Two Minutes With The Bible

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Which Gospel?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


A friend asks: “Have you heard the good news?” and you reply: “What good news?” Naturally! All good news is not the same. Yet few people follow this procedure when they read in the Bible the phrase “the gospel” — which simply means “the good news.” They have been taught that “the gospel is the gospel” and “there is only one gospel,” but this is simply not so in the light of the Bible itself.

God has not proclaimed only one gospel, one item of good news, down through the ages, but many. He has qualified the word “gospel” by distinctive titles, just as a woman labels her preserves to distinguish the different goodies she has put up for the winter.

The “gospel of the kingdom” and the “gospel of the grace of God” are not the same, and certainly the “gospel of the circumcision” and the “gospel of the uncircumcision” are not the same.

When we come upon the phrase “the gospel” without any qualifying title, we should immediately ask: “Which gospel?” and invariably the context will provide the answer. Luke 9:6, for example, simply states that the twelve disciples went about “preaching the gospel,” but Verse 2 of the same chapter explains how the Lord had sent them “to preach the kingdom of God” — not the cross, but the kingdom, since He, the King, was in their midst. These disciples could not have engaged in “the preaching of the cross,” as Paul later did, for it was not until at least two years later that the Lord “began” to tell them how He must suffer and die (Matt. 16:21) and Peter “began to rebuke Him” (Ver. 22) and none of the twelve even understood what He was talking about (Luke 18:34).

But whereas “the gospel of the kingdom” had been committed to the twelve while Christ was on earth, “the preaching of the cross” (as good news) and “the gospel of the grace of God” was later committed to the Apostle Paul and to us (1 Cor. 1:18; Acts 20:24).

Today we do not proclaim the kingdom rights of Christ. Rather we proclaim “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

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A Close Personal Relationship
by Pastor John Fredericksen


Shortly after meeting the woman who became my wife, I knew she was the one for me.  It was hard to explain, but she had captured my heart.  I thought about her as soon as I woke in the morning, continually during the day, and she was one of the last things I thought about before going to sleep.  I consistently pursued a relationship with her allowing all other relationships to become secondary.  I not only confirmed that I loved her, I also expressed to her that she satisfied and completed me like no other woman could.

Many of the same principles that make close human relationships work are the same in our personal relationship with the Lord, after salvation.  Even though the program has changed from the Law of Moses to the principles of grace, walking with the Lord every day is essentially the same now as it was for David.  In Psalm 63, he expresses many of the things that made his daily walk with the Lord such a sweet and joyous experience.

David did not merely have a passive interest in the Lord.  He longed for a vibrant relationship with the God of his salvation.  He told the Lord, “my flesh longeth for Thee [as] in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is” (v. 1).  Since David wrote these words “when he was in the wilderness of Judah”, where water was extremely scarce, his description of being thirsty for the Lord pictured his surroundings.  Just as only water can satisfy the need of one in the desert, David realized that only God could satisfy the thirst of his soul.

These were not mere empty words on the part of David.  He promised the Lord: “early will I seek Thee” (v. 1).  David, like Abraham before him (Gen. 19:27), was in the habit of beginning the early part of his day in communion with the Lord (Psa. 5:3).  Just as two people in love long to see each other, David longed “to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary” (63:2).  As David went through the day, he continued to think about the Lord and talk about Him.  He wrote, “…my lips shall praise Thee.  Thus will I bless [or praise aloud] Thee while I live” (vv. 3b-4a).  When a man and woman love each other, they talk to others about the one they love, extoling each other’s virtues.  It was the same with David, who happily expressed the virtues of the Almighty.

David’s walk with the Lord was so fulfilling that he couldn’t help but express it.  He told the Lord, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips…in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice” (vv. 5,7b).  When two people are in love and maintain a healthy, growing relationship, they too make a conscious decision to be satisfied and joyful in time together.  David experienced an even richer and more complete joy by being in the satisfying presence of his God.

David not only began his day in fellowship with the Lord and spoke of Him throughout the day, he also ended his day with the Lord.  He wrote, “I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches” (v. 6).  For soldiers and shepherds, the night was divided into three watches: from sunset to 10 p.m., from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and from 2 a.m. until dawn.  In verse six, David is sharing that, throughout the night, sleep sometimes evaded him because even then he was thinking about the Lord and His greatness.

