Two Minutes With The Bible

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The Origin of Lawlessness
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


    "What do you attribute the lawlessness to that currently plagues the nations?"

It is a product of the mystery of iniquity, which is Satan's plan to undermine all God-given authority. He has been effectively working behind the scenes since the days of the Apostle Paul to bring the world to a state of chaos, with a specific purpose in mind (II Thes. 2:1-12).

The false religions that Satan introduced throughout the centuries all stand in direct opposition to the true Church, where righteousness is extolled as a virtue. Contrariwise, in the name of religion, which Karl Marx called "the opiate of the people," terrorists shed the blood of innocent victims to promote their ungodly ideology. Sadly, we are only witnessing the tip of the iceberg. Make no mistake, the primary target of these extreme jihadists is Christians. Simply watch their training clips, and you will find that most of the images they are shooting at have the Cross of Christ embossed on them.

Satan also loves to sing the praises of theological liberalism! The Word of God that once influenced the lives of both the believer and unbeliever is no longer held up as the final authority. The new normal is there are no absolutes any more. The mantra of our day is, "Let every man do what's right in his own eyes" (cf. Judges 21:25). As a result, our streets have become like the wild west with shootings and murders commonplace.

With no spiritual mooring to the Word of God, marriage has become optional with more and more couples living together. This is the seed plot for immorality and pornography which have become rampant, leaving the souls of men and women burdened with guilt and a sense of worthlessness. Satan has successfully undermined the authority of the home, which is foundational to any society. Every time he destroys a home it weakens the moral fabric of a nation.

Clearly Satan is behind these evil influences and every other evil known to mankind. He merely sets things in motion, and the flesh is more than willing to accommodate whatever sinful pursuit that is put before it. The goal of the evil one is to bring the world to the precipice of utter confusion. When he accomplishes this objective, he will introduce the Antichrist after the Rapture of the Church. The man of sin will step onto the stage of the world as a man of peace, with all the answers to the world's ills that have eluded men. He will be an overnight sensation being the Devil's "Answer Man."

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What's Behind Our Moral Decline?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam

One does not have to be a prude to conclude that our country is suffering a serious moral decline. Our rulers and law enforcement agencies seem powerless to cope with it. Campaigns to check it seem vain. J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI warned us again and again that the alarming rate of this downward trend would spell ruin for America if not checked soon. But what most people fail to realize is that behind this moral decline there is a spiritual decline. America has departed from God and His Word.

Paul’s letter to the Romans tells us how the heathen got that way. Rom. 1:21,22 says: “When they knew God they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise they became fools,” and the verses that follow tell how God finally had to “give them up” to “uncleanness” and “vile affections”–all because “they did not like [wish] to retain God in their knowledge” (Ver. 28).

St. Paul further describes them in Eph. 4:17-19, as walking “in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who being past feeling [conscience] have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” This, sad to say, is an accurate description of increasing numbers in America today. They are throwing off restraint and going after uncleanness “with greediness.”

But this is not liberty, it is enslavement. It is not a sign of strength, but of weakness. It does not indicate superior intelligence, but grossest ignorance, and is the result of alienation from God.

How much better off are those who have come to know God through Christ! Of these the Apostle says:

    “And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled, in the body of His flesh, through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight” (Col. 1:21,22).

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Go, And Sin No More
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The self-righteous Pharisees had brought a fallen woman to Jesus and, “when they had set her in the midst”, they began to accuse her, saying: “Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest Thou?” (John 8:5).

They were using this fallen woman to embarrass the Lord into agreeing that this woman should be stoned, or else leaving Himself open to a charge of repudiating Moses’ Law.

At first He made “as though He heard them not”, but, when they continued asking, they got what they asked for! Simply answering: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her”, the Lord turned away again to let that sentence do its work. They had “set her in the midst”. Now He had set them in the midst and, “being convicted by their own conscience”, they “went out one by one” (Ver.9).

And there stood the woman alone before Him: a great sinner and a great Saviour. Since none of the Pharisees had dared to cast a stone at her, the Lord said: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (Ver.11).

Thus the Lord graciously forgave the sinner-woman, yet without ignoring the demand of the Law. He had not denied that the woman deserved punishment. He had only pointed out that the Pharisees themselves were sinners; that they, like she, needed a Saviour.

