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THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST
«
Reply #630 on:
September 25, 2006, 01:50:54 AM »
September 23, 2006
THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST
by Cornelius R. Stam
"...the righteousness of God... by [the] faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe" (Rom. 3:22).
Note, the Apostle Paul here does not refer to faith in Christ, but the faith of Christ. Nor does he refer to what Christ believed, but rather to His worthiness to be believed, His fidelity, His trustworthiness.
We must not forget that faith is a reciprocal matter; it is two-sided. One side is objective; it believes in another. The other is subjective; it is a trustworthy character. One refers to what a person does; the other to what he is. If I have faith in you, you should keep faith with me; you should be trustworthy.
Seven times in St. Paul’s epistles he refers to "the faith of Christ" and each time his purpose is to emphasize our Lord’s worthiness of our complete confidence. That he does not refer to our faith in Christ is evident on the surface in each case. In the passage above he declares that the righteousness of God, which is "by the faith of Christ," is conferred "upon all them that believe" (Here’s your faith in Him).
Similarly, in Gal. 3:22 he states that "the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to "them that believe." Here again, we believe because He is worthy of our confidence.
Again in Phil. 3:9, the Apostle expresses his desire for a righteousness not of his own, "but that which is through the faith of Christ" -- and then adds: "the righteousness which is of God by faith." Here’s man’s faith again! He has faith in Christ because Christ is completely faithful, completely worthy to be believed in. He paid the full penalty for our sins and is now in heaven dispensing the merits of Calvary -- riches of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
But remember, "the faith of Christ" always precedes our faith in Christ. What good would it do us to believe in Him for salvation if He were not wholly to be relied upon for this? But He can be trusted "to save... to the uttermost [all] who come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25). This is why Paul could say to the terrified jailor at Philippi:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
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THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF CALVARY
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September 25, 2006, 01:51:57 AM »
September 24, 2006
THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF CALVARY
by Cornelius R. Stam
Three times in Romans 5 we read that Christ died for us. Verse 6 tells us that He died for us in our weakness, Verse 8 that He died for us in our sin, and Verse 10 that He died for us in our rebellion.
First, Verse 6 says: "For when we were yet WITHOUT STRENGTH, in due time Christ died for the ungodly".
Men sometimes try to make themselves acceptable to God by human effort, but they never succeed. We can't walk or run to heaven, we can't even fly there, and we certainly can't climb there —- not even by doing good works, for good works is what we ought to do, and we should not expect them to counter-balance our sinful thoughts and deeds. Anyway, heaven is God's and He says we cannot gain it by works:
"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" (Eph.2:8,9).
Next, Romans 5:8 says: "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet SINNERS, Christ died for us".
Many people feel shut out of heaven, not merely because of a sense of helplessness, but because of a sense of sinfulness and condemnation. To such God proclaims the glad news that "Christ died for sinners", and "came into the world to save sinners" (ITim.1:15). At Calvary He paid the just penalty for sin -— for the sins of all mankind -— so that we, by faith, might be "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom.3:24).
But Romans 5:10 goes even further, offering hope and grace to those who have resisted God's grace and rejected His Son, for here the greatest Christ-rejecter of all time, now gloriously saved and changed, declares:
"When we were ENEMIES, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom.5:10).
And so the helpless, the sinful, yes, and the rebellious, can find acceptance with God if only they will turn from their sin and failure to Him. “BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED…” (Acts 16:31).
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WHICH APPEARING?
«
Reply #632 on:
September 25, 2006, 01:53:05 AM »
September 25, 2006
WHICH APPEARING?
by Russell S. Miller
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb.9:28).
When our Lord first came to earth, He came "to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself". This one infinite sacrifice was the great anti-type of all the Old Testament sacrifices. They were offered "year by year continually" (10:1); indeed, "it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats" could ever "take away sins" (10:4). But Christ, by His one sacrifice, "the sacrifice of Himself", put away sin, settling the sin question forever for believers.
But what about the latter part of our text, concerning His appearing "the second time"? Does this refer to His Second Coming to earth?
Hardly.
The second time our Lord comes to earth He will not come apart from the sin question. Rather He will come in wrath to judge sin.
"Because He [God] hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained, whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
It is concerning this return of Christ to earth that we read:
"And in righteousness doth He judge and make war" (Rev.19:11).