David also explained: “My soul followeth hard after thee” (v. 8.).  Just as a young man oftentimes pursues hard after a young woman to win her love, David fervently pursued his relationship with the Lord.  Of course, David did not have to win His love.  The Lord already loved David.  Nonetheless, David was not casual or complacent in the way he nurtured his relationship with the Lord.  His walk with the Lord meant too much to him for his efforts to be anything less than diligent and wholehearted.  In principle, we should exert the same kind of effort in our relationship with the Lord as we read that David did.

Are you following hard after the Lord?  We encourage you to pattern your walk with Christ after the example of David’s wholeheartedness.  Make a strong effort to make each day one of fellowship with the Lord from beginning to end.

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Lack Of Nothing
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


A Simple Lesson in Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth

    “…he that gathered little had no lack…” (Ex. 16:18.).

    “Neither was there any among them that lacked…” (Acts 4:34).

    “…that ye may have lack of nothing” (I Thes. 4:11,12).

As we can see here, throughout the Bible, God has been concerned that His people do not lack for the basic necessities of “food and raiment” (I Tim. 6:8.). However, as we shall see, the means by which He provides for these necessities has changed. To begin with, when the manna fell in the wilderness, Moses told Israel:

    “…Gather of it every man according to his eating… And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less… he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack…” (Ex. 16:16-18.).

Here we see that God miraculously provided daily bread for Israel during their wilderness journey, and they “lacked nothing” (Deut. 2:7). We know He also supernaturally prevented their shoes and clothing from wearing out during those forty years (Deut. 29:5). But as we turn to the New Testament, we find that the means by which God provided for the needs of His people changed. At Pentecost, we read,

    “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need” (Acts 2:44,45).

    “Neither was there any among them that lacked; for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet; and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need” (Acts 4:34,35).

As you can see, the means by which God provided for His people changed dramatically. Here He provided their needs by instructing them to pool their resources and live in a communal state.

Today in the dispensation of Grace, the means by which He supplies our needs has changed yet again. Our Apostle Paul tells us:

    “And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we have commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing” (I Thes. 4:11,12).

Once more we see that the means by which God provides His people with the necessities of life has changed. Today a Christian’s needs are met by God as he goes about “working with his hands the thing which is good” (Eph. 4:28.).

And so we are reminded anew that while God Himself never changes, the way in which He deals with men has changed dispensationally throughout the ages.

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Faith
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


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

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

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

Obviously, faith honors God, while doubting His Word must insult and displease Him. The Apostle John wrote:

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

    “And this is the record: that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (I John 5:9-11).

Little wonder that we read in Heb. 11:6:

    “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

But why did God give the law, if salvation can be obtained by simple faith? St. Paul answers:

    “The law was our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24).

    “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law”
    (Rom. 3:31).

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

    “[Christ] was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore, being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 4:25; 5:1).

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The Unknown Hymn
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out…” (Matt. 26:30).

Often have we wondered what might have been the words of that sacred hymn, but God has seen fit to keep this from us for the present.

We have in our Bibles many great poetic expressions: the Song of Moses, the beautiful Magnificat, all the Psalms and many other poems, but the hymn that our Lord and His eleven apostles sang that night before leaving the Upper Room was evidently a well-known song, in which they could all join. We can almost imagine our Lord saying, “Before we leave, let’s sing…”.

We will not know the words of that hallowed hymn until we reach heaven, but we do know this: Our Lord and His apostles did not leave the Upper Room weeping and mourning. Though His soul had been deeply troubled as He approached the dreadful hour of His suffering and death, He could say: “What shall I say? Father save Me from this hour? But for this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27). Though deeply saddened by Judas’ base betrayal, “having loved His own…He loved them unto the end” (John 13:1), and His words of comfort and cheer during these last hours are now crowned with the singing of a hymn–a hymn, a song of praise.

Though the words of that hymn are as yet unknown to us, the lesson of its singing should not be lost. If the Upper Room scene closed with the singing of a hymn, surely we may be given the grace to sing God’s praise in the midst of our lesser trials. And if our Lord, “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb. 12:2), surely our burdens may — and should — be lightened through the knowledge that by His grace, “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (II Cor. 4:17).

