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Forgiveness
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH [Christ’s] BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE” (Eph. 1:7).

The climax of Paul’s first recorded sermon is reached in Verses 38 and 39 of Acts 13, where he declares:

    “BE IT KNOWN UNTO YOU THEREFORE, MEN AND BRETHREN, THAT THROUGH THIS MAN IS PREACHED UNTO YOU THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS:

    “AND BY HIM ALL THAT BELIEVE ARE JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS, FROM WHICH YE COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW OF MOSES.”

Thus God through Christ, forgives and justifies those who believe. Nor is this all that was accomplished for us by the death of Christ at Calvary. There is also reconciliation, baptism by the Spirit into Christ and His Body, a position at God’s right hand in the heavenlies and all spiritual blessings there.

“The forgiveness of sins” must come first, however, and the above passage assures us that in Christ we have this — not barely, but “ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE”. Indeed, the next verse continues: “WHEREIN HE HATH ABOUNDED TOWARD US…”

Thus Ephesians 2:2-7 declares that though we were once “the children of disobedience”, and therefore “by nature the children of wrath”, “God, WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He loved us”, has given us life and raised us from the dead, exalting us to “heavenly places in Christ…”

His purpose in all this? “THAT IN THE AGES TO COME HE MIGHT SHOW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS” (Verse 7).

When God forgives us He no longer sees us in our poor selves, BUT IN CHRIST, who took our place, dying for our sins on Calvary’s cross. There He hung in our place that we might now stand in His — “COMPLETE IN HIM” (Col. 2:10).

[nChrist]

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You Can't Judge a Woman by Her Cover
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


    "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head..." (I Cor. 11:5).

If you haven't seen this in person, you've seen it in books or magazines or on television. Based on our text, women of certain religious persuasions wear a distinctive head covering whenever they are out in public, and not just when praying in church. Since the words of our text were penned by our apostle Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13; 15:16), we are often asked if our grace churches should insist that women cover their heads in like manner. Since we believe the answer is no, we need to give a careful look at what the Word of God has to say about this sensitive subject, especially since Paul begins this passage by saying, "Be ye followers of me" (v. 1).

To begin with, when Paul says that a woman with an uncovered head "dishonoureth her head," this is a reference to her husband. You see, Paul had just finished reminding the women in the Corinthian church that "the head of the woman is the man" (v. 3). When a woman in Corinth went to church without a head covering, she dishonored her head, i.e., her husband. But why would that be?

Well, the word cover in Scripture often has the idea of protection. Moses once said of Benjamin:

    "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long" (Deut. 33:12). (The word cover also has the idea of protection in Psalm 91:4 and Psalm 105:39.)

The word cover is still used to indicate protection in our own day. When a soldier says, "Cover me," to his fellow, he is asking him to protect him while he attempts to advance on the enemy. In the case of a woman in Paul's day, a woman's head covering was a symbol of the protection provided for her by a husband. In essence, her head covering was a sign that she was married. (Today this significance has been lost, and single women wear such coverings as well.) For a married woman to go to church without this symbol dishonored her husband, for it meant that she refused to acknowledge the headship of her husband. It would be like a woman today refusing to wear a wedding ring.

So why do our grace churches not insist that our grace women cover their heads? We believe this is a cultural issue, and cultural things like this often change over time. In our day, women use different symbols to indicate that they are married. They still take their husband's name, a tradition that dates back to when God blessed Adam and Eve, "and called their name Adam" (Gen. 5:2). But now, instead of covering their heads, women wear wedding rings to signify that they are married, a symbol that is recognized and understood in most, if not all, cultures around the world.

But what right do we have to ignore the plain words of our text and adopt this cultural change? Shouldn’t God's people resist worldly trends and insist upon the plain teachings of His Word? Generally speaking, yes. But let's consider yet another area where time has introduced yet another cultural change that is almost universally accepted by God's people. Five times in the Bible we are told to "greet one another with an holy kiss" (Rom. 16:16; I Cor. 16:20; II Cor. 13:12; I Thes. 5:26; I Pet. 5:14), yet this is seldom if ever practiced in our grace churches. While believers in France or Italy or some of those other kissin' countries might still observe this custom, this cultural symbol of love for one another has long since been replaced here in the United States by the warm handshake, and in more recent years, by the hug.

