Two Minutes With The Bible

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Buying Up The Time
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Nineteen hundred years ago Paul wrote to his fellow- believers in the vicinity of Ephesus: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming [Lit., buying up] the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15,16). Those were indeed evil days, when a wicked tyrant ruled the Roman Empire, when Messiah had been rejected, not only in incarnation, but in resurrection, and Christianity was fighting a life-and-death battle to penetrate the prevailing pagan darkness with the light of God’s grace. Surely Paul never dreamed that the dispensation of grace would continue for more than nineteen hundred years. He expected the Lord to come at any time to recall His ambassadors and bring the day of grace to a close. Hence the urgency of his appeal to be “buying up the time, because the days are evil.”

But if Paul had reason to suspect that the day of grace would soon be brought to a close, we today have greater reason to think so. Now that the light of the gospel has been brought to Europe, America and many other parts of the world, men are turning their backs on it. Only a small minority of even Christendom truly believe the Bible and know the Christ it presents — and how very few know the riches of His grace!

Meanwhile our governments, our educational institutions and our social systems are becoming ever more godless. The result? The newspapers, radio and TV — even a trip downtown to any fair-sized city, will tell us all we need to know. Once again “the days are evil” and the Lord’s coming for His own seems imminent. There is still much talk about lasting peace and prosperity, but no thoughtful person believes that we are headed in that direction. Rather the world appears to be heading straight toward the prophesied “day of wrath.”

What a comfort it is to the believer, then, to know that “God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us…” (I Thes. 5:9,10). “For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed” and “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:11,13).

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The One Essential Thing
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The place of the Word in the life of the believer is settled once and for all in the inspired record of one of our Lord’s visits to the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).

Commentaries on this passage generally point out that both Mary and Martha had their good points! This, of course, is true, but if we limit ourselves to this observation we rob the account of its intended lesson, for our Lord did not commend both sisters for their “good points.” He reproved Martha and commended and defended Mary with regard to one particular matter.

What, exactly, was Mary commended for? How often she has been portrayed as an example to us to spend more time with the Lord in prayer! But this is missing the point of the passage. Mary was not praying; she “sat at Jesus’ feet, and HEARD HIS WORD.” She just sat there, drinking in all He had to say. This was “the one essential thing” which Mary had “chosen” and which our Lord said was not to be “taken away from her.” Thus, while prayer and testimony and good works all have their importance in the life of the believer, hearing God’s Word is “the one essential thing” above all others. Indeed, let this “one thing” be given its rightful place and all the rest will follow naturally.

It is granted, of course, that we must study the Word prayerfully and with open heart, or it will have disastrous, rather than beneficial results, but this only goes to place still further emphasis upon the supreme importance of the Word of God, which we seek, by sincere and prayerful study, to understand and obey.

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Can God Forget?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 10:17).

We know that God forgives the sins of His people, but does He forget them? It would seem so. Our text suggests that He “will not remember” the sins committed against Him by His children (Isa. 43:25). Believers have always found a great deal of comfort in this blessed thought.

But then God calls upon us to likewise forgive others “even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32). Doesn’t this suggest that we too should forgive and forget? Perhaps you are thinking, “But Pastor, you don’t know what they did to me!” True, but was it more than what was done to God when men crucified His Son?

Remember, God’s vow to forgive and forget the sins of His people includes even the brutal murder of His only begotten Son. We are tempted to think, “Well, it’s easy for God to forget,” but such is not the case. God says of the sins of unbelievers that He “will NEVER forget ANY of their works” (Amos 8:7). How then can this God of “total recall” forget our sins? Does His memory have a convenient “on/off ” switch that makes it easy for Him to forgive and forget? If so, then we who do not have such a switch would have an excuse for forgiving but not forgetting. But if God has such a switch, would He not also have to erase His memory of Calvary, or else forever wonder why His Son had to die? But it cannot be that God could forget the Cross, for Revelation 5:6 joins John 20:27 to reveal that the Lord’s resurrection body will forever bear the scars of the Cross, making it impossible for God—or us—to ever forget His sacrifice for our sins.

What then is the answer to our question? Can God forget our sins? Perhaps the reader has noticed that we never read that God will forget the sins of His people, but rather that He “will not remember” them. By a deliberate act of His “will” He chooses to act toward us AS IF He has forgotten our sins, on the basis of the blood of the Cross. That’s how fully and completely He has forgiven our sins. And if we are to forgive others “as” God forgave us, then we too must choose to act toward others as if we have so fully forgiven their transgressions against us that we have forgotten them—also on the basis of Christ’s shed blood. This and this alone is complete forgiveness of others, and it is high spiritual ground indeed.

