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Liberty Not License
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The fact that we are given perfect liberty in Christ does not mean that we should spend our lives in gratifying our own fleshly desires. Just the opposite is the case. Believers have been delivered from the bondage of childhood and given the liberty of full-grown sons in Christ (Gal. 3:24; 4:1-7), and this advance from infancy to maturity in itself implies the acquisition of a sense of responsibility.

The doctrine of our liberty in Christ does not support, it rather refutes, the false theory that those who are under grace may do anything they please. Paul was “slanderously reported” in this connection (Rom. 3:8.), but there were carnal believers then, as there are now, who actually did use their liberty as license to gratify their own desires. To turn from liberty to license in this way is fully as serious an error as to turn from liberty to law.

Many a believer, motivated only by his own fleshly desires and not at all by love for Christ or others, has indulged in pleasures of the flesh and of the world, justifying himself on the ground that he is under grace and has liberty in Christ. Taking others down with him in his spiritual declension he complains of any who would help him, that, “They are trying to put me under the law”.

Such are actually guilty of departing from grace, for “the grace of God…hath appeared”:

    “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world;

    “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

    “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

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A Reason to Sing!
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


During their seventy years of captivity in Babylon, the people of Israel didn’t feel much like singing:

    “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

    “We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

    “For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.

    “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” (Psa. 137:1-4).

We are told that the children of Israel were well known for their music, and we wouldn’t be surprised if this were so, for faith in our God has inspired countless great compositions down through the centuries. But when their captors demanded that they sing the songs that expressed the joy they felt in their God and their homeland, the sorrow they felt in their hearts would not allow these captives to give voice to such expressions while shackled with the chains of Babylonian bondage.

But if God’s people cannot sing outside of their Promised Land, how can Paul call on us to be “speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19)? How can we sing the Lord’s songs in the land made strange to us by the anti-God sentiment found all around us, and the iniquity upon iniquity that we see on every hand?

We believe it is because God has already “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Remember, we serve a God that “calleth those things which be not as though they were” (Rom. 4:17). In that passage, God was able to call Abraham “the father of many” before he had any children. This is because God had promised to multiply his seed, and so in the mind of God he already had a multitude of descendants! In the same way, God can use the past tense in describing how we are already “glorified” (Rom. 8:30), and since the Lord has promised that we will one day “reign with Him” (II Tim. 2:12) from thrones on which we will sit together with Christ in heavenly places, in His mind it is as good as done, we are as good as there.

And if that’s not something worth singing about, I don’t know what is!

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Reaching Real Maturity
by Pastor John Fredericksen


Spiritually speaking, Paul considered Timothy his “son in the faith” (I Tim. 1:2). And, like any parent, he had noble aspirations for his loved one. In the Book of II Timothy, he is very specific about four things he wants Timothy to become for the Lord.

First, he wanted him to be a good servant of the Lord (1:6). God had given him a temporary spiritual gift that was not to be wasted, but consistently used in the local church, where he would have opportunities and the obligation to use this divine enablement.

Paul also wanted Timothy to become a good soul-winner (1:8.). Apparently, there were real dangers in doing so for Timothy, and there was a danger he might shrink away from this essential task. He might allow the fear of men, and their reactions, to prevent him from sharing the gospel. If Timothy did not grow beyond such a fear, his lack of action would essentially be saying he was “ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.” What a reminder for us today as well!

Next, Paul wanted Timothy to be a good student of the Word (2:15). Specifically, he wanted him to diligently apply himself to the study of the Scriptures so that he would be able to rightly divide the Word.

Finally, Paul wanted Timothy to faithfully hold fast to the distinctive doctrines taught only by the Apostle Paul (1:13,14), to continue in them without wavering (3:14), and then teach them to faithful men who would stand with him in dispensational truth (2:2). In Paul’s eyes, it would only be as Timothy achieved these four goals that he would be a spiritually-mature saint.

In a practical sense, each of us today can gauge our own spiritual maturity by measuring ourselves against these four goals that Paul had for Timothy. If we are consistently using our God-given capabilities for the Lord in our local church, then we’ve taken a step toward spiritual maturity. If we are bold and faithful in giving out the gospel to lost souls, we have taken another step toward maturity in Christ. If we are willing to endure hardship in ministry for Christ, without stopping our service, we have taken yet another step in maturity. If we are unwavering in our loyalty to the distinctive dispensational truths of God’s Word, as taught exclusively by Paul, we have taken still another important step toward spiritual maturity.

When young children begin to walk, they take one wobbly step at a time. Sometimes they fall down. The important thing in their development toward physical maturity is the process of getting back up when they fall, undeterred, and continuing to walk on toward greater stability. Dear saint, if you’ve fallen down in one of these four areas of growing in Christ toward spiritual maturity, get back up and start walking again in the right direction. Your Heavenly Father is watching and waiting to be pleased of what you choose to do next.