Thank God! Since “Christ died for our sins”, God can justly forgive us — and He will, IF we but acknowledge our sin and our need of a Saviour, and do not join the self-righteous who keep “going about to establish their own righteousness” (Rom.10:3).

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save SINNERS…” (I Tim.1:15). God is very gracious to those who will acknowledge their sin and their need: “For the same Lord over all is RICH UNTO ALL THAT CALL UPON HIM.”

    “FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED” (Rom. 10:12,13).

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A Ransom For All
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (I Tim. 2:5,6).

Man, in his present condition is not fit to stand in the presence of a holy God. If we are honest with ourselves we will feel the need of a mediator — a go-between — who can represent us in the presence of God. Job felt this when, realizing this need, he cried:

    “There is no daysman who can lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:33).

Thank God, a “daysman” or “mediator” has been provided for sinful men — a go-between, who can act as an intermediary between sinful men and a holy God. This Mediator is Christ, Son of God and Son of man.

What a blessing to know that the Son of God became the Son of man that the sons of men might become the sons of God! Though perfect and sinless, He died upon Calvary’s cross, disgraced as a malefactor, so that His payment for sin might be credited to our account and we might stand before God without one sin to our charge.

Though Christ’s death for sin was credited to all believers, even of past ages, it was not proclaimed until sometime after the cross, when God in grace saved Saul of Tarsus, the chief of sinners (I Tim. 1:15). This is why the Apostle declares that Christ “gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

It was when Saul, the chief of sinners, was saved on the road to Damascus, that God began to show to him that Christ had died as “a ransom for all,” and God sent him forth to proclaim this glorious message.

This is why Paul’s epistles are so filled with references to salvation through the cross, the death, the blood of Christ. And it is on this basis that the Apostle offers to all salvation by grace, through faith in the finished work of Christ, and proclaims to all the simple offer of salvation: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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Do I Need To Know the Time and Date?
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


    "I don't know the exact time and date I was saved. I've been told that I should know this if I'm truly saved. Is this true?"

Knowing your spiritual birthday is not required at all. Whether you know in your heart that you've placed your faith in the gospel of grace that Christ died for your sins personally, was buried, and rose again is what is required for your salvation (Eph. 2:8,9; 1 Cor. 15:3,4).

In my own life, I have no clue as to the exact time and date that I was saved. I grew up in a home where the gospel was constantly before me. In my father's pulpit ministry, his hell-fire sermons scared me to death. I can vividly remember praying in the pew, telling the Lord that I believe. I did this many times. Eventually I stopped, because I knew I was right with the Lord and saved from my sins.

The idea that you have to know an exact time you were saved doesn't come from the Bible. It comes from man. Our confidence for our salvation shouldn't be in a date anyway. Our confidence is in Christ, His Cross, and the Word of God. "The Lord knoweth them that are His" (2 Tim. 2:19), and if you've placed your faith in Christ that He died for you and rose again, you are His. Praise the Lord!

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Will We Also Go Away?
by Pastor Kevin Sadler


In 2010, after attending a Bible conference in West Virginia, our family went to visit New York City. Pastor Dennis Kiszonas graciously offered to be our guide for a tour of the city. Since we were staying in New Jersey with a dear friend, I asked Pastor Kiszonas if we could stop by Star of Hope Mission in nearby Paterson before going into the city. Pastor Cornelius R. Stam spent much of his childhood working at this mission with his father, Peter, who founded it in 1913. In that day, missionaries and well-known preachers came to Star of Hope and faithfully preached the Word with clarity and authority. Many were saved through this ministry's zeal for the Word of God and the unadulterated gospel of grace.

Arriving at the mission and going through the front door, I noticed a picture of Peter Stam prominently displayed in the foyer. However, right away I could see that the mission was no longer about proclaiming the Word of God. It had become a mission which was meeting only the community's need for food and clothing. While this is admirable, how much more important are the spiritual needs of the soul? Star of Hope had been founded to preach the Word with a burden for the salvation of souls, but they've turned away from this original purpose to focus on meeting physical needs. In old pictures we have here at BBS, around the auditorium of Star of Hope were Bible verses painted at the top of the walls, verses such as Hebrews 2:3: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation." As we toured the building, we saw boxes of food and clothing stacked high, blocking those verses and making them barely visible.

