Two Minutes With The Bible

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Be Ye Reconciled
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Reconciliation postulates alienation. Only enemies can be reconciled. Thus God’s message of reconciliation takes us back to Adam, the father of the human race, who first rebelled against God, and explains why God must deal with us all on the same level, as sinners who need salvation.

In Romans 5:12, we read: “…By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”.

Thank God, though, the message of reconciliation is not concerned exclusively with the “one man” by whom sin entered into the world. Indeed, it is chiefly concerned with the “one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5).

    “Therefore as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men unto condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift [of salvation] came upon all men to justification of life.

    “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Rom. 5:18,19).

It is by this other “one Man” and His death on Calvary, then, that sinners may be reconciled to a holy God. In Colossians 1:21,22, Paul, the Apostle of reconciliation, writes to believers:

    “And you, that were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled,

    “In the body of His flesh, through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight.”

Thus “when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10). And thus, too, the Apostle pleads: “We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, [Christ] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:20,21).

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Christ's Death For All
by Pastor 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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In His Service
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” — Romans 12:1,2

At all times we should stand ready to serve the Lord in whatever capacity He has called us. Time is precious! Isaac Watts once said: “Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away.” Unlike eternity, everything in this life has a beginning and an end, as Solomon reminds us:

    “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die” (Eccl. 3:1,2).

In the natural course of things, life and death are in God’s control. But what takes place between these two monumental events will have a bearing upon us throughout eternity. Life is the dash that appears between the dates on every tombstone. And that little dash speaks volumes. For some it marks a conversion to Christ and all the spiritual benefits that come with it. But for others it is a chronicle of rejection and rebellion against God, with no hope of reprieve. Which is true of you? If the latter, there’s still time to trust Christ and flee the wrath to come.

The question is, what will we do with the remaining time that’s left before our dash is etched in stone? Paul says, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13,14).

This passage has always amazed me. After 30 plus years of serving the Lord, Paul was still pressing toward the goal. He refused to allow the past to influence his life — whether it was past failures or accomplishments. God has done a wonderful work here at BBS through the years, but we must not dwell upon past accomplishments or failures.

Like Paul, we must press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God.

May it be our desire that we might “know Christ,” that is, more fully, and experience the power of His resurrection. There is still much to be done, but with your help, we can leave a legacy of grace that will be long remembered after we lie in the dust of the earth.

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Encouragement to A Weary Soldier
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


During his ministry at Corinth, the strain of battle began telling on the Apostle Paul. He found himself haunted by fear and depression. Later he wrote of it.

    “I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling” (I Cor. 2:3).

It must not be supposed that fearlessness was characteristic of a nature so sensitive as Paul’s. On the contrary, he was often afraid. His, by the grace of God, was rather the courage that went on braving dangers in spite of his fears.

After having left the synagogue at Corinth, the strain of meeting, week after week, right next door, with all the embarrassing situations inevitably involved, may well have caused some of his followers, and possible himself, to question the wisdom and propriety of the step he had taken, adding to his mental depression (though this step, moving into the home of Justus, next door, was most appropriate under the circumstances). But the Lord was to endorse the act again in an unmistakable way.

It would appear from several passages in the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians (especially II Thessalonians 3:1,2), that this letter was written while Paul was becoming apprehensive about the work at Corinth and that it was after this that the Lord appeared to him in a vision to encourage him.

Let the reader try to place himself in Paul’s position while reading Verses 9,10 of Acts 18 so as to appreciate its force more fully:

    “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, BE NOT AFRAID,–BUT SPEAK,–AND HOLD NOT THY PEACE:–FOR I AM WITH THEE,–AND NO MAN SHALL SET ON THEE TO HURT THEE;–FOR I HAVE MUCH PEOPLE IN THIS CITY.”

Ah, tomorrow he could begin the work anew, assured in advance of the outcome! Whether he “continued” in Corinth (Verse 11) a year and six months longer or all together is perhaps impossible to ascertain, but we know that his ministry there was exceedingly fruitful.

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Paul, The Pattern
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Many religious people take the Lord Jesus Christ as their pattern in life. They call Him “The Great Example”. When problems arise, they ask themselves: “What would Jesus do?” They seek salvation by “walking in His steps”.

While our Lord’s moral and spiritual virtues are indeed worthy of emulation, there were many details in His conduct which we should not imitate. For example, none of us would be in a position to pronounce upon the religious hypocrites of our day the bitter woes which our Lord pronounced upon the Pharisees of His day — simply because we all have so much of the Pharisee in us.

