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A Challenge For Our Parents
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
    — I Corinthians 15:58

Probably the most commonly asked question of a seven year old is, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Usually the little one is so frozen with fear that the one inquiring must resort to a form of interrogation: “a doctor, lawyer, policeman; I know, a fireman!” These are noble professions indeed, but why are children almost never encouraged to pursue the ministry? Is the Lord’s work any less meaningful? Are the callings of pastor, evangelist, missionary and Christian counselor unworthy of our children's consideration? Parents do well to remember that there is no higher calling in life than the Lord’s service.

Sadly, our young people are so preconditioned to aspire to worldly professions that the ministry is not even a viable option. Timothy’s mother had no way of knowing whether or not God would call her son into full-time service. But to her credit, she trained Timothy from a small child in the Scriptures to prepare him for the things of the Lord. Shortly after his conversion to Christ, he was called into the ministry where he delivered many from a Christless eternity (II Tim. 1:6).

During those formative years we need to encourage our young to seek the face of the Lord as to what area of Christian service the Lord might use them. Perhaps you have a quiver full of teenagers who don’t know what vocation to pursue. What better place to search for an answer than to have them attend the Berean Bible Institute here in Milwaukee.

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Not Dying For Lack Of Love
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


It has been said that “the world is dying for the lack of a little bit of love.” When this statement is examined in the light of Scripture, however, it is found to be the exact opposite of the truth. Listen to what God’s Word says about this:

    “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).

    “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8.).

    “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:9,10).

Many about us are dying in their sins, but not “for the lack of a little bit of love.” It is rather because they reject the great love that God has manifested to us in His Son. We are told in John 1:10,11 that “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” This is the problem: men are rejecting His love. “And this is the condemnation,” says John, “that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19).

But while others reject Him, you may accept Him as your Savior and know the joy of sins forgiven and of everlasting life, for “as many as received Him, to them gave He the power [Lit., right] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

    “The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand.
    “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on Him” (John 3:35,36).

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

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When The Lord Wouldn't Answer
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In the various accounts of our Lord’s earthly ministry we find three occasions when He declined to answer those who appealed to Him or questioned Him.

First there is the Gentile woman of Matt. 15:21-28. Her daughter was possessed of a demon and in her trouble she appealed to the Lord to help her, “but He answered her not a word.” Finally, in His grace He did help her, but not until He had taught her the lesson that as a Gentile she had no claim on Him. As Romans 1:28 tells us, the Gentiles had been “given up” because “they did not wish to retain God in their knowledge.” In this connection we Gentiles should read carefully Eph. 2:11,12 and see how utterly without hope we are apart from the grace of God.

Next there was a Jewess, in trouble of a different kind. She had been caught in adultery and was brought to Him for judgment (John 8:1-11). Unlike the Gentile woman, she belonged to the chosen race and possessed God’s holy Law, a distinct advantage — unless you are a lawbreaker. Our Lord, in grace, also helped her, but not until He had demonstrated that the Law is the great leveler of mankind, bringing all in guilty before God (Rom. 3:19).

But finally we find how it was that our Lord could show grace — and do it justly — to sinners, both Jewish and Gentile, for in the third instance we find the Lord Himself in trouble. On trial for His life before the representatives of Hebrew and Roman law, He is accused of all sorts of wicked crimes. But on this occasion too, He declines to answer.

First Caiaphas, the High Priest, asked Him: “Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which these witness against Thee? But Jesus held His peace…” (Matt. 26:62,63).

Next Pilate, the Gentile judge, said: “Hearest Thou not how many things they witness against Thee? And He answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly” (Matt. 27:12-14).

Why did our Lord decline to answer and defend Himself? Because He had come into the world especially to die for man’s sins. Had the sinners of all ages been there to accuse Him of their sins, He would still have remained speechless, for He stood there as man’s representative, so that we sinners might be “justified freely by God’s grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

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Slavery And Liberty
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


We thank God for Abraham Lincoln and for his part in emancipating the Negro 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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Who Shall Separate Us From Christ
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35).

There have been individuals who thought the doctrine of the believer’s eternal security in Christ to be a dangerous heresy. They countered every Scripture on the subject with another to refute it. But in each of these cases it was this great truth, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ”, that finally persuaded them.