Clearly, our Lord’s appearing "apart from sin" cannot refer to His return to earth to judge the world for sin. And notice carefully: If our Lord were to catch up His Church after the Great Tribulation on His way to judge the world, as some teach, this would still be His return to judge the world for sin. Moreover, Hebrews 9:28 refers to our Lord’s appearing, not to those who reject Him, but to those who "look for Him".
To these--and we are among them!--He will appear, not in wrath to judge sin, but in love, "apart from sin unto salvation". In other words, we have here another reference to the rapture of "the Church, which is His Body". True, we will receive rewards or suffer loss for our service and conduct as believers, but our sins were fully paid for by that "one sacrifice" in which "Christ was offered to bear the sins of many". This appearing, "apart from sin", then, is the "appearing" to which Paul so often refers, and in Titus 2:13 he refer to it as a "blessed hope".
"LOOKING FOR THAT BLESSED HOPE AND THE GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THE GREAT GOD AND OUR SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST" (Tit.2:13).
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WONDERFUL NEWS
«
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September 30, 2006, 10:40:28 PM »
September 26, 2006
WONDERFUL NEWS
by Cornelius R. Stam
The newspapers are filled with sensational news these days, but the divine extension of this present age of grace is the most sensational news of all, yet most newspapers rarely, if ever, mention it.
We are prone to take the blessings of our times too much for granted. We forget too easily that for more than 1900 years the world has been ripe for God’s judgment -- ever since His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was crucified and sent from this world a royal Exile.
All through the Old Testament Psalms and prophets it is clear that the world’s rejection of Christ was to be visited with awful judgment. The Second Psalm, describing the world’s rejection of "the Lord and His Anointed," goes on to say: "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath and vex them in His sore displeasure." In Psalm 110:1, too, we have the Father saying to His rejected Son: "Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."
Yet, when all seemed ready for the divine judgment to fall, God interrupted the prophetic program and saved Saul of Tarsus, the "chief of sinners," the leader of the world’s rebellion against Christ. More: He appointed this Saul, as the Apostle Paul, to proclaim "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24), the wonderful news that because Christ suffered, the Just for the unjust, at Calvary, any sinner may be saved by grace through faith, apart from religious or other works.
"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). And therefore: "To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:5).
Judgment will come, but thank God, He has in grace delayed it until now.
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (II Cor. 6:2).
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GRACE AND PEACE
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September 30, 2006, 10:41:57 PM »
September 27, 2006
GRACE AND PEACE
by Cornelius R. Stam
For many years this writer, along with the mass of religious people, supposed that the Bible phrase "grace and peace be unto you" was simply a beautiful, spiritual salutation. Thank God we have come to learn that it is much more than a salutation. It is an official proclamation.
Every single one of the epistles signed by St. Paul opens with the declaration: "Grace be unto you and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." This was the theme of the message which he, as a duly appointed ambassador, had been sent to proclaim.
To appreciate this fully we must remember that God had declared in prophecy that He would reply to the world’s rejection of Christ with judgment. Psa. 110:1 pictures the Father saying to the Son: "Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool." Psa. 2:5 declares: "Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure."
After the crucifixion and ascension of Christ it seemed that all was ready for the judgment to fall. As the signs of Pentecost appeared Peter declared: "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16) and it did indeed look as if the rejected Lord was about to return to "judge and make war," as Rev. 19:11 puts it. But now, instead of judgment and war, St. Paul proclaims grace and peace. Does this not indicate that in grace God interrupted the prophetic program to bring in the present dispensation under which God’s ambassadors proclaim with Paul:
"But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin hath reigned... so might grace reign" (Rom. 5:20,21).
Indeed, Paul the former persecutor was himself the living demonstration of God’s grace to a Christ-rejecting world. In I Tim. 1:15,16 he declares:
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
"Howbeit, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting."
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THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF GOD’S WORD TO THE BELIEVER
«
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September 30, 2006, 10:43:14 PM »
September 28, 2006
THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF GOD’S WORD TO THE BELIEVER
by Cornelius R. Stam
The Bible will always have first place in the life of the spiritual Christian.
It is of utmost importance that we understand this, for some who feel themselves quite spiritual give much time to prayer, but little, if any, to the study of the Word. Such have actually fallen for the subtle trick of the adversary to play upon their natural human pride and cause them to exalt self and push God into the background.