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The Ministry Of Comfort
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”
    — II Corinthians 1:3

Since the entrance of sin into the world, the way of man has been anything but easy. Job seemed to have his finger on the pulse of the matter when he wrote, “… man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” It is interesting though, that when calamity strikes, men are quick to blame God, or to ask why He allows such occurrences in their lives. But shall we blame God for what man has brought upon himself? God forbid! Man is a product of his own folly.

    “Wherefore, as 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).

Some claim that if they had been back in the garden everything would have been different. I certainly have no reason to doubt them. In all probability, they would have pushed Adam aside to reach the forbidden fruit before he did! You see, God saw the entire human race in Adam, as only He could do. So when Adam stretched forth his hand to partake of the forbidden fruit, each of us were reaching for it as well — we are his posterity, thus we share in his guilt. God could have condemned the whole human race to the Lake of Fire and have been perfectly justified in so doing. Thankfully, we did not receive what we justly deserved, for “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psa. 103:8.).

HOW GOD COMFORTS US

    “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (II Cor. 1:4).

Here, of course, the Apostle refers to believers. Our heavenly Father knows that we are frail creatures of dust, overwhelmed with sorrow, sickness and even death; not to mention the spiritual upheavals that come our way. Always sympathetic to our plight, He walks with us every step of life’s journey comforting us in all our tribulations. The tribulation cited here by the Apostle Paul is not a reference to the Tribulation Period known as The Time of Jacob’s Trouble. Paul is speaking of the personal tribulations he had encountered due to spiritual conflicts and poor health. Personal trials come in all forms: criticism, rejection, financial setbacks, sickness, bereavement, etc.

When sorrow overwhelms us like an ocean tide the Lord in His goodness is always present to comfort us in our time of need. But exactly how does God comfort us in the dispensation of Grace? We know for instance that the heavens are silent and that neither the Lord nor any of His angelic host visibly appear to minister to the saints today. During the administration of Grace the Lord, first of all, comforts us through His Word.

For example, some years ago death took my great-grandmother. She always held a very special place in my heart and even to this day I get choked up sometimes when I think of her. My sense of loss would be difficult to bear except for the consolation I have received from the Word of God. The Lord has shown me that I need not sorrow as others who have no hope. Some day soon the trump will sound and the dead in Christ will be raised. Then we will be caught up together with all those departed loved ones who were saved, and so shall we ever be with the Lord! Little wonder Paul says, “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Another way the Lord comforts us is by bringing someone into our lives at just the right moment to encourage us in those times of despair. Surely we have a precedent for this in the life of Paul himself. The intensity of the spiritual warfare at Ephesus and Macedonia had taken its toll on the Apostle, both physically and spiritually. “Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (II Cor. 7:5-7). The arrival of Titus was a direct result of Divine intervention to not only encourage Paul, but also that he might lend assistance in the work.

Finally, God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but rather that we might comfort others. It has been given to us to carry on a ministry of encouragement to those who are in any trouble. Think of it, having already been the recipients of God’s consolation, He uses us to put our arm around that dear Christian friend who is perhaps facing his first surgery and tell him, “we too had this same surgery a few years ago and the Lord saw us through it.” With hope we can face any thing. That’s why God has revealed to us the Blessed Hope that one day soon we shall be with Him. Truly He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. AMEN!

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Condemnation And Death -- Righteousness And Life
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Contrasting the New Covenant with the Old, the Apostle points out that “the letter,” with its requirements and penalties, “killeth.” Therefore the dispensation of the Law is called “the ministration of condemnation” and “the ministration of death” (II Cor. 3:7,9).

The ministration of the Law began in a blaze of glory. Mount Sinai was “altogether on a smoke… as the smoke of a furnace.” There were thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake. There was the sound of a trumpet, “exceeding loud.” There was the glorious Shekinah cloud in which God Himself appeared and “spake all these words” (Ex. 19:9- 20:1).