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The New Nature In The Believer
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


It has been well said that if there is anything good in any man it is because it was put there by God. And something good — a new, sinless nature — has been imparted by God to every believer.

While there is still within us “that which is begotten of the flesh,” there is also “that which is begotten of the Spirit,” and just as the one is totally depraved and “cannot please God,” so the other is absolutely perfect and always pleases Him.

Adam was originally created in the image and likeness of God, but he fell into sin and later “begat a son in his own likeness, after his image” (Gen. 5:3). It could not be otherwise. Fallen Adam could generate and beget only fallen, sinful offspring, whom even the Law could not change. But “what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,” accomplished, “that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3,4),

As Adam was made in the likeness of God, but fell, so Christ was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, to redeem us from the fall, that by grace, through the operation of the Spirit, a new creation might be brought into being, a “new man… renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him” (Col. 3:10) a “new man, which, after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). Referring to this “new man,” John says:

    “Whosoever is born [begotten] of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born [begotten] of God” (I John 3:9).

    “We know that whosoever is born [begotten] of God sinneth not…” (I John 5:18.).

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Always Abounding
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


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

We should note carefully that the Apostle Paul here addresses only his brethren in Christ, those who have truly been born again — born into the family of God.

Furthermore, he sent this appeal to Christians everywhere: to “all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Cor. 1:2). He knew that there is a tendency among all believers to be tempted to abandon the work of the Lord through discouragement or carelessness, so he pleads with us to be “stedfast” and “unmoveable,” reminding us that our labor is “not in vain in the Lord.”

How we need this exhortation! We do not soon abandon our businesses or homes. We toil on in spite of difficulties and obstacles, and when the outlook is darkest we often work the hardest. Sometimes our bodies suffer for it, but we do not immediately give up.

And how much more urgent is the work of the Lord!  Souls are perishing all about us for whom Christ died. It is our plain duty to pray for them and tell them of His love. It is our responsibility to toil and sacrifice that they may hear and believe the good news. What shall we say when some day we stand before our Savior if we have been satisfied merely to know Him ourselves? And what will He say?

Let us then be up and doing, “always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Life is too short to fritter away the precious moments God has given us to proclaim His saving grace. Let us tell them, then, by lip and by life, by our testimony and by our behavior, that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” and that “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

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The Value of Afflictions
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


When I was a boy, a popular way to insult a classmate was to say, “When God was handing out brains, that kid thought He said ‘pains,’ and hid behind the door.” Let’s face it, none of us likes to suffer pain, afflictions, or tribulations! Because of this, God’s people can often be found on their knees behind the door, asking God to shield them from these unpleasant things, or remove them once they become part of their lives.

And yet the overwhelming testimony of Scripture is that afflictions are good for us! Consider just this small smattering of verses that describe the spiritual value of afflictions:

    “And when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers” (II Chron. 33:12).

    “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word….It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes” (Psa. 119:67,71).

When God’s people are not afflicted, they tend to forget Him. Speaking of the people of Israel, God said,

    “…when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery” (Jer. 5:7).

    “According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten Me” (Hos. 13:6).

Speaking of God and Jeshurun (Israel), Moses said,

    “He made him…eat the increase of the fields…suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs….But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked…then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation” (Deut. 32:13-15).

When God speaks to us in the absence of afflictions, we tend not to listen:

    “I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear” (Jer. 22:21).

There’s just something about afflictions that draw us closer to God! No wonder Paul said, “we glory in tribulations” (Rom. 5:3), “knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope” (v. 4). Once we learn God’s grace is sufficient for all our needs, we can say with Paul:

    “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities…for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (II Cor. 12:9,10).

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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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The Triumph Of Faith
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4).

There are many who look upon faith as an abstract sort of thing. Some suppose faith is merely looking on the bright side of things; to others it is will-power; still others confuse it with a person’s view-point.

In the Bible, faith is simply believing God. “Faith” is the noun and “believe” the verb. This is seen in Rom. 4:5, where the Apostle Paul declares:

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

The above passage from I John 5 also makes this plain, when seen in its context:

    “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

    “Who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God” (Vers. 4,5).

It is, then, the believer in Christ, and only the believer in Christ, who can overcome the world. Unbelievers are swept away by the attractions and the pretentions of this world- system, but the believer in Christ need not be.

St. Paul declared by divine inspiration that unbelievers follow “the course of this world,” directed by Satan, “the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2).