But what right did God's people have to make this change, especially since it was our apostle Paul who issued four of the five commands to greet one another with a kiss? Well, we believe we can point to yet another area where God allows for cultural differences and changes among His people. It lies in the area of church government.

If you have ever studied the Scriptures looking for instructions as to how to set up the government of a local church, you know that God is very nonspecific in this area, and we believe that this was a purposeful omission on His part. You see, when God's people were found only in the nation of Israel, He was very specific about how they were to be governed (Deut. 1:13-17). This was because they were one people, with one culture, located in one geographic area of the world. On the other hand, God knew that the Body of Christ would eventually be located throughout the world, encompassing many peoples and cultures. (The word Gentile is a translation of the Greek word ethnos, from which we get our word ethnic. God knew that the Body of Christ would eventually encompass ethnic groups all around the world.) For this reason, He left the description of local church government purposely open-ended, to allow for cultural differences within the Body of Christ.

For instance, here in corporate America, all of our corporations are governed by a board of directors, in accord with our government's requirements for incorporation. Because most of our churches are incorporated with the state as non-profit organizations, most of our grace churches are governed by a board of directors. This arrangement has been criticized by some, but we see it as yet another example of how God allows culture to factor into how we live our lives as His children.

To return to the matter at hand, when cultural symbols change, we must change along with them, or else fail to convey the message we wish to convey. In the 1940's, to extend two fingers in the air was a symbol that was commonly recognized as a "V" for victory sign. Ever since the 1960's, however, this symbol has come to stand for peace. If we refuse to recognize this cultural change, we will not be conveying the message we think we are conveying when we extend our two fingers hoping to convey the idea of victory. In the same way, if a woman today were to cover her head but refuse to wear a wedding ring, she would not be effectively conveying the message that God wants her to convey, i.e., that she is married and under the headship of her husband.

Having said all this, if you live in an area where the women wear head coverings in church, you might want to cover your head when visiting their churches, out of respect for their custom. While Paul made it clear that in such matters "we have no such custom" as believers, "neither the churches of God" (I Cor. 11:16), he advised the women in Corinth to show respect for the local culture in which they found themselves (I Cor. 11:6-13), and we should be quick to do the same. Don't forget, our text here in I Corinthians 11 comes close on the heels of Paul's exhortation to be deferential to the personal convictions of others (I Cor. 8:13; 9:20-23; 10:33).

It has often been said that "you can't judge a book by its cover," but people often do, and so we regularly update the covers of our books here at Berean Bible Society in an ongoing effort to "adorn the doctrine of God" found within the pages of our literature (cf. Titus 2:10). In this article, we have attempted to show that you can't judge a woman by her cover either, or lack thereof, and that's why we gave that title to this article. But if you live in an area where people do judge you as a woman by your cover, you might want to adopt the attitude that the Apostle Paul expressed when he said:

    "…I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (I Cor. 9:22).

Your respect for the convictions of others just might be the thing that helps you lead a soul to Christ, or welcome a believer into "the fellowship of the Mystery" (Eph. 3:9).

[nChrist]

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When I Say Goodbye
by Pastor J. C. O'Hair


When to this world I say goodbye, Whether Christ shall come or I shall die;
I shall not fear my future state, Nor yet resign my soul to fate;
'Tis neither boast no carnal pride, Nor natural worth I have inside;
My trust is not in human creeds, Nor in my good religious deeds.

If man, by works, could heaven gain, Then 'tis true, Christ died in vain.
There was no power on earth could save, Nor offer hope beyond the grave.
Salvation is from heaven above; God's book declares that God is love.
God loved the world and sent His Son To die for sinners, for every one.

Christ tasted death for every man: It was God's own redemption plan.
On Calvary's cross the debt was paid, For there on Christ our sins were laid.
In death the Saviour bowed His head, There His precious blood was shed.
God has for sin no other cure. By Christ's shed blood the way is sure.

When Christ had put our sin away, In Joseph's tomb His body lay.
But on the third day Christ arose To conquer thereby all His foes;
Then He ascended through the sky To take His Father's throne on high.
Now in the Father's presence there Unceasing is the Saviour's prayer.

Still He prays, "All Thine are Mine," Forever kept by power Divine.
Christ promised to prepare a place For all who will receive His grace.
Some day the age of grace will end; The Lord from heaven shall descend.
The dead in Christ will hear the shout, And from their graves they will come out.