May God help us to live with a slate wiped clean of “all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking… with all malice” (Eph. 4:31).

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A Stone Of Stumbling
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Some thirty years after the death and resurrection of Christ, St. Peter wrote to the believers of the Jewish dispersion:

    “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

    “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient…” (I Pet. 2:7,8.).

It is true that Israel’s builders, 1900 years ago, “disallowed” Christ as the cornerstone for their building, and that when He became the “Head of the corner,” according to Psa. 118:22, it was for them an occasion for stumbling and embarrassment.

But Christ is a “stone of stumbling” to all who reject Him. In Rom. 9:33 St. Paul quotes from several Old Testament passages:

    “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence; and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”

In Peter’s day and in Paul’s, those who looked upon Christ as their Cornerstone were never given cause to be ashamed. It was those who disallowed and refused Him who kept stumbling over Him and were constantly embarrassed by Him.

So today, those who put their trust in the crucified, risen Christ are eternally secure and will never be put to shame for having done so. But those who reject Christ keep forever stumbling over Him. They hear Him preached over the radio, they see Him offered as the One who died for their sins, they are constantly confronted with His claims and they are embarrassed. They keep forever stumbling over Him.

Moral: trust Him now as your personal Savior, for “whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”

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The Supreme Critic
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


About 1900 years ago St. Paul wrote to Timothy, with regard to the sacred Scriptures:

    “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Tim. 3:16).

This truth has been confirmed by overwhelming evidence, and those who have tried, through the centuries, to overthrow the Bible have been about as successful as a man trying to overthrow the Rock of Gibraltar with a pea shooter.

Furthermore, the Word of God towers above the clergy as well as above the laity. The Bereans were called “noble” because they put the words of even the great Apostle Paul to the test of Scripture, to see if he taught anything contrary to it.

That blessed Book is the Supreme Critic. If we overlook vital doctrine, it is the Book that will “teach” us. If we handle the Word deceitfully, it is the Book that will “reprove” us. If we go astray in our conclusions, it is the Book that will “correct” us. Where moral questions are involved, it is the Book that will “instruct us in righteousness.” Well do we remember when we were first convicted by the Bible as the written Word of God — and we have never ceased to thank God for the blessed results.

This Book condemns men as sinners before a holy God, but presents salvation free and complete through the vicarious death of Christ at Calvary.

    “Christ died for our sins” (I Cor. 15:3).

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

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What Is Grace?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


“The father of lies” always hates the truth, but he does not always oppose it by the same methods. If he fails to succeed as a roaring lion he may appear as an angel of light, suggesting that surely a God of love will not condemn Christ-rejectors forever. Sinners, he will contend, are not responsible for their sins anyway, for does not Eph. 1:11 teach that “[God] worketh all things after the counsel of His own will”? And thus God Himself is supposed to have conceived the idea of sin as “a gracious means to a glorious end,” and to have caused man to fall into sin so that He might finally save him from it!

Why an almighty, all-wise, all-loving God permitted sin to enter the universe must, for the time being, remain an impenetrable mystery to us, but one thing is certain: He is not the author of sin, and never accepts the responsibility for it — except that in grace and love He bore its penalty for man.

God calls sinners “children of disobedience” and “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:2,3), explaining in the clearest language that He hates sin and that His anger is kindled against it (Rom. 1:18; Eph. 5:6; John 3:36). But if God meant man to sin and caused him to sin, how was man disobedient and what cause could God have to be angry? Those who would shift the responsibility for sin from themselves to God should remember that He proclaimed His standards of righteousness in the Law “that every mouth may be stopped and that all the world may be brought in guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19).

The contention that all will finally be saved may at first sound like wonderful grace, but actually there is not one particle of grace in it, for it is based on the theory that since God got us into sin it is only just that He save us from its penalty. But grace is God’s mercy and kindness to the undeserving. In Eph. 2, after calling sinners “children of disobedience” and therefore “children of wrath,” the Apostle Paul goes on to say:

    “BUT GOD, who is RICH IN MERCY, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith he loved us… hath quickened us… raised us up… and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come He might show THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS” (Eph. 2:4-7).