It is significant that the Apostle Paul never tells us about his love for Christ, but he is always telling us about Christ’s love for him and for others! The Law commands: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”, but grace puts it the other way, telling us how deeply God loves us — and this begets love in return. The Apostle experienced discouragements that would have caused him to give up the work of the Lord a thousand times, but he could not. Why? He says, “the love of Christ constraineth us?”(II Cor. 5:14); it bore him along like a strong tide. No doubt he had this very thing in mind when he continued writing in Romans 8.

    “For Thy sake we are killed all the day long…accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Ver. 36).

And therefore defeated? Far from it!

    “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Ver. 37).

Not only do we win the battle; we are “more than conquerors”, for these adversities serve to draw us into still closer fellowship with Him, thus enriching our Christian experience.

When people or nations engage in battle, generally no one wins; both lose. But Paul’s personal experience serves as the foremost example that in the Christian life, “tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril [and] sword”bring us more than victory when borne for Him who loved us.

Thus this great chapter opens with “no condemnation” and closes with “no separation”, and the Apostle, gathering all the forces of creation together, whether they be time, space, or matter, declares that none of them can separate us from “the love of God, which is [manifested] in Christ Jesus” (Vers. 38,39). Whether it be death or life, heavenly principalities, things present or things to come, height or depth or any other created thing — none of them, nor all together — can threaten our security or separate us from the love of God, which He has manifested to us in Christ Jesus.

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Reflections on Ephesians
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


There is no epistle in which we find more about the grace of God than that great and wonderful epistle of Paul to the Ephesians! It is one of his prison epistles and, interestingly enough, he was actually and literally in jail for telling a secret, the secret of the mystery (Eph. 6:19,20). Evidently he had a great deal of opposition in trying to make this secret known. That’s rather unusual, isn’t it?

The Ephesian epistle was probably written about 64 A.D., and was evidently sent by the hand of a man named Tychicus (6:21,22), along with two other letters, one to the Colossians (Col. 4:7-9), and that to Philemon (Col. 4:7-9 cf. Phile. 10-12). Never, never were more valuable documents entrusted to human hands!

Now, in the earlier epistles of Paul, we learn a great deal about dispensational change and development, but in Ephesians we have arrived, and find ourselves on the highest, broadest spiritual ground. Here the Holy Spirit reveals to us, in all their fullness, those blessed truths which distinguish this dispensation from others.

For example, the mystery or the sacred secret is here revealed in all its fullness. He says that this secret is now made known (1:9) through him (3:1-3), but it is for all to see (3:9), for it concerns our close relationship to Christ (5:30,32). And since Satan will oppose the proclamation of this secret, boldness is needed to proclaim it (6:19,20).

In this epistle, the one Body of Christ, the Church of this dispensation, is emphasized throughout. The whole body, he says, is the fulness, the complement, the fulness of Christ (1:23). He says God is making one new man today (2:15), reconciling Jews and Gentiles to Himself in one body (2:16), a joint body (3:6), in which we are to keep the unity of the Spirit (4:3,4). The Body, he says, must grow up, and it must build itself up in love (4:11-16). Christ is the Head of the Body, and its Savior (5:23), and we are the members (5:30). How close that brings all believers to each other! How close it brings us to Christ!

Our position in the heavenlies is prominently brought out in this epistle. We read that, immediately upon conversion, we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies (1:3). We’re told that God’s power in raising Christ from the dead and exalting Him far above all is now extended to us-ward who believe (1:19-21). Positionally, he says, we’ve already been raised from the dead and seated in the heavenlies (2:6). Now, he says, it is ours to occupy this position by faith, as a witness to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies (3:10). Hence we must wrestle with the rulers of the darkness of this age, wicked spirits in the heavenlies (6:12). And for this, he says, we’re going to need the whole armor of God (6:10,11).

In this epistle, all is grace. Read Ephesians and see how it is permeated with grace. Even the salutation speaks of grace and peace (1:2). Compare that with what we read about the second coming of Christ to this earth, where He will come to judge and make war (Rev. 19:11). Grace and peace is the exact opposite of judgment and war! Thank God He hasn’t declared war yet. He hasn’t visited this world in judgment yet. He still offers to sinners everywhere, and to saints, of course, in greater measure, grace and peace.

