believed, but rather to His worthiness to be believed, His fidelity, His trustworthiness.

We must not forget that faith is a reciprocal matter; it is two-sided. One side is objective; it believes in another. The other is subjective; it is a trustworthy character. One refers to what a person does; the other to what he is. If I have faith in you, you should keep faith with me; you should be trustworthy.

Seven times in St. Paul's epistles he refers to "the faith of Christ" and each time his purpose is to emphasize our Lord's worthiness of our complete confidence. That he does not refer to our faith in Christ is evident on the surface in each case. In the passage above he declares that the righteousness of God, which is "by the faith of Christ," is conferred "upon all them that believe" (Here's your faith in Him).

Similarly, in Gal. 3:22 he states that "the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to "them that believe." Here again, we believe because He is worthy of our confidence.

Again in Phil. 3:9, the Apostle expresses his desire for a righteousness not of his own, "but that which is through the faith of Christ" -- and then adds: "the righteousness which is of God by faith." Here's man's faith again! He has faith in Christ because Christ is completely faithful, completely worthy to be believed in. He paid the full penalty for our sins and is now in heaven dispensing the merits of Calvary -- riches of grace, mercy and forgiveness.

But remember, "the faith of Christ" always precedes our faith in Christ. What good would it do us to believe in Him for salvation if He were not wholly to be relied upon for this? But He can be trusted "to save... to the uttermost [all] who come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25). This is why Paul could say to the terrified jailor at Philippi:

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

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May 30, 2012

"NOT ASHAMED"
by Cornelius R. Stam

The Apostle Paul uses three wonderful phrases in Romans One: "I am debtor" (Ver.14), "I am ready" (Ver.15), and "I am not ashamed" (Ver.16).

As God's appointed Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul declared: "I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise".

The gospel now was no longer to be confined to Israel, but was to go to all nations, and Paul felt himself a debtor to proclaim it, first because God had appointed him to do so, and second, because he held in his hands that which would save the lost. He was morally obligated -- and so are Christians today.

Notice: the Apostle did not say, "I am debtor, but" and then begin to give a thousand excuses, as so many Christians do. He said: "I am debtor...SO..." and his fidelity to his call is seen as he adds: "So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel" (Rom. 1:15).

Oh, that the millions of Christians today would join Paul and say: "I AM READY to preach the gospel with all that is in me".

But in Verse 16, the Apostle explains why he was ready to put his all into proclaiming the gospel to the Gentiles:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; unto the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile or Nations]" (Rom. 1:16).

Many thousands of Jews had already come to trust Christ as Saviour, but the good news of Christ's finished work of redemption was -- and is -- "the power of God unto salvation to EVERY ONE that believeth".

Surely there is no other way. None of the pagan religions can give the assurance of salvation. They all represent efforts to find or earn salvation. Only the gospel, the good news of our Lord's payment for sin can give us the knowledge, the assurance and the joy of salvation from sin.

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May 31, 2012

THE LAW AND THE WRATH OF GOD
by Cornelius R. Stam

Romans 4:15 clearly states that "the law worketh wrath," but so many people, it seems, do not wish to see this. Even some clergymen tell us that God gave the Law to help us to be good, when God Himself says the very opposite; that it was given to show us that we are bad and need a Savior.

"The law worketh wrath." Every criminal knows this and every sinner should know it, for the Bible has much to say on the subject. Rom. 3:19,20 declares that the Law was given "that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may be brought in guilty before God," and this passage goes on to say:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

II Cor. 3:7,9 calls the Law "the ministration of condemnation" and "the ministration of death." Gal. 3:10 says that those who are "of the works of the law," i.e., who seek to make themselves acceptable to God by keeping the Law, "are under a curse," because the Law can only condemn them.

Those who approach God, expecting eternal life in return for "good works" are offering Him their terms -- which He will never accept. God will not sell justification to those already under condemnation for sin. But He does offer sinners complete justification by grace because:

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written; cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree"
(Gal. 3:13).

Thank God, those who trust in Christ, "having redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7), "being justified, freely by His [God's] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

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June 1, 2012

FIRST COMMUNION
by Cornelius R. Stam

For some years a little girl passed our window at Berean Bible Society each day on her way to and from school. Every time she passed she would smile, wave and throw a kiss.

Occasionally she would come in to tell me something special, and I was always impressed by her natural refinement. One would not have wished to meet a sweeter child.

One day she came in to show me a picture of herself, all dressed up for her "first communion!" "How pretty!", I exclaimed. "But do you know what happened at the very first communion supper?" "Yes," she said, "they killed Him." "That's right," I agreed, "but there's much more than that."

She had given me a wonderful opportunity to breathe into her little ears, what St. Paul calls "the preaching of the cross", "the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth".