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How Do You Wrestle a Spirit?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

Wrestling is a sport that is usually associated with boys and men, only a few of whom engaged in organized wrestling in high school or college.  But whether you are a man or a woman, the Apostle Paul says that you are engaged in a life-long wrestling match against the members of Satan’s host.

But did you ever wonder how you are supposed to wrestle a spirit?  And what is this wrestling match all about, anyway?  Paul doesn’t say, but we believe he was thinking of Daniel 10.  Here an angel was sent to Daniel to deliver a message from God, but a fallen angel “withstood” him for 21 days (vv. 11-14).  Since Paul says of our wrestling match that we must “withstand” (Eph. 6:13), we feel he had this passage in mind, especially when we consider what was happening in Daniel 10.  The Prince of Persia, one of “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” was fighting to keep a message from God from getting through to a man of God.  It is our firm conviction that “the rulers of the darkness of this world” are still fighting to keep a message from God from getting through to men and women of God—the grace message.  Today, however, God is not using angels to deliver His message to His people, He is using grace believers.  Because of this, the members of Satan’s host are no longer withstanding angels, they are withstanding us.

And so if you’ve been wondering how you are supposed to wrestle against the devil’s principalities and powers, wonder no more.  Every time you share the grace message with someone, you walk out onto the wrestling mat.  Every time you try to “make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery” (Eph. 3:9), you engage your wicked opponent.  And every dollar you invest in grace ministries helps defeat the adversary’s attempts to keep men and women of God from obtaining the message that unlocks the Scriptures, the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.  Why not reach someone with the message today, and know the thrill of pinning a Satanic combatant to the mat, and liberating a bewildered believer from the dark shackles of religious tradition that envelope every saint who has not yet learned to rightly divide the Word of truth.

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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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Will Call
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Some years ago my grandfather gave me a memorable gift. It was a ticket to see a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game at Forbes Field. Being an avid baseball fan at the time, this was the gift of a lifetime. My grandfather had paid for the ticket in advance, but left instructions that I was to go to the “Will Call” window at the ballpark to pick it up. Before I could enter the stadium I had to have proof that payment was made, which “Will Call” provided in the form of a ticket. If I failed to arrive on time and pick up my ticket I would miss the opportunity to attend the game.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” of His Son. God sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins. My friend, He personally had you in mind. You see, to enter into the presence of a holy and righteous God, you must be perfect. Of course, someone is sure to say, “But, nobody’s perfect!” Herein lies the problem, you must be perfect; otherwise you will suffer the eternal consequences of your sins in the lake of fire. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” which is a sad commentary on each of our lives (Rom. 3:23). Thankfully, Christ’s finished work on the Cross is God’s answer to the sin question. He paid the full debt of your sins at Calvary that you might have eternal life.

But what must you do to be saved from your sins and the wrath to come? Your ticket to eternal life, which has already been paid in advance, is waiting for you at God’s “Will Call.” According to the Scriptures: “Whoever will call

I am happy to say I arrived at the “Will Call” window on time that day and enjoyed the ballgame. Years later someone shared with me about another gift, one that would be life-changing. It was the gift of God’s dear Son. When I called upon the Lord He saved me by His grace. It was a decision I have never regretted. But what about you, my friend? God’s “Will Call” is open today, but if you die in your sins, you will have missed your opportunity to be saved from the judgment to come. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!” (Acts 16:31).

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Fulness Of Joy
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


About 3,000 years ago David wrote in Psalm 16:11: “…In Thy presence is fulness of joy….” He was right, for there is no greater joy than personal fellowship with God. Yet David could not know the fulness of joy now spoken of in Paul’s epistles, for he did not know Christ, who later came into the world as God, manifested in the flesh, to die for our sins. He did not know that Christ would make full satisfaction for sin and be raised from the dead to confirm our justification. Nor did David know that believers would be given Christ’s resurrection life, and a position, and “all spiritual blessings IN THE HEAVENLIES in Christ” (Eph. 2:4-6; 1:3).

When Paul wrote that God has called believers “unto the fellowship of His Son”, he referred to a spiritual, heavenly fellowship, far more intimate and precious than any previously enjoyed by mortal man. This fellowship is to be enjoyed by faith, but it is faith based on fact, the fact that Christ indeed died our death and rose again from the dead that we might partake of His life and enjoy a position at God’s right hand in Christ. This is why the Apostle Paul urges believers of this dispensation of grace to “seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God”(Col. 3:1).