We do not mean to imply that believers are not often tempted to follow “the course of this world.” Indeed the world would sometimes entice or intimidate us, but “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

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The Day Of Itching Ears
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


For the professing Church the day of theological controversy has passed. Ecumenism is now the word on every tongue. Church leaders appear to have become convinced that the stifling confusion in the Church can be overcome only by all of us getting together, minimizing our differences and emphasizing those doctrines on which we all agree. As a result some of the most important doctrines of Scripture are neither denied nor affirmed; they are ignored. But little matter, for the objective now is not to be true to the written Word of God, but to see to it that the Church is “strong” and commands the world’s respect.

Ecumenism, sad to say, has made significant inroads among evangelical believers too. All too seldom do men of God stand up to defend by the Scriptures the truths they believe and proclaim. Theological debate has given place to the dialogue, in which two individuals or groups sit down together to discuss their differences and see if there is not some basis for agreement. This appears generous and objective but too often convictions are compromised and the truth watered down by such undertakings, with the result that the Spirit’s power is sacrificed for numerical strength.

No man of God can speak in the power of the Spirit when he places anything before the Word and Will of God. Nor can the Church ever be truly united and strong unless she puts God’s Word and Will first and takes her place in the world as Christ’s embassy on alien territory (See II Cor. 5:20).

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Grieve Not The Spirit
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The first lesson each believer in Christ should learn is that immediately upon believing he is given everlasting life. Referring to this fact Ephesians 1:13,14 says:

    “In whom ye also trusted, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.”

Mark well, the believer is not sealed by the Holy Spirit, but “with” the Holy Spirit. The Spirit Himself is the seal. Every sincere believer in Christ, then, should rejoice in an accomplished redemption and rest in the fact that the Holy Spirit will keep him eternally safe.

But while we cannot lose the Holy Spirit we can, and often do, grieve the Holy Spirit, as we read in Eph. 4:30. This is why we are told in Rom. 8:26 that the Spirit “helpeth our infirmities” and makes intercession for us, that we might live lives which please and honor God.

The wonderful fact is, however, that “nothing,” not even an aggrieved Spirit shall “separate us from the love of God” (Rom. 8:38,39). Thus in the same breath with which the Apostle exhorts us not to grieve the Spirit he again reassures us that this same Spirit keeps us eternally safe:

    “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

Does this encourage careless living? Those who think so have missed the whole point of Paul’s appeal. The Apostle does not warn the believer that if he grieves the Spirit he will be lost. Rather, in grace he exhorts:

    “Do not grieve the very Spirit who in mercy and love has sealed you as forever His own. Do not repay such love with such ingratitude.”

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Objects in the Mirror...
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


…are closer than they appear.” That’s the warning you see on the passenger-side mirror of your car. The convexity of the mirror gives you a more panoramic rear view, but it also makes the cars behind you look smaller, and further away than they actually are. This can give the illusion that there is room to change lanes, when the truth is that the driver in the adjacent lane may have to hit the brakes if you do—and the horn!

This mirror warning always reminds me of God’s words to Ezekiel:

    “Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off” (Ezek. 12:27).

You’ll notice that the problem wasn’t that God’s people doubted that Ezekiel’s prophecies would come true; they just didn’t think they would come true for a long time. And you know, God’s people today are no different. When we read Paul’s predictions about the Rapture (I Thes. 4:13-18.) and the Judgment Seat of Christ that will follow (Rom. 14:10), we believe these things will happen, but we tend to think they are a long way off. This can lead to complacency in serving the Lord, just as it did in Ezekiel’s day. Thus we would do well to read God’s response:

    “Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of My words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done…” (Ezek. 12:28.).

While we cannot say that the Rapture will be prolonged no longer, we can say with equal assurance that the word which God has spoken to us shall be done. The panoramic view that the mirror of God’s Word affords us (James 1:22-24) allows us to see everything that is ahead of us, and these things are closer than they appear! If you are not living for the Lord, “boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1). The Rapture may come today, and you may find yourself standing before your Lord and Judge this evening. Why not heed Paul’s admonition,

    “…knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light” (Rom. 13:11,12).

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The Captain of Our Salvation
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Years ago a man of God was asked to preach at the funeral of a young soldier whose parents were unsaved.

During the course of his message the preacher sought to impress upon his hearers the basic fact that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

This greatly upset the parents. After the service they complained: “This is embarrassing. Our boy was not a sinner.”

The truth was that shortly before his death this young man had done what every true, born-again Christian has done. He acknowledged himself to be a lost sinner and, trusting Christ as his Savior, had been so gloriously saved that his parents were mystified that he could be so happy in the face of death.

The simplest believer in Christ understands all this. He knows that for the “old man” the death of the body is indeed a “dishonorable discharge” for laws broken, orders disobeyed, responsibilities unmet, and trusts betrayed. But for the “new man the death of the body is the vestibule through which he is ushered into the blessed presence of “the Captain of our Salvation,” the One who “by the grace of God tasted death for every man” that He might “bring many sons unto glory” (See Hebrews 2:9,10).