It reminded me how, over time, a ministry can lose sight of its primary purpose and how easy it is for other things and programs to take the place of what is most important: the eternal destiny of souls and the Word of God. What about the ministry you're involved with? Is the gospel of the grace of God and preaching the Word, rightly divided, the main purpose? When many of the Lord's followers left Him during His earthly ministry, He asked the twelve, "Will ye also go away?" (John 6:67). Will we also go away from the Lord in His heavenly ministry and from the things that matter most to Him? May it never be.

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The Baby Jesus And The Lord Of Glory
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Each year at Christmas-time, the “baby Jesus” is the subject of discussion and attention. Indeed, all year long the Babe in its mother’s arms and the dying Sufferer on the cross are kept constantly before the masses, while our Lord’s resurrection, ascension and present glory in heaven are given but scant attention. This is because so few have taken note of the great message of the Apostle Paul about the glorified Lord in heaven. In II Cor. 5:16, the Apostle wrote:

    “…yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more.”

It is sad that so many still know only “Christ after the flesh.” They love to discuss the “gospel stories” about the “Man of Galilee,” but find themselves strangers in the great Epistles of St. Paul.

Paul was the apostle for this present “dispensation of the grace of God.” It is he who presents Christ in His present glory as the great Dispenser of redeeming grace, through the merits He won at Calvary. In Eph. 1:15-23 we have recorded for us the Apostle’s prayer that we might be given “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ” that we might come to experience…

    “What is the exceeding greatness of [God’s] power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,

    “Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.

    “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world [age], but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:19-21).

Let us thank God that the baby Jesus died for our sins and became the risen, living Savior at God’s right hand, abundantly “able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him” (Heb. 7:25).

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Banners To Display
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


If there is one thing that God would have His people do amid the rising apostasy of our day it is to show their colors. As the enemy comes in like a flood, even Bible-believing Christians are apt to hide a banner which they should unfurl and boldly display. That banner is Christ. How many believers fear to speak up for Him because His name is increasingly despised!

But, as in any war of any size, many and varied flags are carried into battle, this is so in the Christian conflict too, for the Bible, godly living, faithful comrades, etc., are all banners by which we should take our stand, flags we should display.

One such banner is fundamentalism, a slogan, a battle cry, which many believers are putting aside and hiding away just when they should display and wave it boldly. Some, recognizing the spiritual decline among fundamentalists, prefer to be called simply believers or Christians. We can appreciate this point of view but do not feel it is valid in this time of spiritual crisis.

At a time when the fundamentals of the Christian faith are being threatened as never before, we can do much to show that we stand for these basic doctrines, identifying ourselves openly with them by calling ourselves fundamentalists. The rapid pace at which the apostasy is rising about us makes it the more urgent that we display this banner. We believe that there is strong Scriptural support for this view, e.g., in Acts 23:6, where we read that Paul called himself a Pharisee to show that he stood for basic Bible doctrine and against those who denied it.

Bible-believing Christian: show your colors!

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Good Friday
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


There has been much debate among theologians as to whether the Lord Jesus Christ was actually crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Traditionally, of course, it is supposed to have taken place on Friday, but this writer has never been able to get very excited about such details. What matters is that Christ, the Creator, God in flesh, died in shame and disgrace and agony for sins He had never committed — for your sins and mine.

But have you ever considered that this in itself is not necessarily good news? Many an innocent person has died in the place of some guilty criminal who has gone free through some miscarriage of justice. We didn’t see anything good about this. When St. Peter addressed his kinsmen he blamed them for the crucifixion of Christ, saying: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you… as ye yourselves also know… ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:22, 23), and later he faced the Supreme Court of his nation and charged them with His death (Acts 4:5-11).

What then, was “good” about the death of Christ? Well, we come to this when we reach the Epistles of Paul in our Bibles. There the chief of sinners, saved by grace (I Tim. 1:15), exclaims: “He gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). He says: “God hath made Him to be sin for us… that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Cor. 5:21). He does not blame us for Christ’s death — though our sins helped to nail Him to that cross — but proclaims the glad news that, “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7). And why did He do this for us? “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”(Eph. 2:7).

So, for us who have trusted Christ as our Savior, the death of Christ at Calvary is indeed good news. We rejoice in it, sing about it, preach about it and all it has accomplished for a lost humanity. Little wonder Paul declared:

“God forbid that I should boast,” except in one thing: “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal. 6:14).