Peter and John both came to know much of this fellowship through Paul, who was sent to Jerusalem “by revelation” to make known to the leaders there “THAT GOSPEL WHICH I PREACH AMONG THE GENTILES” (See Galatians 2:2-9; II Peter 3:15-18.). This is why John writes in I John 1:3,4: “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL”.

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The Way to Heaven
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Perhaps you have heard the story of the man who inquired from a mountaineer the way to a certain destination.

The mountaineer stuttered and stammered and finally said: “You can’t get there from here.”

We may smile at this, but the results would be even more amusing — and sad — were we to ask the average person on the street the way to heaven.

What is the way to heaven? It is interesting to read in God’s Word what many think about this. In Proverbs 14:12 we read:

    “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

What are some of these “ways” that “seem right” to men, leading them to hope for heaven? Joining a church? Being baptized? Doing one’s best? Keeping the Ten Commandments? Loving one’s neighbor as himself? These are a few of the ways that men follow, hoping to gain eternal life, but they all come under one heading: “Do good.”

But what do the Scriptures say about this? In the Gospel according to John there are recorded for us seven “I ams,” which the Lord Jesus Christ used in speaking of Himself.
One of these is found in John 14:6:

    “I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”

This passage has a double significance, since it was not only the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ, but at the same time a declaration of the divinely inspired Scriptures. From this verse we learn not only that Jesus is the only way to the Father, but also that He is “the truth” to be believed and trusted in. Thus we can believe the Lord Jesus when He claims to be the way to heaven.

But according to this passage He is also “the life.” As we place our faith in Him as the One who died on the cross for us, we receive eternal life. “He died that we might live.”

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Do the Work of an Evangelist
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Paul’s farewell exhortations to Timothy were written with great urgency. The time of the apostle’s departure by cruel martyrdom was now at hand and ere long his testimony would be sealed with his life’s blood. It was with this in view that, rather than thinking of himself or now simply “leaving everything with the Lord,” he still kept planning for the future, still occupied with the ministry which the glorified Lord had committed to him many years previous. There was still so much to be done, so many souls to be won, and Timothy must now carry on the work with renewed vigor. Thus it is that we read in II Timothy 4:5:

    “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

There is much confusion about evangelism these days.

First, there are some who have concluded from Ephesians 4:11 that the evangelist necessarily belongs to a different category from “pastors and teachers,” or “teaching pastors.” It is true that, according to this verse, some of God’s servants are specially gifted and specially productive as evangelists, but have we read too much into this passage?

Some have read into it that the evangelist need not be a teacher of the Word. He need not be well-grounded in the Scriptures if only he can tell people that Christ died for their sins. This reminds us of the converted performer who, contrary to I Timothy 5:22, was immediately pushed forward by Christian leaders as an evangelist. It cost heavily to secure his services, but it was worth it: he could get crowds! He was barely grounded in the Scriptures, but what matter? He has such a way with him: he could tell such interesting stories and had written several popular gospel songs. He was able to induce many hearers to make “decisions” for Christ just because he had come to the pulpit straight from show business. To quote his own words, “I leave doctrine to the theologians. I preach Christ.”

But the question immediately arises: “Christ who?” “What Christ?” It makes a great difference whether one preaches the Christ of Palestine or the glorified Christ proclaimed by Paul. And it makes a greater difference whether he preaches that Christ of Liberalism or the Christ of the Bible.

A similar notion prevails that foreign missionaries (also actually evangelists) need not be thoroughly grounded in the Word to do justice to their ministries. But all this is unscriptural and wrong, and the churches established by such missionaries cannot be spiritually strong.

St. Paul was doubtless the greatest evangelist that ever lived and he won the lost to Christ by teaching the great doctrines of alienation, reconciliation, justification, etc. And today the evangelist, no less than any minister of God, must be well-grounded in the Word, for souls are saved only as the Spirit uses the Word (I Pet. 1:12-25).

Thus the proclamation of the gospel is not to be separated from the Word. Those who are saved — and many are not truly saved — through hearing no more than a verse or two from the Scripture, presented along with an emotional and psychological appeal, are often easily swayed and must at best be spiritually weak. But when the great doctrines of salvation are taught from the Scripture, those who hear and believe begin already to be established in the faith. Nor will they be easily shaken, for nothing so grips the heart of man like the Word, understood and believed. This writer will never cease to thank God that he was saved through the teaching of the Word. One blessed result of this is that, never once since that day forty-four years ago, has he ever doubted His eternal security in Christ.