The living saints shall with them rise, And meet the Saviour in the skies;
And we shall then His glory see, And like the Saviour we shall be.
When we reach our heavenly home, Throughout the ages yet to come,
God's grace in Christ the saints shall know, For God has promised this to show.

Eternal life, God's gift, is free 'Tis all by grace for you and me.
So in God's Word I rest my case, Trusting His unfailing grace.
God cannot lie, His Word is sure; And in His Son I am secure,
Because Christ's work has satisfied, And by that work I'm justified.

God has pardoned every sin; My hope of glory, Christ within.
I am prepared my God to meet, For in His Son I am complete,
And sealed unto redemption day. So if by death, or I'm caught away.
I shall not fear my future state, But, loving Christ, I'll serve and wait.

[nChrist]

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Good Works
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Millions of people are striving to make themselves acceptable to God by good works. Such people can never be sure of salvation, for the simple reason that they can never be sure whether they have done enough good works or whether they have done them in the right way. Some suppose that heaven can be won if our good works outweigh our evil works, but this does not make sense either, for good works are what all of us ought to do and even one evil deed would prevent a just and holy God from justifying us or admitting us into His presence.

Let’s not put the cart before the horse. God does expect good works from His children but not as payment for salvation, for eternal life and glory could not possibly be bought at any price. “Christ Jesus came into the world,” says the Apostle Paul, “to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). Then, having saved them by grace, He expects them to do good works out of gratitude.

It is interesting to compare Titus 3:5 with Titus 3:8:

    Titus 3:5:”NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US.”

    Titus 3:8:” …these things I will that thou affirm constantly, THAT THEY WHICH HAVE BELIEVED IN GOD MIGHT BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. …”

Faith is the root; good works the fruit. Thus we read in Eph. 2:8-10:

    “For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

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That Blessed Hope
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


For believers in Christ it would be the most blessed of all if this year turns out to be the year of our Lord’s coming for His own. How long the present dispensation of grace will be prolonged we do not, and cannot, know. Even St. Paul, who was commissioned to make known the glorious truth of the rapture of the Church, did not know. He never dreamed that God would linger in mercy for more than 1900 years, for in I Thes. 4:16-18 he says:

    “We who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall be caught up…”

Thus instructed Bible-believers in every generation since his day have rightly been on the alert for their Lord to come for them, for they know that “the days are evil” and every hour is an hour of grace.

To the Philippians the Apostle wrote: “We look for the Savior,” to the Thessalonians: “[Ye]… wait for His [God’s] Son from heaven,” and to Titus he says that we should be “looking for that blessed hope, and the appearing in glory of …our Savior, Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20; I Thes. 1:9,10; Titus 2:11-13).

With the Lord’s coming and the close of “the dispensation of the grace of God” so much nearer than it was in Paul’s day, we say to the unsaved: “Receive not the grace of God in vain…. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold nowis the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6: 1,2).

And to the saved we say: “Buy up the time,” take advantage of every opportunity to win the lost to Christ, for “the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16) and the day of grace may soon be brought to a close.

[nChrist]

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How God Empowers His Witnesses
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


As we know, Paul wrought mighty miracles, as Peter and the Pentecostal believers had done. Indeed, a comparison of Paul’s miracles with those of Peter shows Paul’s to have been the mightier. This was mainly in divine confirmation of his apostleship, since Paul was not one of the twelve (II Cor. 12:11,12).

But it is clear from a study of Paul’s ministry and his epistles that these miraculous demonstrations were to vanish away as the dispensation of grace was fully ushered in (See I Cor. 13:8; Rom. 8:22,23; II Cor. 4:16-5:4; 12:10; Phil. 3:20,21; I Tim. 5:23; II Tim. 4:20). In fact, in the last seven of Paul’s epistles nothing whatever is said about signs, miracles, healings, tongues, visions or the casting out of demons.

How, then, does God now empower His servants in their conflict with Satan and his demons? The answer is: by the Holy Spirit through His Word, as it is preached with conviction. There is a great volume of evidence as to this in Paul’s epistles, including his early epistles. Two examples:

    I Cor. 2:4: “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing [persuasive] words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.”