Certainly we cannot be saved by “following Christ,” or striving to live as He did. His perfect holiness would only emphasize our unrighteousness and condemn us. He came to save us, not by His life, but by His death. “CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS” (I Cor. 15:3), and sinners are “reconciled to God by the death of His Son” (Rom. 5:10).

But God has given us a pattern for salvation. It is none other than the Apostle Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace. Hear what he says by divine inspiration:

    “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).

Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, remember, had led his nation and the world in rebellion against God and His Christ. He was “exceedingly mad” against the disciples of Christ and “breathed threatening and slaughter” against them. Why then, did God save him? He goes on to tell us in the next verse:

    “Howbeit [but] for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting” (Ver. 16).

The moral: Take your stand with Paul. Admit you are a sinner and his Saviour will save you too.

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The Divine Mirror
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In the divine Mirror, the Bible, we may behold ourselves or we may behold Christ.

It is well to use it first to behold ourselves and see the ruin sin has brought. But let us not stop here. Let a man look into a mirror and find the sun in it and the glory will be reflected in his face. And so it is with the Word. When we see ourselves in it we must necessarily be disappointed, but when we look for Him in the Word and find Him there, His glory casts its reflection upon us!

What need have we then to hide our faces? If David could say, “They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed” (Psa. 34:5), how much more should this be said of us! We know, or should know, more of Him than those of David’s day, and those Scriptures specially addressed to us send us forth, not to proclaim God’s righteous demands, but to proclaim Christ, the righteous One, who met these demands at Calvary and offers justification and life to all.

And as, in our study of the Scriptures, we turn from the shame of man to the glory of Christ; as we behold Him and see all we have and are in Him, we become constantly more like Him, “changed into the same image from glory to glory” (II Cor. 3:18.).

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The Living God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (Psa. 42:2).

The recent “God is dead” theory had little true comfort or satisfaction for men in trouble or sorrow.

For years we supposed that the term “the living God,” in the above passage, had reference to God’s power to help, in contrast to the impotence of dead heathen idols. A careful examination of the context, however, leads us to believe that it has rather to do with His ability to respond. The gods of the heathen, by contrast, were like children’s dolls; they could not even change their countenance or respond in any way.

    “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.

    “They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not;

    “They have ears, but they hear not, neither is there any breath in their mouths” (Psa. 135:15-17).

But the true God is a living God. He does see, hear and respond. The Psalmist, in Psalm 42, compares himself to a stag, panting with thirst. It is sometimes supposed that the scene is one of a stag pursued in the chase, but the passage says nothing of this. Palestine is a dry land and entirely apart from being hunted down, a deer might well pant for streams of running water.

Be this as it may, the stag, in this passage, is not seeking for help; he is thirsting for refreshment, and so did the Psalmist long for the refreshment of fellowship with God, the living God.

How wonderful it is that we may know the living God through faith in Christ! This is why the Apostle Paul declares in Heb. 10:19:

    “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus… a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, His flesh. “

By His death at Calvary our Lord tore away the veil that kept us from entering into God’s presence, and now in response to our need He says:

    “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Yes, God is a living God!

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A Gift For You
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

In the light of the Pauline epistles these well-known words have become more appropriate than when our Lord first spoke them. Through Paul, Christ’s redemptive work at Calvary has been proclaimed and fully explained. In this light, then, we suggest that our readers take the time to really meditate on this passage about God’s greatest gift to man.

Think of the love that prompted it! “God so loved….” We were the “children of disobedience” and “by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:2,3). We deserved judgment, “but God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,” gave His best, His all, to save us (Eph. 2:4).

Think of its priceless value! “His only begotten Son — everlasting life.” Christ, the holy One, had to be given up to disgrace and death in order that our sins might be justly dealt with, and that we might become the rightful heirs of everlasting life (Rom. 3:25,26).

Think of your need of this gift! “…that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish….” How perilous not to accept “the gift of God, eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23)! What folly to spurn or ignore a gift we need so sorely!

Finally, think how gracious the offer! “…that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Whosoever believeth! Any sinner may have this gift by simply believing, accepting in simple faith what God says about Christ paying for our sins at Calvary. In fact, this is the only way we can become the recipients of this wonderful gift, for Rom. 4:5 declares:

    “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith [believing] is counted for righteousness.”

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Rest
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In Hebrews 1:3 we read how the Lord Jesus Christ, “when He had by Himself purged our sins, SAT DOWN on the right hand of the Majesty on High”. The tenth chapter of the same book tells us why He sat down:

    “Every priest standeth, daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Christ] after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, SAT DOWN on the right hand of God …FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HATH PERFECTED FOREVER THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFIED” (Heb. 10:11-14).