Now the doxology—oh, what a doxology of grace! The doxology in the Ephesian epistle is the longest of all of Paul’s doxologies, and in the original it is his longest sentence. We’re blessed because we are chosen by God the Father to the praise of His glory (1:4-6). We’re made accepted in the Son to the praise of His glory. We’re sealed by the Spirit to the praise of His glory. Glory to the triune God! Glory for His grace!

We read individual things, too, about the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All throughout this epistle, everything emanates from the Father. The Father is always the source. The Father has chosen us (1:3,4) according to the good pleasure of His will (v. 5), according to the riches of His grace (vv. 6,7), according to His good pleasure (v. 9), according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will (v. 11), according to the working of His mighty power (v. 19), and according to His eternal purpose (3:11). There’s more about that in the epistle, showing that everything finds its source in the will of God.

Then we see how our salvation centers in the Son. He’s always the second person in the Trinity. His place is always in the midst. We read, for example, that we’re blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ (1:3), and have redemption through His blood (v. 7), in whom we are greatly enriched (v. 11), in whom also we are saved (v. 13), and sealed (v. 13). Think of that! We are in Christ, and because of His finished work, the believer is sealed until the day of redemption.

Then we come to the Spirit. It all comes down to us through, or by the operation of, the Spirit. We’re sealed by the Spirit (1:13), and we have access to God the Father by the Spirit (2:18.). We are an habitation of God through the Spirit (2:22), and we’re strengthened by the Spirit (3:16). We must not grieve the Spirit (4:30), but rather bear the fruit of the Spirit (5:9). We must be filled with the Spirit (5:18.), use the sword of the Spirit (6:17), and we must pray in the Spirit (6:18.).

What a tremendous, tremendous epistle!

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There Is No Difference
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Twice in the Book of Romans, once in Romans 3:22,23, and once in Romans 10:12,13, God uses the phrase, “There is no difference.”

First it is used in connection with the guilt of man. Religious Jews, as well as godless Gentiles; cultured moralist, as well as degraded savages, are proved guilty before God.

In the first three chapters, their privileges and responsibilities are fully discussed, and their arguments are carefully considered. Then comes the awful verdict:

    “THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE: FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.”

Must we not all bow our heads in shame and admit that the indictment is true? Must we not acknowledge that our condemnation is just? There may, indeed, be differences as to the nature or the degree of our sins, but in this there is no difference: that we all have sinned. And a just and holy God must condemn sin.

It is refreshing, however, to find the phrase used a second time in connection with salvation. Again religious Jews as well as godless Gentiles are included, but this time, how gracious the declaration!

    “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!”

In the matter of sin, God cannot be partial. He cannot be lenient with certain classes or groups whose advantages have been greater. All have sinned, and all must stand condemned.

But neither does He show partiality in the matter of salvation. The rich or cultured or religious are not preferred before others. The illiterate or immoral are not excluded. The Law condemns all, but Christ died to save all, that we might be “justified freely by His grace.”

Friend, are you saved? Are you right with God? You can never hope to be accepted if you approach Him in your own merits, but if you come in the merits of Him who bore your sins, you cannot be turned away. “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.”

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Will There Be Recognition In Heaven?
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “We have a question which needs answering. We often hear from grace believers and pastors that, in heaven, we will recognize those saints we have known on earth. Please show us from Paul’s epistles where this might be found.”

We believe there will be recognition in heaven, which, as we are going to see, can be substantiated from Paul’s revelation. But it should be remembered that the subject of recognition in eternity is a biblical principle that transcends the ages and dispensations.

In Paul’s epistle to the Philippians, the apostle reveals to these dear saints, some of whom were suffering persecution, that their “conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body” (Phil. 3:20,21a). The key phrase here is that these old bodies of humiliation will be “fashioned like unto His glorious body” in the secret resurrection at His coming — the Rapture. In other words, what was true of our Lord’s glorified resurrected body will be true of ours as well. Of course, we know the disciples recognized the resurrected Christ when He appeared to them in the upper room.

“Then saith He to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side….And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God” (John 20:27,28.). There was no question whatsoever in Thomas’ mind that the One standing before him was the Lord. He clearly recognized Him. In similar fashion, we will be known in glory even as we are presently known, as members of the Body of Christ.