Mark well, this was power in his preaching, not in performing miracles. Indeed at the very same time when he proclaimed his God-given message with such power, he himself was very weak, for in the preceding verse he says:

    “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.”

The other example is I Thes. 1:5:

    “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance…”

In Thessalonica too, Paul had suffered much opposition and persecution, until the whole city was in an uproar (Acts 17:1-5), and this may well have been the result of his powerful preaching. Out of the “uproar,” however, sprang the beloved Thessalonian church, an example and inspiration to those won to Christ under more benign circumstances.

[nChrist]

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God's Two Poems
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In Romans 1:18-20 the Apostle Paul declares that ungodly men are “without excuse” because they are surrounded by the evidences of the Creator’s “eternal power and Godhead.”

Our Authorized Version calls the creation, in this passage, “the things that are made,” but in the Greek it is called literally “the poyeema,” from which we get our word poem. The Apostle refers, of course, to the harmony of God’s creation, and is it not indeed amazing how billions of heavenly bodies can continually revolve in the vastness of space and never collide! And are not the flowers, the seasons, the sunsets all part of a harmonious creation, which God alone could have conceived and set to music?

But very interestingly, this word poyeema is used just once more in Scripture. We find it in Eph. 2:10, where it is translated “workmanship.” Let us consider this passage in its context:

    “For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are His workmanship [Gr., poyeema], created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10).

Romans speaks of the poem of creation, Ephesians of the poem of redemption, and the latter is the more wonderful. An old hymn says: “‘Twas great to speak a world from naught; ’tis greater to redeem.”

In this poem of redemption which God has composed, we believers too often want to change some word or phrase. We would like this or that in our circumstances to be different. Ah, but this would destroy the meter and meaning of God’s new creation.

Thank God, when we believers go to be with Christ, we will see the beauty and glory of the poem of redemption. Then we will rejoice that He did indeed “work all things together for good” for us.

[nChrist]

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The Forgiveness Of Sins
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Some three thousand years ago, and about one thousand years before Christ, the Psalmist said:

    “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee…” (Psa. 130:3,4).

The Psalmist did not explain, however, upon what basis a just and holy God could forgive a guilty sinner. This was to be proclaimed one thousand years later by the Apostle Paul, himself once “a blasphemer, and a persecutor and injurious”; the “chief” of sinners, but forgiven and saved by the infinite grace of God (Tim. 1:13-15).

Preaching Christ at Antioch, in the province of Pisidia, Paul declared:

    “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that THROUGH THIS MAN IS PREACHED UNTO YOU THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, AND BY HIM ALL THAT BELIEVE ARE JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS, FROM WHICH YE COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW OF MOSES” (Acts 13:38,39).

But even this does not fully answer our question, for we must still ask: On what basis does God forgive sins through “this Man”? The answer is: on the basis of His payment for our sins on Calvary’s cross. Thus the Apostle wrote to the Romans, explaining how we may be…

    “…justified freely by His [God’s] grace, THROUGH THE REDEMPTION THAT IS IN CHRIST JESUS” (Rom. 3:24).

Now, thank God, through Christ’s finished work, there is not a sinner who needs to remain unforgiven, for:

    “In [Christ] we have redemption, through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE” (Eph. 1:7).

[nChrist]

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Continue Thou
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse…but continue thou” (II Tim.3:13,14).

These were among the last words of the great Apostle Paul, written in view of his approaching martyrdom, to Timothy, his beloved son in the faith.

Circumstances, outwardly, were anything but encouraging. It seemed that the last days of the dispensation of grace were indeed at hand. The apostle had borne many “persecutions” and “afflictions” and now “suffered trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds”. There were those who, like Jannes and Jambres, had “resisted the truth” (Verse 8). “Alexander the coppersmith” had done him “much evil” and had “greatly withstood his words” (4:14,15). “Evil men and seducers” had risen on every hand and were to “wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (II Tim. 3:13).

There was even defection among his own brethren in the faith, so that now, from his Roman prison, he had to report: “All they which are in Asia have turned away from me…Demas hath forsaken me…only Luke is with me” (II Tim. 1:15; 4:10,11).