But ere Moses had even come down from the mount with the tables of stone, the people were breaking the very first commandment, dancing like heathen about a golden calf. From here on the administration of the Law took on another aspect. Judgment had to be pronounced and penalties inflicted. Nor could any escape its just sentence of condemnation and death. What had begun in glory led but to gloom, “because the law worketh wrath…” (Rom. 4:15). “…for it is written: cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Gal. 3:10).

But there can be no gloom associated with the ministration of the New Covenant, says the Apostle, for under it righteousness and life are administered to all who will receive them by faith. And this because the claims of the Old Covenant were fully met by Christ at Calvary. Thus the ministration of the New Covenant outshines the ministration of the Old in every respect.

But was not the New Covenant made “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,” rather than with the Church of our day? Yes, but with Israel’s rejection of Christ and her temporary blindness the blessings of the New Covenant are now bestowed by grace upon those who do receive Christ. Hence, it was not Peter or the twelve, but Paul who, with his associates, was made an “able minister of the New Testament” (II Cor. 3:6).

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The Second Trumpet
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed” (Rev. 8:8,9).

The blast of the second trumpet sends an object hurling out of the heavens that will destroy a third part of marine life, as well as a third part of the ships at sea. The Holy Spirit is careful to add that this heavenly body was “as it were a great mountain.” In other words, it was not a mountain as such, but had characteristics like a mountain—it was immense and had the appearance of solid rock. This could well be a description of an asteroid, which has many of the same features.

An asteroid can range from a few feet in diameter to hundreds of miles across and everything in between. There are tens of thousands of them, orbiting the sun in what’s called a band asteroid belt. It is well known that asteroids frequently pass by the earth, normally at great distances. Here it seems apparent that the finger of God will supernaturally alter the course of one of these heavenly objects. If a large asteroid were to pass through our atmosphere, we would probably describe it the same way that John did, as a mountain burning with fire.

The Apostle John then observed that this massive missile was cast into the sea. In all probability, this is the Mediterranean Sea since the second bowl judgment of Revelation 16 will be far more extensive and destructive to the oceans of the world. It has been said, “The steps of God from mercy to judgment are always slow, reluctant, and measured.” At this stage of the trumpets, God’s judgments will still be tempered with mercy so as to give men an opportunity one last time to repent and turn to Him in faith; the full scope of His fury will be unleashed later, in the bowl judgments. The surface area of the Mediterranean Sea is roughly nine hundred sixty-five thousand, three hundred (965,300) square miles, a third of which would be three hundred twenty-one thousand, seven hundred sixty-seven (321,767) square miles. Once again, to give you some idea as to the extent of this second judgment, the area of the Mediterranean affected would be greater than the State of Texas.

An asteroid, or whatever this enormous object is, falling into the Mediterranean Sea will be catastrophic. John is very careful to point out that before the death of marine life, “the third part of the sea became blood,” reminiscent of Egypt again, when God supernaturally turned the water into blood (Ex. 7:20). Multiply that miraculous event a hundredfold, and you have some idea of the severity of this judgment. Men will undoubtedly look on in horror as the sea turns to crimson.

The apostle then adds, “And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died.” The death of marine life will not cause the bloody sea; to the contrary, the bloody sea will kill the marine life. Creatures of the sea such as fish, dolphins, and turtles will be unable to survive in these conditions. The result will be death on a grand scale! If you’ve ever gone fishing, you know that one dead fish on the water’s edge is enough to drive you to another fishing spot. Imagine millions of fish floating on the surface of the water; the stench will be unbearable, as it was in Egypt (Ex. 7:21).

“And the third part of the ships were destroyed.” An asteroid a mile wide, hitting the earth at 30,000 miles per hour would produce 10 to 50 million times the energy of the atom bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. It would “flatten everything for 100 to 200 miles out from ground zero.” The carnage will be incomprehensible as many shipyards will be totally wrecked. Those ships at sea within the range of this blast will capsize and be swept away by the ensuing tidal waves. The aftermath of this judgment will devastate the fishing industry and hamper world shipping and trade on an unprecedented scale. It will be a financial disaster for hundreds of ports of call that rely on tourism.

As we are already witnessing, the Lord will be like a mighty man of war in the day of battle, with a military strategy that will make the warmongers of this world tremble (Isa. 42:13). With just two blasts of the trumpets, He will decimate trade and commerce on both land and sea.