Additional support for people recognizing each other in eternity can be found in Matthew 8:11, Luke 16:19-31 and John 11:21-26.

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What About Foot Washing?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “What about foot-washing (John 13:1-17)?”

The text you cite has prompted several Christian denominations to practice foot-washing as a religious ceremonial rite. We feel the Lord was merely teaching the apostles a lesson about humility, a lesson they sorely needed (Lk. 9:46; 22:24).

In Bible days, feet that walked in sandals on dusty ground needed washing when they arrived at their destination (Gen. 19:2; 24:32). This humble task was often rendered by a servant (Gen. 18:4) or those willing to serve as a servant (Lk. 7:38; I Tim. 5:10). Proud men would of course refuse to wash a man’s feet (Lk. 7:44), and since this was sadly true of the apostles, the Lord washed their feet as “an example” (John 13:15) of humility.

This word example is important. The Mona Lisa is an example of Renaissance art, but this does not mean all Renaissance art is characterized by portraits of women. It rather means that the Mona Lisa has the same spirit of other works of that era. Thus the Lord washed the apostles’ feet to exemplify how they should treat others in the same spirit of humility. While washing a man’s feet exemplified this spirit well in Bible days, paved walks and leather shoes have rendered this particular example of humility obsolete. Today, guests are shown the same humble spirit with a beverage, a meal, and other gestures. We feel those who insist on practicing the exact example of humility the Lord gave are emphasizing symbolism over substance. They sometimes ask why we observe the Lord’s Supper but not foot washing, but the former is never said to be an example of what to do. Paul rather says, “This do” (I Cor. 11:24,25).

Finally, there is a doctrinal significance to this ceremony that renders it exclusive to Israel. God promised Israel they’d be a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:6), and priests had to be washed in an initial baptism ceremony to initiate them into the priesthood (Ex. 29:4). Later they had to wash their hands and feet as part of their daily service (Ex. 30:19-21). When John preached that the kingdom was “at hand” (Mt. 3:2), he meant the kingdom in which Israel would be a kingdom of priests, so he baptized them to initiate them into the priesthood. In John 13, the time for the twelve to minister to the world as priests was drawing nigh, so the Lord washed their feet so they could function as priests (cf. John 13:6-10).

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The Revelation of Jesus Christ
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The last great book of the Bible opens with the words: “The revelation of Jesus Christ,” and from these words it derives its title: “The Revelation.” In this book St. John deals largely with the return of Christ in glory to judge and reign.

II Thes. 1:7,8 tells us that one day “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven… in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that… obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is what the book of the Revelation is basically about. But this phraseology is also used in Paul’s epistles, for in Gal. 1:11,12 he says:

    “I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Surely this is not the same “revelation of Jesus Christ” of which John wrote. St. Paul refers not to “the revelation of Jesus Christ” in glory, but to “the revelation of Jesus Christ” in grace while He delays the judgment; not His revelation to the world in person, but His revelation to the world through Paul the chief of sinners, saved by grace. In Verses 15,16 of Gal. 1, the Apostle says: “…it pleased God… to reveal His Son in Me.” What a revelation of grace to a sin-cursed world when God saved Saul, His bitter, blaspheming enemy! He tells about it in I Tim. 1:13-16, where he says:

    “I was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious… Howbeit, 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.”

This is why Paul says: “…it pleased God… to reveal His Son in Me.” By saving the chief of sinners (as Paul calls himself in I Tim. 1:15), God would show us that He is willing to save any sinner, “for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13).

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A Faithful Saying
by Pastor 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 Savior. 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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The Purpose Of The Law
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight…”
    (Rom. 3:20).

It is strange that so many sincere people can so misunderstand God’s written Word as to suppose that He gave the Law “to help us to be good” or “as a rule of life.” The Law was not given to help us to be good, but rather to show us that we are sinners and need a Savior. Rom. 3:22,23 says that “there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” How foolish, then, to look to the Law for help. Though the Law provides for just trial it does not help the criminal; it condemns him. Thus the Bible teaches that the Law was given:

    “That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19).

    “For by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20).

    “The law entered that the offense might abound” (Rom. 5:20).