And what, now, is his parting advice to young Timothy? Does he say: “Perhaps I have been too intense. My methods have made many enemies. I advise you to be more diplomatic and tolerant than I have been”. Hardly, for the records show Paul to have been of all men most tactful and considerate. His sufferings were not the result of a contentious spirit, but of his faithfulness in proclaiming that message which so embarrasses and enrages “our adversary, the devil”, that message which is God’s gracious response to man’s need and His answer to Satan’s slander — “the gospel of the grace of God”.

Thus it is that the Apostle urges Timothy: “Continue thou…be not ashamed…be strong”. He well knew that in this sin-cursed world the only hope for the individual is to be found in God’s offer of salvation through faith in the redemption wrought by Christ at Calvary.

[nChrist]

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The Truth Of The Gospel
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Twice in Galatians 2 Paul speaks of “the truth of the gospel.” In both cases the Apostle had been forced to speak out to defend the purity of “the gospel of the grace of God.”

In Verses 4,5 he refers to his contest with those at Jerusalem who would have brought the Gentile believers under the law of Moses. Among them were “false brethren,” he says, “unawares brought in… to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”

In the second case he refers to a controversy with Peter who, having enjoyed blessed fellowship with Gentile Christians, had been intimidated by some of his Jewish brethren into separating himself from the Gentiles. Concerning this, Paul writes: “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed” (Ver. 11). Why was Peter to be blamed? Verse 14 answers: Because he “walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel,” i.e., “the gospel of the grace of God,” in which believing Jews and Gentiles are “one body in Christ.”

How we should all thank God for Paul’s vigorous defense of the gospel of grace, under which all who trust in Christ as Savior are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one true Bible Church (I Cor. 12:13).

Doubtless Paul’s stand for “the gospel of the grace of God” stemmed from the fact that he himself had experienced the truth of this blessed message. As the chief of sinners he had been gloriously saved. All his power and prestige as a Pharisee, all his intellectual achievement, all his rigid Law observance meant nothing now, as in the presence of the glorified Lord he saw himself a sinner, the chief of sinners, and was saved by the matchless grace of God.

[nChrist]

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The Hope of Glory
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[nChrist]

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Gladly The Cross I'd Bear
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


The above title is based on an old Christian joke that tells of a hymn by this name that was misunderstood by a child to refer to a cross-eyed bear named Gladly! It is not known if there ever was such a hymn, but the idea for the title surely comes from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ:

    "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it" (Matt. 10:38,39).

It is commonly taught from these words that "everyone has his cross in life to bear," that we all face different challenges in life, and if we bear them well we will go to heaven. That this cannot be our Lord's intent can be seen from Mark 10:21, where the Lord told the rich young ruler:

    "...take up THE cross, and follow Me."

Here we see the Lord was not speaking of each man having his own personal burden in life to bear that was distinct from that of others, but rather that He had one cross in mind that each man had to shoulder, and in so doing make it his own. By examining the context of each time the Lord spoke about bearing a cross, we can learn about the particular cross He had in mind.

Often when the Lord spoke about bearing a cross (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34 ; Luke 9:23), it was in the context of His own death on the Cross (Matt. 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22). Thus the "cross" that the kingdom saint was asked to bear was a willingness to give his life for the Lord, just as the Lord had given His life for them. This willingness to die for the Lord is also mentioned in the context of bearing the cross (Matt. 10:38,39; 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24).

But while many kingdom saints gave their lives for the cause of Christ, as will many more in the coming Tribulation, certainly not all Hebrew believers were called upon to bear the cross of martyrdom. However, the context of many of these "bear his cross" verses indicates that there was yet another way that kingdom saints could give their life for the Lord. It is significant that several times after speaking of bearing the cross, the Lord said:

    "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul" (Matt. 16:26 cf. Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25).

Since the Kingdom gospel included the command to sell "all" of one's belongings (Luke 12:33 ; 18:22), it appears that the "cross" the Lord asked all kingdom saints to bear was the selling of all their material possessions.

And so, in summary, the "cross" the Lord asked the Hebrews to bear was the giving of their lives for Him, some as living sacrifices and some as dying sacrifices, just as He had given His life for them.

[nChrist]

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 That Blessed Hope

by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “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: 13,14).

A rich harvest of blessing was reaped for the Church in those years before and after the turn of the century when the great truth of the Lord’s coming to catch away His own was recovered by men of God and the expectancy of His appearing became once more “that blessed hope” to multitudes of believers.

