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The Counsel Of Kindness
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


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

While probably everyone has an idea of what it means to be kind, the precise definition of kindness might surprise you! Let’s begin by seeing how the Bible defines this word, as we compare Scripture with Scripture:

In II Chronicles 10, Rehoboam had just inherited the throne of Israel upon the death of his father Solomon (9:29-31). When the people asked if he would ease the financial burden that his father had placed upon them (10:1-5), Rehoboam “took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon” (v. 6). These elders wisely replied,

    “If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever” (v. 7).

However, the parallel passage in I Kings 12 records their words differently:

    “If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever” (v. 7).

Far from a discrepancy, this variation in what these men were heard to say that day is God’s way of defining kindness. To be kind to a man means to be a servant to him. This agrees with Webster’s definition of the word “kind”: “Disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants…,” etc.

How important is kindness? When Rehoboam “forsook the counsel of the old men” (I Kings 12:8.), and determined to be more unkind than his father ever dreamed of being (vv. 14,15), “Israel rebelled against the house of David” (v. 19). This was the beginning of the great division in the twelve tribes of Israel, as Jeroboam led ten of the tribes in revolt away from the house of David, driving a wedge between the ten tribes of Israel and the two tribes of Judah (I Kings 12:20-33). In other words, millions of people were divided for a thousand years—all for the lack of a little kindness!

In closing, while your lack of kindness is not likely to have that kind of monumental effect in the world, it will affect someone. Why not rather decide right now to be Pauline in practice as well as in doctrine, and “be ye kind one to another!”

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Cursed Is Every One!
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


The Law curses “every one that continueth not in all things… of the law” (Gal. 3:10). The words “continueth” and “all” here tell us the Law demands 100% faithfulness 100% of the time! Though this may sound unreasonable, how many of our married readers are satisfied with 99% faithfulness from your spouse? Even if you could go 70 years without sinning, then sin, the Law would curse you. This too might sound unreasonable, but if you go 70 years without killing anyone, then snap, the law won’t let you slide just because you’ve never done it before, and neither will God!

“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident” (Gal. 3:11). The Greek word for “evident” here is translated “certain” when Paul says, “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out” (I Tim. 6:7). You’ll never see a U-Haul trailer behind a hearse! And it is just as evident that no one can be justified by the Law. You might look good in your neighbor’s sight, but we’re talking about “the sight of God” (Gal. 3:11). Even Abraham looked good to his neighbors, but he couldn’t boast before God (Rom. 4:2), for God knew he lied about his wife.

No, “The just shall live by faith” (Gal. 3:11), that is, the way you get to be just is by faith. “And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them” (Gal. 3:12), i.e., live eternally (Lev. 18:5 cf. Luke 10:25-28.). God is fair. If you could obey Him perfectly, He would give you eternal life. It is not technically correct to say the only way to heaven is by faith. But while there are two ways to get to the moon, by rocket and by jumping, one of these two ways is impossible! Just so, there are two ways to get to heaven, by faith and by the works of the Law (Rom. 2:6-10), but the latter is just as impossible! (Gal. 2:16).

Thankfully, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). “That the blessing of Abraham [salvation] might come on the Gentiles through….” Through what? Through Israel? Through circumcision, or the Law? This was true for Gentiles in the Old Testament. But today the blessing of Abraham comes on us “through Jesus Christ.” Why not “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Notice it doesn’t say “believe and be good.” It just says believe and be saved! “Christ died for our sins…and…rose again” (I Cor. 15:3,4). Don’t try to add any good works to Christ’s work, for salvation is “to him that worketh not, but believeth!” (Rom. 4:5).

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The Teaching Of Self-esteem
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince [refute] the gainsayers.” — Titus 1:9

Satan never rests in his insatiable desire to corrupt the Word of God. A case in point is the present-day teaching of self-love, self-esteem and self-worth. The influence of this unsound doctrine has nearly permeated every strata of Christendom, including the Grace Movement. Like the beat of a drum, this theme is heard almost constantly from the pulpits of America and frequently appears on the pages of Christian literature. Beware when you hear or read: “It is important to feel good about yourself,” “Learn to love yourself,” “Probe your innermost self to understand why you think and feel as you do,” “God sent His son to die for you because you are of great value.”

On the surface these phrases may seem commendable, but in reality they are diametrically opposed to the Scriptures. The above has been weighed in the balance and found to be wanting. For example: “The heart [innermost self]is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9). Paul concurred when he said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh, [old nature or self]) dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18.).