There were several articles of furniture in the Old Testament tabernacle, but no chair. The priest could not sit down, for the work of redemption was not yet finished. His daily sacrifices only emphasized the fact that “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Heb. 10:4).

“But this Man [Christ Jesus] sat down”, because by His death on Calvary — by that one offering — He paid for all our sins and “obtained eternal redemption for us”(Heb. 10:12; 9:12).

This is why Paul, by divine inspiration, now insists that salvation is “by grace”, that “it is the gift of God”, received “by faith” and “not of works, lest any man should boast”.

God has much for His people to do, but before we can do anything for Him we must learn to trust Him for our salvation, to rest in the finished work of Christ. God is satisfied with Christ’s payment for sin and together the Father and the Son are depicted as seated in heaven because the work is done. And now God would have us simply trust Him, entering into His rest:

    “There remaineth therefore a REST unto the people of God, FOR HE THAT HAS ENTERED INTO HIS [God’s] REST, HE ALSO HATH CEASED FROM HIS OWN WORKS, AS GOD DID FROM HIS” (Heb. 4:9,10).

    “Unto 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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Mind Your Magistrates
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates…” (Titus 3:1).

Who are these “principalities and powers” to whom we must be subject? Well, we know there are different kinds of principalities and powers, since in Ephesians 6:12 we are told to “wrestle” them, while here we are told to “be subject” to them! Ephesians, of course, speaks of the unseen demonic host, “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” who wrestle with us as we proclaim God’s Word. But Titus 3:1 speaks of the human rulers of this world, the “magistrates” in government to whom God says we must be subject (Rom. 13:1-7).

You wouldn’t think Christians would need to be told this, but once we learn we are already citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), it is easy to think that this somehow negates the responsibilities of our earthly citizenship. But remember, while there is “neither bond nor free” in Christ (Gal. 3:28.), Paul still tells servants to “be obedient unto their own masters” (Titus 2:9). While there is also “neither male nor female” in Christ (Gal. 3:28.), Paul still tells wives to “submit yourselves unto your own husbands” (Eph. 5:22). And while in Christ we are already citizens of heaven, we must still be subject to magistrates.

Solomon warned, “fear thou the Lord and the king; and meddle not with them that are given to change” (Prov. 24:21). This refers not to voting men out of office, but rather to getting involved in subversive anti-government activities. God has said that the meek in Israel will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5), and so He plans to fix all of earth’s governments for them prior to the establishment of His kingdom (Rev. 11:15). But this world is not our inheritance, we’re “just a-passing through” it, and so fixing her governments is not our fight.

An example from Israel’s past might serve to illustrate this. As Israel was passing through the wilderness on her way to the Promised Land, Edom refused to let her pass through their land (Num. 20:14-22). Why didn’t Israel fight, as they later fought those who resisted them in Canaan? Because God had instructed them to “meddle not with them,” since Edom was not their inheritance (Deut. 2:1-5)—they were just a-passin’ through! Just so, this world is not our inheritance, and so we should “meddle not with them that are given to change” its governments. We are called to “fight the good fight of faith” (I Tim. 6:12), and “no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (II Tim. 2:4).

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Retarded Growth
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


What joy and fellowship there is in gatherings where the newly-saved are present! In the spiritual realm, as well as in the physical, everyone loves a baby! But the joy that fills the hearts of loving parents is turned to bitter sorrow and disappointment if their babe fails to grow. The latter condition is as unspeakably sad and embarrassing as the former is joyous. Just so it is in the realm of the spirit. The “carnal” Christian has failed to grow. He continues in a state of protracted infancy. He must be kept exclusively on a milk diet because, though saved for years, he is still unable to “bear,” or digest, solid food, still “unskillful in the Word” and needing to be taught the elementary things.

Retarded spiritual growth is evidenced in many ways, all of which come under the heading of carnality or fleshliness. The Corinthians, so sternly rebuked for their carnality by the Apostle Paul, are said to have been careless about morals (I Cor. 5:1), puffed up (I Cor. 4:18; 5:2), inconsiderate of each other (I Cor. 6:1-7; 8:1,9,12), stingy (II Cor. 8:6-11; 11:7-9). While possessing the Spirit, they walked after the flesh.

One of the most marked indications of retarded spiritual growth is self-interest and party strife, as seen in the case of the Corinthian believers. They were spiritually small and petty, so that the Apostle had to write to them:

    “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

    “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” (I Cor. 3:3,4)

Thus Peter’s exhortation to “newborn babes” to “desire the pure milk of the Word” that they may “grow thereby,” is prefaced by the words: “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings” (I Pet 2:1). The carnal nature is not appropriate soil for spiritual growth.