Now some are pointing to such passages as Matthew 24:6-9 and 29, 30 to prove that the Church will go through the tribulation. Others have adopted a “mid-tribulation” view, holding that the Church will go through only the first half of the tribulation period, and will be caught away before the fearful outpouring of God’s wrath in the “great tribulation.” Still others hold the so-called “partial rapture” view on the basis of our Lord’s exhortation to His disciples in Luke 21:36. According to this view only those “counted worthy” will be caught up at the rapture.

And thus the glorious prospect that Paul, by inspiration, holds out to the members of Christ’s body as “that blessed hope,” is again being lost to growing numbers of sincere believers, simply because they fail to recognized it as a distinctly Pauline revelation.

It is a significant fact that in the very first epistle from Paul’s pen he already refers to a prior hope for the members of the Body of Christ, the hope of a coming of Christ which precedes His return to earth to reign. In I Thessalonians 1:9,10 he recalls:

    “…how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God,

    “AND TO WAIT FOR HIS SON FROM HEAVEN….”

And in I Thessalonians 4:16-18 he explains:

    “…We which are alive and remain…shall be CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS, TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

    “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

To those who remain blind to this important fact such passages as Matthew 24 must qualify, if not contradict, I Thessalonians 4, and any attempt to harmonize the Gospel records as to Christ’s return with Paul’s special revelation as to His coming for His own, must end in the most bewildering confusion.

But we who do recognize the distinctive character of Paul’s apostleship and revelation have no such problem to vex us. To us “that blessed hope” glows — surely should glow — brighter as the days grow darker.

[nChrist]

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The Bible and Its Author
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Back on the shelf she placed the book with a sigh. It was too dull and uninteresting to wade through. She didn’t feel like reading anyway; in fact, she was utterly bored, and didn’t feel like doing anything.

The next night was different — very different. At a party she had met the kind of man she could really go for. He seemed interested in her too, and in the weeks that followed they saw more and more of each other, until she was sure she loved him.

One night he mentioned something about a book he had written, and somehow the title rang a bell with her. Where had she seen it? It bothered her that she couldn’t remember. When she reached home, however, it dawned on her all of a sudden. This was the book she had found so boring. She hadn’t even noticed the name of the author.

Taking the book down from the shelf again, she began reading. As she read page after page, she asked herself: “Why did I think this book was dry? Say, this is some book! I had no idea he could write — and so well!” And thus, avidly, she continued reading far into the night.

Yes, it makes a great deal of difference if you know the Author — and especially if you love him! How many believers in Christ there are whose most precious hours are spent in reading and studying the Bible — a Book which once seemed dull and uninteresting to them! The reason? They have come to know and love the Author!

Our Lord said: “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). But how do we obtain the “life eternal” with which this knowledge is bound up? Our Lord said: “He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John 6:47). Salvation is, after all, a love story to be believed, and by which we come to know Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

[nChrist]

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All For Us
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever thought how much God has done “for us” in Christ?

In Romans 8:32 we read that to save us from sin, God “spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up FOR US all”. In Titus 2:14 we are told that Christ “gave Himself FOR US, that He might redeem us from all iniquity…”. In Romans 5:8 the Apostle declares that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died FOR US”. Galatians 3:13 says that Christ was “made a curse FOR US”.

Hebrews 9:12 states that “He entered…into the holy place [the presence of the Father], having obtained eternal redemption FOR US”. And if we trust Him for this “eternal redemption” we may read further in Hebrews 9:24 that “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands…but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God FOR US”. Romans 8:34 asks who can condemn the believer in Christ, since HE [the Lord Jesus Christ] is now “at the right hand of God” and “maketh intercession FOR US”.

Hebrews 6:20 declares that our Lord entered the Father’s presence “FOR US” as our “Forerunner”. Hebrews 10:19,20 therefore encourages believers to come to God in prayer: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to ENTER into the holiest by the blood of Jesus…a new and living way, which He hath consecrated FOR US…”.

Just think how much God has done FOR US in Christ! He delivered His beloved Son to death FOR US, Christ gave Himself FOR US, died FOR US, became a curse FOR US, intercedes FOR US, entered heaven FOR US as a Forerunner, and consecrated “a new and living way” into God’s presence FOR US, so that we may “come boldly unto the throne of grace” to “obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). “If God be FOR US, who can be against us” (Rom. 8:31)?