The old man (self) is at enmity against God. He hates God and the things of God and left to himself he will not seek God. The Scriptures, from beginning to end, speak with a unified voice that the old nature is rotten to the core (See Rom. 3:9-18.).

Consequently, our old man (self) has been crucified with Christ. Paul made reference to this when he wrote to the Galatians, “I am crucified with Christ [i.e. his old man]: nevertheless I live [Paul's new nature]; yet NOT I [self], but Christ liveth in me.” We are to put off the old nature and put on the new, which is created in holiness and righteousness (Eph. 4:22-24). It is futile to improve one’s self- image, especially since God abhors any attempt to do so. Rather, we are to conform ourselves to the image of His dear Son. Thus, those of the household of faith are to live accordingly:

    “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let us esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:3-5).

Self takes great pleasure in acclaim, indulgence, approval and praise. It glories in all these things. But are we not robbing God when self is esteemed more highly than His glory?

    “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, AND YE ARE NOT YOUR OWN? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor. 6:19,20).

Shall we permit the “love of one’s self” doctrine to overshadow the love of God in Christ Jesus? God forbid! May God help us to stand against this insidious teaching that essentially robs God of the glory that is rightfully due Him.

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Good Friday
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


There has been much debate among theologians as to whether the Lord Jesus Christ was actually crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Traditionally, of course, it is supposed to have taken place on Friday, but this writer has never been able to get very excited about such details. What matters is that Christ, the Creator, God in flesh, died in shame and disgrace and agony for sins He had never committed — for your sins and mine.

But have you ever considered that this in itself is not necessarily good news? Many an innocent person has died in the place of some guilty criminal who has gone free through some miscarriage of justice. We didn’t see anything good about this. When St. Peter addressed his kinsmen he blamed them for the crucifixion of Christ, saying: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you… as ye yourselves also know… ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:22, 23), and later he faced the Supreme Court of his nation and charged them with His death (Acts 4:5-11).

What then, was “good” about the death of Christ? Well, we come to this when we reach the Epistles of Paul in our Bibles. There the chief of sinners, saved by grace (I Tim. 1:15), exclaims: “He gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). He says: “God hath made Him to be sin for us… that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21). He does not blame us for Christ’s death — though our sins helped to nail Him to that cross — but proclaims the glad news that, “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). And why did He do this for us? “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”(Eph. 2:7).

So, for us who have trusted Christ as our Savior, the death of Christ at Calvary is indeed good news. We rejoice in it, sing about it, preach about it and all it has accomplished for a lost humanity. Little wonder Paul declared:

“God forbid that I should boast,” except in one thing: “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14).

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Does Misery Love Company?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


We have all heard the statement: “Misery loves company.” It is true that when one is sick or in trouble he does not feel quite so sorry for himself when he realizes that others are as unfortunate, and perhaps more so, than he.

However, some have used this phrase: “Misery loves company,” in speaking lightly of hell. Perhaps you have heard someone say: “Well, if I go to hell, at least I’ll have lots of company.” This is true, but the company the lost will have when cast out of God’s presence will hardly afford them comfort.

The Bible story of the rich man and Lazarus brings this fact out with great force. The rich man, you will remember, “fared sumptuously every day,” while Lazarus “was laid at his gate, full of sores, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.”

In the process of time both died, and the rich man, having felt no need of salvation, suddenly was made to experience God’s wrath upon sin, for the sacred record says: “In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments” (Luke 16:23). From his place of torment the rich man saw Lazarus with Abraham “afar off,” but this surely afforded little comfort, while we do read that “Lazarus was comforted.” The rich man, then, still with haughty superiority, asked Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his five brothers, “lest they come into this place of torment.” He did not wish his brothers to join him in hell. “Misery” among those cast out of God’s presence, then, does not “love company.”

The story is brought to a close as Abraham refuses the rich man’s request, explaining that if his brothers would not hear the Word of God “neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

The way to avoid the lot of the rich man, then, is to believe the Word of God, particularly that part of the Word which tells how Christ died for our sins that we might be justified by grace through faith. Don’t be deceived by the old adage: “Misery loves company.” Receive Christ as your Savior today.

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

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Grace, And How This Affects Us
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Ask the average believer what the Bible word “grace” means, and he will doubtless reply, “unmerited favor”.

Actually, however, grace is much more than this.

Subjectively, it is that loving attitude, or disposition, on God’s part, from which all His kindness toward us flows.