If only we could persuade all of our readers of "the truth of the gospel", (I Cor. 15:3), and that "by Him all who believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses" (Acts 13:39). This is why St. Paul could tell the trembling Philippian jailor: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

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June 2, 2012

BIRTH, DEATH AND REBIRTH
by Cornelius R. Stam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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June 3, 2012

GOD CENTRAL
by Cornelius R. Stam

Paul's Epistle to the Romans is the foundation book of Christian theology. It brings us face to face with facts we ought to know and must know to be saved.

In the 16th and 17th verses of the first chapter the Apostle declares that he is proud of the gospel because therein the "righteousness," or rightness, of God is revealed. God had to deal righteously with sin before He could offer salvation to sinners. Sin is not merely an affliction; it is moral wrong and kindles the wrath of a just and holy God. The wrath of God is too little discussed by modern evangelists and preachers. They like to talk about the love and mercy of God, as though He were a Grand Old Man with a tolerant attitude toward sin. But such never fully appreciate His love and mercy because they do not understand His infinite wrath against sin.

Much evangelism today has become sort of a "try God" gimmick. The pleasures of the world don't satisfy? Try God. You can't shake off some terrible bondage? Try God. When all else fails try God! But this humanistic approach is foreign to Scripture. God, His holiness, His wrath against sin and His love in providing salvation -- these are central in Scripture rather than man, his condition and his needs. We are not to look upon God as our servant, who will help us in time of need, but as the Holy One whose justice we have offended, but who in infinite grace, paid for our sins Himself so that we might be redeemed. This is why the Epistle to the Romans begins its mighty argument with almost three chapters on the subject of sin. Then follows the good news of God's grace in settling the sin question so that we might be "justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

And thus the same inspired writer declares in Eph. 2:2-4 that we were "the children of disobedience," and therefore "the children of wrath," but then goes on to show how "God, who is rich in mercy" and "great" in "love," saves believers by grace, giving them eternal life in Christ, who died for our sins.

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June 4, 2012

NOW IS THE TIME
by Cornelius R. Stam

Today we think of St. Paul's words to the Corinthians in II Cor. 6:1,2:

"We then as workers together with [God], 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."

This passage reminds us that it is not enough that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" collectively. We, each one individually, must do something about appropriating this salvation for ourselves.

After the classic passage in II Cor. 5:14-21 where the Apostle tells how Christ "died for all," and how God deals with all men in grace since "He hath made Him to be sin for us" so that "we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" -- after this great unfolding of what God, through Christ, has done for us, he urges individual acceptance of this great truth.

As "workers together with God," the Apostle and his associates begged men not to "receive... the grace of God in vain," but to trust Christ, each one as His own personal Savior, to apply His redemptive work to themselves.

And even at that early date in the history of the Church, the Apostle gave men to understand that there was no time to lose; the day of grace was not to last forever, but was to give place to the day of judgment and wrath.

If this was so then, how much more is it so now! God has been very longsuffering with the world. He has continued to deal with mankind in grace for nearly two thousand years but according to both Old Testament prophecy and Paul's "mystery" He will judge this world for its rejection of Christ.

When will this happen? No one knows. It is the very essence of grace that no one knows when the dispensation of grace will end. It is grace, pure grace, on God's part that causes Him to linger day after day in mercy toward a world that rejects Him.

Thus God's messengers cannot offer even one more day of grace. We must say as St. Paul did: "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." "Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3). "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

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June 5, 2012

SLAVERY AND LIBERTY
by Cornelius R. Stam

We thank God for Abraham Lincoln and for his part in emancipating the slaves in the United Sates. Yet, in a deeper sense, there is a slavery from which we all need to be emancipated.

The children of Adam are slaves by birth. Partaking of his fallen nature they find it an uphill fight to do right and easy to do wrong. No mother has ever had to teach her child to tell lies, or to steal or to disobey. Every child does these things naturally. All, by nature, are slaves to sin.

Some, on the other hand, have sought to make themselves slaves to the Ten Commandments in order to overcome their natural tendencies toward evil, but this does not produce the desired results. God did not give the Law to help us to be good, but to show us that we are bad and need a Savior. In Rom. 3:19 He says that He gave the Law "that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become [be exposed as] guilty before God" and in Verse 20 He says that "by the law is the knowledge of sin."

Only believers in the finished work of Christ are liberated from sin and its results. This does not mean that it is not possible for them to sin, but that it is now possible for them not to sin -- to have victory in any given case. "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14).

In grace Christ died to pay for our sins and in response to that grace believers seek to live for Him, just out of sheer love and gratitude for what He has done for them. This is the secret of victorious living, and God would have us keep it that way. Gal. 5:1 says:

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

Yet, he also cautions believers, who enjoy this wonderful liberty:

"Take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak" (I Cor. 8:9).

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another" (Gal. 5:13).

"Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth" (Rom. 14:22).

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June 6, 2012

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 knowl- edge 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).