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Creation and Christ
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


When we believing Christians hear some “scientist” speak of “our ancestors” roaming this earth, say, 40,000,000 years ago, we become upset, and exclaim: “What nonsense!”

Why? The answer is that we know that the speaker is not stating scientific facts; he is propagating the long-disproven theory of evolution. Worse than that, the speaker has denied God’s own account of creation by disseminating a theory far more difficult to believe.

Yet, when the believer hears a scientist refer to some planet, say, 460,000,000 miles away he rejoices and exclaims: “How great is our God!” Why the difference? Ah, because astronomy, unlike evolution, is basically a science.

Granted, some astronomers may go far afield when they speculate on the origin of the universe; they may even make many errors in their calculations, but astronomy proper is nevertheless a science, based mainly on mathematics and physics. This has proved to be true as men from earth have orbited the earth and the moon and have landed on the moon, returning back to earth again. Indeed, it is only a few months since two soft landings (of instruments) were made on the planet Venus, about 67,000,000 miles away, and all the above with the earth, the moon and Venus, not only travelling through space at incredible speeds, but with each all the while revolving on its own individual axis!

The Lord Jesus Christ dwelt in glory “far above all heavens” in eternity past and came to earth to subject Himself to humiliation and death only that He might pay the penalty for our sins and redeem us to Himself:

    “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7).

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A Word Of Encouragement
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Grace be to you and peace
Though days be dark about us.
God’s working out His plan
All enemies regardless.

We know that Bethlehem’s Babe
Once crucified, is risen
And seated now above,
At God’s right hand in heaven.

And soon He’ll come again
His loved ones to deliver.
We’ll share His glory then
Forever and Forever.

So while we watch and wait
O, may His love constraining
Help us to live for Him
In all the hours remaining.

— C.R.S.

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Your Labor Is Not In Vain in the Lord -- Or Is It?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


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

Many years ago, my good friend Pastor John Fredericksen gave me a plaque engraved with this text, a plaque that sits on my desk here at Berean Bible Society to this day. As I labor for the Lord, it is such an encouragement to me to know that, no matter what, my labor is not in vain in the Lord.

But if that be so, why did Paul tell the Galatians,

    "Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain" (Gal. 4:10,11).

And what about what the apostle told the Philippians:

    "Do all things without murmurings and disputings…that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain" (Phil. 2:14-16).

And don't we find the same thought in I Thessalonians 3:5?

    "…I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain."

If it was possible that Paul's labor for the Lord might have been in vain, how could he tell the Corinthians that their labor could not be? How could the labor of a godly apostle be in vain, but not the labor of the carnal Corinthians?

We believe the answer is found in the context of the verse, where right before telling the Corinthians that their labor was not in vain, Paul spoke to them about the Rapture (I Cor. 15:51-57). In that day, when we stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ, no believer's labor will be in vain, for all of our labor for Him will be richly rewarded.

And so it is that, if the Galatians persisted in their legalism, if the Philippians continued to do things with murmurings and disputings, if the Thessalonians abandoned the faith, Paul's labor among them would have been in vain in this life, but not in the next life! And if you are feeling discouraged about your labor for the Lord because people whom you have led to Him have departed from the faith, or believers to whom you've introduced the grace message have turned their back on that blessed truth, you too can rejoice that your labor is not in vain in the Lord!

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The Spirit Of Promise
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “[Having] believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).

Of all the wonderful Scripture passages on the eternal security of the believer in Christ, this is perhaps the most blessed of all.

“[Having] heard the Word of truth you believed,” says the Apostle, and “[having] believed, you were sealed.” Now a seal speaks of finality and permanency, whether it be the official seal on an important document, the seal on an electric transformer or the seal on a jar of preserves. But the most blessed fact of all is that the believer in Christ is “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Mark well, he is sealed not by the Spirit but with the Spirit; the Spirit Himself is the seal.

Here, let us say, is a woman sealing jars of preserves with wax. The jars are sealed by the woman, but with the wax. Thus the humblest believer is sealed with the Spirit. It is He Himself who keeps us safe in Christ through all eternity.

And this is but the “earnest,” the first installment, “of our inheritance” (Ver. 14), for the Spirit keeps us secure in “this present evil age” so that “in the ages to come” God might show “the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (2:7).

Little wonder the Apostle closes this passage on our security with those appropriate words: “To the praise of His glory” (1:14).