Objectively, it is all the kindness that flows from His love toward us.

Thus we read in Ephesians 2:2-6 that we were “the children of disobedience” and therefore “by nature the children of wrath, even as others”.

    “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

Note: This passage begins with those who were “children of disobedience” and “children of wrath” and, saving them “by grace,” gives them a position in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus!

God’s grace to us as sinners was great indeed, for:

    “In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS [God's] GRACE.”

But now, having given us a position in His beloved Son, God’s grace goes out to us in still greater measure.

Ephesians 1:6 declares that God has “made us accepted [Lit., ‘engraced us'] in the Beloved”.

Beholding us in Christ, God loves us and delights in us more than any father ever delighted in his son, or any grandfather in that precious grandchild.

Thus, while in Ephesians 1:7 we read that we have “redemption… the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”, in Ephesians 2:7 we see these riches of grace increased to us “exceedingly”, now that we occupy a position “in the Beloved”:

    “That in the ages to come He might show THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE…”

How?

    “…in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”!

What a prospect! Through the ages of eternity God will lavish His loving kindness upon us to demonstrate to all the universe “the exceeding riches of His grace”!

    “What a prospect, child of glory,
    Doth the future hold in store!
    By the wildest flights of fancy
    Thou couldst never ask for more.

    Heir of God; joint heir forever
    With His own beloved Son
    God could not to you have promised
    More of bliss than He has done!”

    -Author Unknown

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Faith Versus Presumption
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The Word of God declares in Hebrews 11:6 that “without faith it is impossible to please Him”.

There is nothing that will haunt a man like the fear that God may be displeased with him, nor any joy comparable to the assurance that He is pleased. It is foolish, however, to suppose that we can please God with the things we think He desires. We must give Him what He says He desires. Thank God, it is not difficult to determine this, for He tells us again and again in His Word that it is faith He desires most of all. He wants us to trust Him, to take Him at His Word.

The Bible tells us at length how God loved us in spite of our sin and gave His blessed Son to die on Calvary’s tree to clear our title to heaven, but alas, instead of taking Him at His Word, thousands turn away from His gracious offer, “going about to establish their own righteousness” (Rom. 10:3).

They do “good works” and make great sacrifices, thinking that a God of love will surely accept their efforts and overlook their sins. But this is presumption, not faith. How can a just God overlook sin? We should thank Him that in His matchless love He himself paid for our sins so that we might be free, and that salvation is “the gift of God”, obtained by faith alone.

Cain presumed that God would accept his attractive sacrifice instead of the prescribed one, but God refused both him and his offering. Pharaoh presumed that he could take his armies through the Red Sea as Moses had done, but he perished in the sea for presuming on God. Naaman, the leper, refused God’s way of cleansing, saying, “I thought…”, but the great general remained a leper until he took God at His Word. Will you take God at His Word and trust Christ as your Saviour?

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The Bible And The American Home
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


More than nineteen hundred years ago St. Paul wrote to a young man named Timothy: “From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 3:15).

Timothy was a fortunate young man. His father was not a believer, but his godly mother made up for the lack, and her mother helped as, day after day, from his earliest childhood, they taught him the Word of God. As a result he came to know Christ as his Savior at an early age, and later became Paul’s faithful co-worker and closest associate in making known the wonderful “gospel of the grace of God.” In his very last letter the Apostle recalls Timothy’s “unfeigned faith… which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice” (II Tim. 1:5).

If only we had more such grandmothers today, and mothers, with husbands to help them! If only our American children were not set adrift on a tossing sea of human speculation, but were taught the eternal truths of that Old Book, the Bible!

Certainly the rebellion of so much of our American youth against law, authority and morality is directly related to the disappearance of the Bible from American life. It is not those young people who have been brought up in Bible- reading homes and in Church and Sunday School, who are making us ashamed today; it is those, from backgrounds both rich and poor, who have been brought up without Bible teaching.

We all need to “know the holy Scriptures,” not only because they teach reverence for God and build moral character, but most of all because they “are able to make [us] wise unto salvation through faith… in Christ Jesus.” The theme of the Bible, Old Testament as well as New, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the riches of whose saving grace are unfolded to us in the Epistles of Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace.

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Wisdom Or Folly?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


That moon shot, some weeks ago, was really something! We hit the moon, right on target, took 4,319 pictures on the way, as close as 1,000 feet, and all in extraordinary detail, so that we now have pictures of the moon 1,000 times sharper than any previously taken.