This is why we read in Hebrews 2:14,15:

    “Forasmuch, then, as the children [of Adam] were partakers of flesh and blood, He [Christ] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

    “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

No wonder St. Paul’s simple message of salvation was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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The Virgin Birth
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    “Someone pointed out to me that the word ‘virgin’ in Isaiah 7:14 is the Hebrew word ‘almah’ meaning, ‘a young woman’—in other words, a ‘young woman’ who may or may not be a virgin. I am a firm believer in the virgin birth of Christ, but how do I address this dilemma?”

It is true the Hebrew word almah simply means a “damsel” or a “maiden,” who may or may not be a virgin. However, almah can refer to a young woman who is a virgin, such as in the case of Rebekah (Gen. 24:43-45). Interestingly, the Holy Spirit does not leave the matter open for debate in regard to Mary. Under the guidance of the Spirit, Matthew directly quotes Isaiah and, in doing so, he uses the Greek word parthenos. This term is solely used of a woman who has never known a man.

    “Behold, a virgin [Gr. parthenos] shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:23).

The purpose of the miraculous conception and virgin birth of Christ was to show that He was not stained with Adam’s sin. As Paul says, “He knew no sin” (II Cor. 5:21). Christ was an empty vessel when it came to sin. This allowed the Father to pour our iniquities into His dear Son at Calvary, where He was made “sin for us.” It is essentially a matter of faith! If Christ wasn’t born of the virgin, then we are yet in our sins.

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The Sins That Are Past
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In Chapter 3 of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans he declares that God has set forth Christ as a satisfaction for man’s sin and that redemption is obtained by faith in “His blood,” or His payment for sin at Calvary, entirely apart from works, religious or otherwise (Rom. 3:21-26).

But in this same passage he states that this “remission” concerns the “sins that are past” (Ver. 25). What does he mean by this? Some have taught from this verse that when a sinner turns to God for salvation all his sins are forgiven up to that time and now that he is saved he is henceforth responsible for himself. But this would mean that God saves men by His grace only to turn them over again to their own weak and sinful natures. If this were the case, the converted sinner would be lost again the same day, for what Christian believer is wholly free from sin?

Paul rather looks back here at past ages and declares that we now know and proclaim that men like Abel, Noah and Abraham, and also like Moses, David and Daniel (who lived under the Law) were actually saved by the redemption wrought by Christ, although Christ’s death was still future in their day. In other words, Christ died, not only for the sins which we have committed, but also for the “sins which are past.” The believers of past ages simply believed what God told them then, and God counted them righteous (Gen. 15:6) on the basis of Christ’s coming payment for sin.

We have the same truth set forth in Hebrews 9:15, where we are told that Christ’s death availed also “for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant,” i.e., the Law.

How blessed we are to live at a time when God’s plan of salvation has been fully revealed, and that we can now look to the Lord Jesus Christ and exclaim with Paul:

    “He loved me, and gave Himself for me!” (Gal. 2:20).

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That Which Was Lacking
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have supplied” (I Cor. 16:17).

Sad, was it not, that the Corinthian church, undoubtedly the largest of all the churches founded by Paul, had been so ungenerous and insensitive, even to Paul’s personal needs, that he had to labor at tentmaking in order to minister among them. They did not even provide for the Apostle’s meager needs. Thus, sadly, he writes:

    “And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself” (II Cor. 11:9).

It was no different where the work of the Lord in general was concerned, for whereas the churches of Macedonia had, out of “great trial of affliction” and “deep poverty,” given “to their power” and had desired to give “beyond their power,” the Apostle had to exhort the Corinthian believers to “perform” their promises to help “the poor saints at Jerusalem” and to “prove the sincerity of [their] love” (II Cor. 8:8,11).

Those who suppose that men of God should remind believers to live godly lives, to labor for Christ and to witness for Him, but that for some reason they should not remind them of their responsibility to contribute of their means — these should read Paul’s letters to the believers at Corinth and see how much the Apostle has to say about this matter.

It seems that others were always bearing the Corinthians’ financial responsibilities for them, so that he had to write from Philippi with a touch of reproof, that he was glad for the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus, since: “that which was lacking on your part they have supplied” (I Cor. 16:17).

In many ways the Church of today is like the Corinthian church of Paul’s day. This is surely so where financial stewardship is concerned. Again, it is invariably the faithful few who supply “that which is lacking” on the part of the many. These few will be richly rewarded, but it is our desire, as it was Paul’s, that greater numbers of the many may join the few, both to lighten the burden of the few and to help reach the teeming millions of lost and bewildered souls who so sorely need a clear presentation of “the gospel of the grace of God.”