What some theologians have called “the perseverance of saints” is not our perseverance at all, but God’s faithfulness. We have not persevered; He has preserved us by His grace for His glory.

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God's Eternal Purpose
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Have you ever considered carefully the opening words of the Bible? “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Why doesn’t it simply say that God created the Universe? Why the heaven and the earth?

As we go on reading we find the answer to this question, for the Bible clearly teaches that God has a two-fold purpose; one having to do with the earth and the other with heaven. The former is the subject of prophecy, while the latter is the subject of the “mystery”, or secret, revealed to and through St. Paul. (See Acts 3:21; and cf. Romans 16:25). The former concerns Israel and the nations; the latter “the Body of Christ”, the Church of the heavenly calling.

Some people are surprised to learn that there is not one promise in the whole Old Testament about going to heaven. There the whole outlook is earthly, with Messiah reigning as King (Jer. 23:5; et al). When our Lord appeared in the flesh the angels cried: “Peace on earth” (Luke 2:14). He Himself said that “the meek” shall “inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). He taught His disciples to pray: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Even at Pentecost Peter declared that after “the restitution of all things” God would send Jesus back to earth and the times of refreshing would “come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19-21).

Not until the raising up of Paul do we learn that now all believers in Christ are “baptized into one body” (I Cor. 12:13), and Colossians 1:5 and many other Pauline passages, speak of “the hope which is laid up for you IN HEAVEN”. Indeed, before God, believers are already given a position “in heavenly places” and are “blessed with all spiritual blessings IN [THE] HEAVENLIES in Christ” (Eph. 1:3; 2:4-7).

The prophecies regarding the Kingdom, however, will still be fulfilled and Christ will reign on earth and bring the promised “times of refreshing”. Thank God, this world will not forever be a place of war and bloodshed, sickness and death, misery and woe. Indeed, at that time, heaven and earth will be opened to each other, and thus will be fulfilled God’s two-fold purpose: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ…” (Eph. 1:10).

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What's In A Name?
by Pastor Ricky Kurth


That's the question Juliet asked upon learning that Romeo's last name was Montague, the family name of her rival. When she went on to say, "that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet," it is rumored that Shakespeare was poking fun at the Rose Theater, the rival of his own Globe Theater. The less-than-desirable sanitary conditions at the Rose were said to have created an atmosphere that was somewhat odoriferous!

The name "Paul" means small or little, but the apostle who bore that name was originally called "Saul" (Acts 13:9), a name that means desired. When the people of Israel desired a king (I Sam. 8:5), God told the prophet Samuel to choose a man named Saul (I Sam. 9:17). In relaying this to Saul, Samuel said, "On whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee?" (v. 20).

This prompts us to ask about the Apostle Paul, "Why would a man whose name means desired choose to go by a name that means small?" We believe the answer is that he no longer wanted to be desired of men. He now wished to appear small in the eyes of men, so that the Lord would loom large in their sight, and they would begin to desire Him instead. If you are looking for fulfillment in life, you might want to consider following his example, for that is the only path of joy for a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see this clearly emphasized in the case of King Saul, who chose a path that was opposite of the path chosen by Paul. King Saul started out little in his own eyes and then got "too big for his britches," as they say. We know Saul started out well, for when Samuel told him that God had chosen him to be Israel's king, he responded,

    "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?" (I Sam. 9:21).

As a member of the smallest family in the smallest tribe of Israel, Saul felt unqualified to lead God's people. But God chose him because he considered himself to be less than the least of all the saints in Israel. We know this because when he rebelled against God, Samuel said to him,

    "When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel... Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD..." (I Sam. 15:17-19).

Samuel's use of the past tense here indicates that Saul was no longer little in his own sight. Evidently he began to think, "I'm the king of Israel, I can do as I please!" If you're thinking that you're the king of your life, and can do as you please, you'll soon find yourself like Saul, someone who is no longer "meet for the Master's use" (II Tim. 2:21).

Beloved, it's human nature to want to be desired of men, but it's an evidence of divine nature to desire to look small in the sight of men so that the Lord might loom large in their eyes. Why not learn from King Saul's poor example, and choose the path the Apostle Paul chose. He started out as one who was desired of men, but learned to look at himself as "less than the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:8), one who longed that "Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death" (Phil. 1:20).

Do you long for the Lord to be magnified in you?