How proud many of us feel now! How wise and great we Americans are! Yet, now that our achievement is a few weeks old, let’s look at it again in the light of the whole picture of American life.

Let’s face it; America is perhaps the most violent of “civilized” nations — and we can’t seem to curb the rapid growth in crime.

Our women dare not walk the streets of many of our larger cities at night — and none of us dare walk through some localities. From shoplifting to armed robbery, from intoxication to dope addiction, from assault to murder, crime in America has risen to an all-time high — and is rising faster all the time.

What good will it do us to achieve landings on the crust of the moon in, say six or eight years, if in the meantime we dissipate our moral strength in dishonesty, immorality, vice and crime? It is in this very connection that St. Paul wrote by inspiration of God:

    “For the preaching of the cross is to those who perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent”(I Cor. 1:18,19).

The world, with all its wisdom cannot save itself. It is only Christ’s death on the cross that can save, for there our sins were paid for, that we might be “justified freely by [God's] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

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Why the Hush?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “And unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

    “And He straitly charged them that they should not make Him known” (Mark 3:11,12).

Have you ever wondered why the Lord did not want these “unclean spirits” to make Him known?  We believe it was because He didn’t want the likes of them telling others about Him.  That is, He knew that the testimony of such sinful, unclean creatures would hurt Him, not help Him.  He already had enough people thinking He was “in cahoots” with devils (Matt. 12:22-24).  If people heard devils testify of Him, well, that wasn’t exactly the kind of testimony He needed!

We often wonder if the Lord feels the same way today when instead of unclean spirits, unclean believers testify to others about Him.  We’re not suggesting that only saints who get straight “A”s in conduct should be allowed to witness, for none of us is perfect.  Nor are we saying that God can’t use the testimony of sinful men, for if He can use Balaam’s donkey to speak His words, He can certainly use carnal believers.  But we can’t help but think that if God “had His druthers,” He’d much rather use a saint who has purged himself of uncleanness and is “meet for the Master’s use” (II Tim. 2:21).

We believe the same principle applies when it comes to pointing people to Paul as our apostle.  In Acts 16:16, “a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination” followed Paul, saying:

    “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

    “And this did she many days.  But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” (v. 17,18.).

What the devil was saying was true, of course, but that didn’t stop Paul from hushing the testimony being offered by such a questionable source.  And so when we as grace believers try to convince our brethren that Paul alone is the servant of God that shows unto us the way of salvation in this dispensation, our testimony will be received much more readily if our lives “adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (Titus 2:10).  Anything less would cause Paul, if he were here to see it, to be as grieved with us as he was with the damsel possessed with the spirit of divination.

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A Free Gift For You
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


It seems that everything is going up in cost these days. Nothing comes down; everything goes up — up — up. Wages too are going up, but not as fast as the cost of living, for our dollars are decreasing in value all the time. This is why former President Eisenhower suggested we begin calling them dollarettes!

We should thank God, though, that there is one thing that has never gone up in price — the salvation of precious souls. No price was ever put on this and none ever will be, for several good reasons:

    Because God is not impoverished; He does not need our money.
    Because if salvation could be bought, the rich would have an advantage over the poor.
    Salvation was fully paid for by God the Son on Calvary’s cross, and to charge one penny for it now would be to cast reflections on His finished work.

Even in Old Testament times God made it clear that sacrifices and good works could not buy His favor. In Isa. 55:1-3, the prophet cried:

    “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

    “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

    “Incline your ear, and come unto Me: Hear, and your soul shall live…”

Centuries later, after “the gospel of the grace of God” had been committed to Paul, he offered even better things to those who were willing to accept them. He declared that believers in Christ are…

    “Justified freely by [God's] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

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

    “In whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

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The Pauline Authority Of The Local Church
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19).

By the time the Lord spoke these words to Peter, He knew from the reaction of the religious leaders in Israel that they were not going to accept Him as their Messiah, but were rather going to kill Him. Hence we see Him here preparing for His death by giving Peter the power and authority to act in an official capacity in His absence. This power was then expanded to include a quorum of two of the twelve apostles (Matt. 18:18,19). We see the apostles exercising this authority in the early chapters of the Book of Acts.

However, the authority the Lord gave the twelve apostles had to do with authority in the “kingdom” church (Matt. 16:19), and we know that God interrupted the kingdom program after the stoning of Stephen. The Apostle Paul was then given the “authority” to act in an official capacity in the Lord’s absence during the dispensation of grace (II Cor. 10:8.). This authority was then passed on through Paul’s epistles to the local church. Note Paul’s words in I Corinthians 5:

    “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present…”

    “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 5:3,4).