    “That sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Rom. 7:13).

    “It was added because of transgressions” (Gal. 3:19).

This leads us to St. Paul’s great conclusion:

    “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20).

This makes sense, for doing a few “good” things cannot right the wrongs we have done. Good is what we should do, hence we should not expect to be rewarded for it.

But, thank God, “Christ died for our sins” (I Cor. 15:3) and “by Him all who believe are justified” (Acts 13:39).

    “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28.).

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

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The Hope of Glory
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


We are taught in Romans 5 that the believer in Christ receives justification, peace with God, access to God and the “hope,” or anticipation, of sharing His glory some day. God wants His children to enjoy this coming glory by faith, to live in eager anticipation of it.

How much there is to humiliate us in this life! God created man in His own image and likeness, but man sinned and fell from his exalted position. To Adam God said:

    “Cursed is the ground because of thee; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”

Since that dreadful day man’s life has been a constant struggle. Everything tends to go wrong rather than right. Each has his share of trouble, sorrow, sickness and then — death, the greatest humiliation of all, when in sickness and pain, or at best in utter weakness, he must give up this life itself.

Sin and the fall! This is what modern science and philosophy fail to face up to. Most popular scientists and philosophers today hold that man has come up from the slime pit and the ape to modern man; that man is improving all the time. But the truth of God’s Word is that man has fallen through sin and is growing worse morally and spiritually until now he can kill more of his fellowmen faster than he ever could before.

But it is this fact, this fact of sin and the fall that God has so graciously provided for. He took all the suffering and shame, paid all the penalty for our sins, and then rose from the dead so that we might rejoice in the hope, the eager anticipation, of glory to come!

As St. Peter puts it in I Pet. 1:3:

    “[He] hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

[nChrist]

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Small Change and a Free Gift
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Has the cashier at the restaurant or the check-out girl at the supermart been asking you: “Do you have the two cents?” or “You don’t have the change, do you?” If so, it’s because there is a coin shortage all over the U.S. and will be for some time.

All kinds of coin-using machines have created a shortage of coins for other purposes. Isn’t it strange: a penny is hardly worth picking up these days, and President Eisenhower called our dollars “dollarettes,” yet people seem to be spending more money in small amounts.

You can make more and more purchases with coins these days. Some people say that you can buy anything with money, but they’re wrong — very wrong.

The things we need most cannot be bought with any amount of money. The air we breathe, the water we drink (we pay only for the service), love of family and friends. These things can’t be bought. And the most precious treasure of all: salvation, eternal life, can’t be bought at any price.

God doesn’t want our money. He calls it “filthy lucre.” He’s not going into business, selling houses and lots in heaven, much less will He pervert justice and pronounce us innocent for a consideration. But He does pity and love us and He can and will give us eternal life if we trust in the merits of the One who died to pay the penalty for our sins.

    “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

    “For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8.).

Our Lord said to the Samaritan woman:

    “If thou knewest the gift of God… thou wouldest have asked…” (John 4:10).

Have you asked?

[nChrist]

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Satan And The Truth
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam



    “If any man be in Christ he is a new creation…” (II Cor. 5:17).

    “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 2:10).

    “And ye are complete in Him…” (Col. 2:10).

“In Christ!” What a glorious truth! What a high and holy position! No religious ceremony, neither circumcision nor baptism, needed to make us spiritually complete. God only asks now: “Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4:1).

Many Christians are satisfied with salvation through the blood of Christ, but God wants us to have much more than this. He wants us to have “the full assurance of understanding” (Col. 2:2), to know the security, the blessedness, the glory of a position in Christ. He wants us to know “the exceeding riches of His grace” (Eph. 2:7), and to enjoy “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

But Satan does not!

For proclaiming these glorious truths the Apostle Paul was bitterly opposed on every hand, even by some saved religious leaders of his day.

And Satan has not changed!

Proclaim this message today and “your adversary the devil” will soon be roused to action. He hates this message of grace which the glorified Lord revealed through Paul (Eph. 3:1-3) and let us not be asleep to the fact that, as in Paul’s day, he will again seek to use even saved religious leaders, evangelical “big guns,” if he can, to oppose it, thus robbing Christ of His glory and believers of their blessings.