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The Gospel of Salvation
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


The Word of God teaches, “The wages of sin is death.”  When Christ stepped across the stars into this world of sin and woe, death was powerless over Him.  Christ knew no sin!  He was the sinless, spotless Lamb of God; therefore death could not lay its icy grip upon His shoulder.

Tell me then, how is it that, at the end of His earthly ministry, He’s suffering and dying in shame and disgrace?  You see, Christ wasn’t dying for His sins, for He knew no sin (II Cor. 5:21; I John 3:5).  He was dying for your sins and my sins upon that cruel tree.  Our sins and iniquities were laid upon Him that He might redeem us back to God through His precious blood.

Now God turns to a lost and dying world with the good news of Calvary.  Simply believe that Christ died for your sins personally, and rose again the third day, and God will wonderfully save you from the wrath to come, according to the riches of His grace.  Do you know the joy of sins forgiven?  If not, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:13; I Cor. 15:3,4).

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The Truth Of Christ
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “As the truth of Christ is in me…” (II Cor. 11:10).

How often St. Paul, in his letters, speaks with an oath! “God is my witness” (Rom. 1:9), “As God is true” (II Cor. 1:18.), “Behold, before God, I lie not” (Gal. 1:20), “God is my record” (Phil. 1:8.), “I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not” (I Tim. 2:7), etc., etc.

As Dean Howson has said: “When Paul makes a solemn statement under the sense of God’s presence, he does not hesitate to express this.”

But had not others spoken under the sense of God’s presence? Of course they had, yet Paul calls God to witness far more often than any other Bible writer. Why is this? The answer is found in the distinctive character of Paul’s ministry as the apostle of “the mystery.” John the Baptist, the four evangelists and the twelve apostles did not need to speak with oaths since they proclaimed that which had already been prophesied. But with Paul it was different. Separate from the twelve, who were widely known as the apostles of Christ, Paul had been raised up to make known a wonderful secret which God had kept hidden from all who had gone before. While not a contradiction of prophecy, this secret had nevertheless not been prophesied; it was a new revelation. Hence it was appropriate that the Apostle should insist again and again that he wrote as in the presence of God.

As we consider Paul’s oaths, however, we must ask ourselves whether anyone ever used the oath with more solemn sincerity. Did anyone ever suffer so intensely for the truths he proclaimed, or pay so dearly to convince others of them? Could anyone say with such simplicity to those who knew him best:

    “Ye know… after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations [testings]… and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you…” (Acts 20:18-20).

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Thou Shalt Not Smoke!
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Have you read about the clear law against smoking cigarettes in the state laws of Illinois? It’s been on the books since 1907 and here is what it says:

    Every person who shall manufacture, sell or give away any cigarette containing any substance deletrious to health, including tobacco, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $100.00 or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed 30 days.

This law has been on the Illinois state law books for 96 years, but in late years, certainly, it hasn’t been enforced and most Illinoisans don’t even know it’s there. The reason is that so many people smoke cigarettes that the authorities don’t even try to enforce it.

The prohibition era demonstrated the fact that human behavior cannot be legislated. This is so even with the law of God. Some people think that the Ten Commandments were given to help us to be good, but this is not so, for the Scriptures themselves state clearly that they were given to show us that we are bad and need a Savior.

Rom. 3:19 declares that the Law was given “that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may be brought in guilty before God.” Rom. 3:20 says: “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”

This is why we read in Rom. 8:3 that “what the law could not do, in that it was weak [on account of] the flesh,” God sent His Son to accomplish. Also in Heb. 7:19 we read that “the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did.” This is the “better hope” that we proclaim: that through Christ we may have “the forgiveness of sins” 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 13:38,39).

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Are You A Pauline Epistle?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (II Cor. 3:2).

Since the Corinthians were saved by Paul’s gospel (I Cor. 15:1-4), the apostle calls them his epistles. Webster said that an epistle is “a writing… communicating intelligence to a distant person.” Surely the “intelligence,” i.e., the information that the Corinthians communicated to the world was that even the most sinful of men could be justified by God’s grace (I Cor. 6:9-11).

But if Paul could say to the Corinthians, “ye are our epistle,” why does he go on to say that they were “manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ” (3:3)? Ah, a letter written by an apostle under the inspiration of the Spirit was a letter from Christ! And since everyone who is saved today is also saved as a result of having believed Paul’s gospel, you too are a Pauline epistle! And so the debate over whether Paul wrote 14 or just 13 epistles is over! The apostle penned millions of letters over the past many centuries.