Here the Corinthians are assured that when they broke fellowship with the man living in open and unabashed sin (v. 1,2,13), they would be doing so in the “spirit” of the Apostle Paul. That is, they could be sure that the decision of their local church would carry with it his apostolic authority and “the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We see this principle again in II Corinthians 2:10:

    “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also; for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ.”

Here we find Paul claiming to be acting “in the person of Christ,” i.e., with His power and authority. And we also see him telling the Corinthians that when they acted, they acted in his authority, and in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

All of this is especially significant when we remember that Paul says these words to the Corinthians, the most carnal church to whom he wrote. Thus we know that the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ today resides in the humblest local church that recognizes the authority of the Apostle Paul in the present dispensation.

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The Gift Of Righteousness
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, refers to those who receive “the abundance of grace” and “the gift of righteousness” (Rom. 5:17) which God in love bestows upon all who trust in His Son for salvation.

The Bible declares that no man can ever stand uncondemned in the sight of God, the Judge of all, unless he receives righteousness as the gift of God’s grace.

Quoting from the Psalms, the Apostle says in Romans 3:10; “It is written, there is none righteous, no, not one“. This is why Paul pitied those who continued to go about “to establish their own righteousness” (Rom. 10:3). He knew that their struggle was utterly futile, that they needed to be saved (See Verse One).

Let us thank God that the Lord Jesus Christ took the condemnation and judgment of our sins upon Himself at Calvary so that His righteousness might be imputed to us by grace through faith. Regarding Abraham’s justification before God, the Apostle says: “What saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3).

Abraham’s justification, of course, was based on the fact that Christ was to die for sin, but Christ’s death is now past; it is an historical fact. Thus righteousness is now proclaimed through Christ and offered to all as a gift. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8.). “God hath made Him to be sin for us…that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21).

But we must receive this righteousness as a gift, for “to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5).

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Godliness In An Ungodly Day
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


It is an interesting fact that the words “godly” and “godliness” are not found in Paul’s writings until we come to the Pastoral Epistles, the very epistles that have so much to say about evil days and evil surroundings.

In the epistles to Timothy we read about the “perilous times” with which this present dispensation of grace will be brought to a close, while in the letter to Titus we read of “unruly and vain talkers and deceivers,” of “liars… evil beasts… lazy gluttons,” whom Satan would use to neutralize the work and witness of God’s servants.

To Timothy and Titus, these young men of God, the Apostle had much to say about godliness, and we must not forget that Paul’s words to them are also God’s Word to us, believers in Christ, who indeed appear to be living in the closing days of the dispensation of grace, surrounded by a steadily-rising tide of evil and an ever-growing number of wicked, godless men.

We do not mean to imply that the Apostle does not deal with the various phases of the Christian life in his other epistles, but rather that here in the Pastoral Epistles he wages a sort of campaign for individual godly living in the midst of increasing apostasy and godlessness.

May God help us, in our character and conduct, to exhibit “the power of godliness,” the spiritual power that comes from putting Christ first in all things.

[nChrist]

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Evolution And Sin
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Rom. 8:22).

Modern evolution, of course, denies the Bible account of the fall and has much to say about “the ascent of man,” but evolution fails to account for, indeed, assiduously evades, that which lies at the very root of all man’s troubles: sin. It fails to explain adequately why man finds himself weak, poor, miserable, distressed, corrupt, perishing, and it fails to explain why he is so utterly helpless to lift himself from this state. It fails to explain his inherent sense of blameworthiness; indeed insists he has no cause for a “guilt complex.”

Every man feels within himself a disorder, a positive dislocation of things, which science — and certainly the theory of evolution — is unable to explain. Only the Bible account of the fall explains it and shows how all man’s trouble and distress arise from his own nature, which is fallen and corrupt.

    “…BY ONE MAN SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD, AND DEATH BY SIN; AND SO DEATH PASSED UPON ALL MEN, FOR THAT ALL HAVE SINNED” (Rom. 5:12).

It is most important for the unsaved to learn this lesson; to learn that it is not merely our sins, but our sin that makes us unfit for the presence of God; not merely our deeds but our nature; not merely what we have done, but what we would do because we are essentially sinful as the children of Adam.

How profoundly grateful we should be, then, that God loves us despite our sins and our sinful natures, and that… “…God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8.).

    “In whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).