To look at this subject from the other side, there are some who suppose that the pastor or Bible teacher need not be an evangelist. He can always have gospel literature ready to hand to interested persons and can from time to time call in evangelists for special service. As one pastor said to this writer, “Some of us simply are not evangelists and we should not try to be.” But the pastor was wrong, dead wrong, for as we have seen, Paul wrote to Timothy, the pastor and Bible teacher at Ephesus: “Do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

Does not this clearly imply that the pastor, the Bible teacher, who does not do the work of an evangelist, is inefficient in his ministry? For one thing, such a pastor shows a shameful lack of concern for the lost, for he fails to press home to the hearts of his unsaved hearers the urgency of many of the very Scripture truths which he discusses in his sermons. For another thing, he disobeys God, who says, “Do the work of an evangelist”; indeed, who has committed to us all “the ministry of reconciliation” to be fulfilled as “the love of Christ constraineth us” (II Cor. 5:14-21).

If pastors and Bible teachers were more faithful in doing “the work of an evangelist,” the general public would not be so readily taken in by the unscriptural and God-dishonoring methods of evangelism so popular in our day, methods which create much interest and make statistics but also do much to confuse both the lost and the saved and to make void the Word of God.

Finally, does not Paul’s Spirit-inspired injunction apply indirectly to every believer in Christ? Are not our pastors simply our leaders in the work of the Lord? Shall the congregation sit idly by as the pastor alone does “the work of an evangelist?” God forbid! The pastor is rather to be an example to his flock to go and do likewise. How well this writer recalls the days of the so-called Darby-Scofield movement, when multitudes all over the country thronged to hear Bible teachers like Gaebelein, Gray, Gregg, Ottman, Chafer, and Newell. These able men of God expounded the Word as the “blessed hope” of the Lord’s return was being recovered. But these Bible teachers were evangelists too, in the truest sense of the word, and their evangelism was contagious.

In those days almost all premillenarians, including the young people, carried New Testaments in their pockets wherever they went. Why? They hoped and prayed for opportunities to testify to others about God’s plan of salvation through Christ and they wanted to show them the way from Scripture. In those days if a Christian failed to have a New Testament with him, he was apt to be reproved with the words: “What, a soldier without a sword!” By contrast, few believers carry New Testaments about with them today, and they certainly don’t carry Bibles! Here at Berean Bible Society, we still sell many Bibles for use at home and church, but rarely does a New Testament go out the door.

Some are telling us today that this brand of fundamentalism is out of date and ineffective in these fast-changing times. We reply that all of us ought to get back to this brand of fundamentalism, this earnest effort to personally win souls to Christ by showing them God’s plan of salvation from the Scriptures.

God help His people in general and our spiritual leaders in particular, to “do the work of an evangelist.”

[nChrist]

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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).

[nChrist]

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Demon Possession
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


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

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

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

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

    “Giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet [fit] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col. 1:12,13).

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

[nChrist]

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The Love Of God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Millions of people — even religious people — are afraid of God and are struggling to earn His favor. They suppose that salvation is the reward of showing enough love to Him. If only they would believe what God Himself says, that if we are ever saved it will be entirely because He loved us and graciously provided for our salvation.

The Apostle Paul, in the Bible, called God “the God of love” (II Cor. 13:11) and John declared that “God IS love” (1 John 4:8.). Thus John goes on to say:

    “HEREIN IS LOVE, NOT THAT WE LOVED GOD, BUT THAT HE LOVED US and sent His Son to be the propitiation [satisfaction] for our sins” (1 John 4: 10).

This is why salvation is so often called a “gift” in the Bible. It is the expression of God’s love to sinners. And so St. Paul tells us:

    “[We] were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, BUT GOD, WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, FOR HIS GREAT LOVE WHEREWITH HE LOVED US, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)” (Eph. 2:3-5).

    “…after that THE KINDNESS AND LOVE OF GOD OUR SAVIOR TOWARD MAN appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to HIS MERCY He saved us…” (Tit. 3:4,5).

Does all this mean that God overlooks sin or condones it? By no means! In His love He paid for our sins on Calvary’s cross “that He might be Just, and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). This is why we read in Rom. 5:8:

    “…GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS CHRIST DIED FOR US.”