This article is an excerpt from Volume 2 of Pastor Paul Sadler’s commentary on the book of Revelation.

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God's Answer To Unbelief
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The resurrection of Christ is God’s answer to unbelief. The changed attitudes of His followers who saw Him alive after His crucifixion and the revolution in the life of Paul, who saw Him “last of all,” rank high among the “many infallible proofs” of His resurrection. Cowards were made bold, doubters believed, the sorrowing were made glad, the pitiless persecutor became His devoted follower. The broken Roman seal, the empty tomb, the failure of the enemies of Christ to produce the dead body and a hundred other facts add their testimony in confirmation of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has been “declared to be the Son of God with power… by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom. 1:4).

The resurrection of Christ assures us that His payment for sin is all-sufficient and complete, for “when He had by Himself purged our sins [He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). “For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14).

Next, the resurrection of Christ gives us a living Savior. Comparing the Old Testament priests with Christ, Heb. 7:23-25 says:

    “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: But this Man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

The resurrection of Christ is also the pledge of the believer’s resurrection in glory. In I Pet. 1:3 the Apostle Peter breaks out in a doxology:

    “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

And our Lord Himself said what no other could possibly say:

    “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

Finally, the resurrection of Christ is a warning to the world of judgment to come:

    “Because [God] hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained: whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

    “Now is the accepted time” (ll Cor. 6:2).

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

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Enemies Of The Cross
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.”
    — Philippians 3:18, 19

During the Apostle Paul’s visits to Europe he had frequently warned the Philippians about those who were nothing more than deceivers. It is apparent that the problem in the assembly had greatly intensified for Paul writes, “I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping.” These men are labeled by the apostle as “the enemies of the Cross of Christ.” They may have appeared outwardly religious but in reality they were ungodly, self-seeking, arrogant, sensual men who were destitute of faith.

There are three indictments that are handed down against these workers of iniquity: First, in the order of enumeration is the statement, “whose end is destruction.” Surely this cannot be said of the saved. On the other hand the unsaved will experience everlasting destruction as foretold in II Thessalonians 1:7-9. Secondly, notice the object of their worship. Were they worshipping the true and living God? No! their god was their belly — sensuality, which produced the insatiable desire to satisfy the appetites of the flesh. Thirdly, we are told they set their affections solely on worldly things such as: philosophy, intellectualism, power, popularity, fortune, etc.

Little wonder Paul calls them enemies of the Cross, “they had a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof.” These emissaries of Satan had no desire to understand the preaching of the Cross, whereby they could be justified from all things. Things haven’t changed very much, today these imposters brazenly substitute the gospel message with the doctrine of positive thinking, which has led many to a false sense of security in thinking that they are right with God. Sad to say, that even some believers have fallen under the spell of this insidious teaching. Sir Walter Scott said of those who are given to deception:

    “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,
    when first we practice to deceive.”

Thankfully, even though the gospel is sometimes hindered, it continues to be the “power of God unto salvation.” Beware of the enemies of the Cross, they are among us even at this hour.

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Sin Is No Joke
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The present trend in American moral conduct is downward. Increasing thousands all about us are throwing restraint to the winds “to enjoy the pleasures of sin”.

We struggle with the problem of juvenile delinquency, but tempt the young in a hundred ways to immorality and violence. We are shocked at the deeds of sex-mad criminals who make it unsafe for women to walk the streets at night, but our women continue to pay less and less heed to the principles of modesty and decency that would contribute so greatly to their own safety.

Most of all, we have disregarded the Word of God. No longer does the Bible hold the first place in our homes. It rather lies gathering dust while our moral and spiritual strength is dissipated by pursuing pleasures that fail to bring true happiness or satisfaction. Yes, we have “a form of godliness” but our conduct “denies the power thereof”.

Sin may be “fun” to many. They may joke about drunkenness, indecency and immorality, but God declares that it is no joke to Him. He says: “Fools make a mock at sin”(Prov. 14:9); for, not only does sin in its very nature break down, rather than build up; but, as responsible creatures, sinners will one day have to give an account of their conduct to the God who created them.

To look at the brighter side, we may all rejoice in another indication that sin is no joke to God. St. Paul points it out in I Corinthians 15:3, where he says: “Christ died for our sins”. Christ knew the horrible results of sin and the dreadful penalty which justice must visit upon it. Yes, and He also knew that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and in infinite love He left the glories of heaven and stooped to bear the disgrace and penalty for sin Himself! “Christ… hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Pet. 3:18.), and those who come to know God through faith in Christ experience peace and joy which this world can never afford.

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Peace With God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    “[Christ] was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification. THEREFORE, BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.”

[nChrist]

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Asleep In A Storm
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


What a disappointing scene! A terrifying storm, souls in danger of death, but Jonah, the man of God, fast asleep.

Sailors are not soon frightened in a storm, but this time the fury of the gale was so great that “the ship was like to be broken” and even the sailors were driven to their knees “and cried every man unto his god” (Jonah 1:4,5).

Can it be that Jonah, the only man aboard who knew the true God, was sleeping? Sleeping while souls were perishing? This was the shameful truth, and not one of us would blame the terrified captain for rudely awakening him and crying: “What meanest thou, O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God!” (Verse 6).

But let us not be too ready to condemn Jonah, for we may be more guilty than he. Surely the world today is passing through a fearful storm and souls all about us are in peril of their lives. If they do not accept God’s way of salvation; if they do not trust in Christ, they will perish. And what are we doing about it? Are we pleading for them in prayer? Are we doing what we can to reach them for Christ? Or are we fast asleep?

“What meanest thou O sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God!” And when you have cried to God in behalf of your unsaved relatives, friends, and business associates, He will send you to witness to them of Christ and His love. Not until you have talked to God about them will you be ready to talk to them about God.

Politically, morally, spiritually, the night is dark, the storm is raging and souls are perishing, but “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts” (II Cor. 4:6). “…We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others” (I Thess. 5:5,6).

[nChrist]

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Six Billion Wills
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


As long as man remained obedient to the will of God, his Maker, all was well with him. His life was perfectly balanced because it was centered in God. As soon as he listened to Satan, however, and set his will against God’s, all began to go wrong. His life was now off center and out of balance. It was no longer subject to one central Will. Alienated from God, man now reaped the fruits of his rebellion, not only in his banishment from Paradise but in the self-will of his offspring.

Of the first two children born into the world, one bludgeoned the other to death and this was but the beginning. Whereas God had originally created man in His own “image” and “likeness” (Gen. 1:26,27) we read later that Adam begat Seth “in HIS own likeness, after HIS image”(Gen. 5:3).

And so parents down through the ages have begotten children like themselves, with fallen natures and wills of their own, until today we have some six billion wills operating in the world instead of the one central will of God.

This does not mean, however, that God has abdicated, or that the future of the world is now subject to the wills of six billion fallen creatures, but at least we get a glimpse of why the world is in the mess it is. Nor was God forced to formulate new plans because of the fall of man. Far from it, for despite man’s rebellion — even through it — God has been carrying out His plan and every true believer rejoices that God “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11). While He does not rule directly in the affairs of men, He very definitely overrules, and as a result, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28.).

[nChrist]

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Inexpressible Joy
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever noticed that the Apostle Paul never speaks of his love for Christ? Rather he keeps talking about Christ’s wonderful love to him. Neither does he exhort us to love Christ, but keeps telling us how Christ loved — and loves, us. This is consistent with the message specially committed to him: “The Gospel of the Grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

The Law said: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” (Matt. 22:37). This is the very essence of the law. And we should love God, but the law cannot produce love, so God comes to us in grace and say: “I love you“. This is why Paul’s epistles are so filled with “the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:29).

The fact that God deals with us in grace does not mean that believers should not, or do not, love Him. The very opposite is true, for love begets love. It is when men come to know the love of Christ that their hearts respond to him in love.

Peter, like Paul, had once been a strict observer of the Law, but had since come to know the love of Christ in growing measure. The result: A deep love for Christ and the overflowing joy that accompanies such love. This is why we find in I Peter 1:8 those touching words that naturally overflow from the heart and lips of one who has come to know the love of Christ: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory”.

Yes, knowing and loving Christ does indeed bring inexpressible joy, but we cannot love him by trying. We must accept His love for us in faith so that our hearts may naturally respond.