In saying this we do not for one moment minimize the importance of prayer; we only stress the supreme importance of the holy Word of God. In this we are surely Scriptural, for David says, by inspiration:
"For Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name" (Psa. 138:2).
Of those who would still object and place first emphasis upon prayer rather than upon the Word, we would ask one simple question: Which is the more important, what we have to say to God or what He has to say to us? There can be but one answer to this question, for obviously what God has to say to us is infinitely more important than anything we might have to say to Him. Our prayers are as fraught with failure as we are, but the Word of God is infallible, immutable and eternal.
Yet some, having fallen for one of Satan’s "devices" and feeling quite spiritual about it, are like the talkative person to whom one listens and listens, occasionally nodding his head, but receiving little or no opportunity to "get a word in edgewise." They do all the talking, but give little time listening to what God has to say to them.
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DON’T TELL HIM A THING
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September 30, 2006, 10:44:27 PM »
September 29, 2006
DON’T TELL HIM A THING
by Cornelius R. Stam
Many years ago the writer’s father, then a city missionary, received a telephone call from a prominent liberal clergyman.
"Peter," said the clergyman, "I’ve got a young man here in the outer office who seems to be in great distress. He says he feels he’s so great a sinner that he’s overstepped the line and God won’t forgive him. Now you’ve had a lot of experience with such people. What shall I tell him?" The clergyman didn’t even know how to help a troubled soul.
"Don’t tell him a thing; I’ll be right over ," said dad, and he left immediately to deal with the young man himself. Dad knew very well what was the matter with this young lad. The Holy Spirit had convicted him of his sin (John 16:8 ). The lad had come to see himself as he really was -- as God saw him, and sees any unsaved person, no matter how religious.
No person ever comes to see his need of a Savior until he has first come to see himself as a condemned sinner before God. And it is only when we come to see ourselves as we are in the sight of a holy God that there is hope of salvation.
The self-righteous do not see their need of a Savior. What would He save them from? What have they done that is so wrong? This is the way their reasoning goes. It is only when we begin to appreciate the holiness and righteousness of God that it dawns upon us that our condition is hopeless without a Savior.
Strange, is it not, that so many people have pictures hanging on their walls of our Lord crowned with thorns or hanging on a cross, yet do not really know Him as a Savior, their own Savior.
But when we have been convicted of our sin and our hopeless condition before God, we are ready to take in the words spoken by Paul to the trembling jailor at Philippi:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
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THE RACE SET BEFORE US
«
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September 30, 2006, 10:45:43 PM »
September 30, 2006
THE RACE SET BEFORE US
by Russell S. Miller
As another New Year dawns its always wise to give the Scriptures our careful attention so as to please the One who paid the ultimate sacrifice on account of our sins at Calvary, our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
It is not that we merely wish to please Him, but our gratitude should manifest itself in the lives we live for Him. It was indeed for this reason that the Apostle Paul has so much to say about "the race set before us."
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb.12:1).
As I opened my Bible in the study of this subject I discovered that the word "race" [agon], here, is only found in the following verses, having to do with the athlete in the race, rather than the course itself:
Philippians 1:30: "Having the same conflict which ye saw in me...."
Colossians 2:1: "...what great conflict I have for you...."
I Thessalonians 2:2: "...we were bold in our God to speak unto you the Gospel of God with much contention".
I Timothy 6:12: "Fight the good fight of faith...."
II Timothy 4:7: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith".
Hebrews 12:1: "...the race that is set before us".
On the other hand, the Greek word stadion, "they which run in a race", is translated "furlongs"
(the 220 yard dash), five times in our Bibles (Luke 24:13; John 6:19; 11:18; Rev. 14:20; 21:16) and, surprisingly only once in Paul's epistles where it is rendered "race" (ICor. 9:24). The Apostle does not refer to the course, here, which the contestants ran in their Greeks games, but to the Christian life.
"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" (ICor.9:24).
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LEGITIMATE PRAYER
«
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October 01, 2006, 09:23:34 AM »
October 1, 2006
LEGITIMATE PRAYER
by Cornelius R. Stam
Prayer, in Old Testament times, was based upon a covenant relationship with God, or it was an appeal to His revealed nature as merciful, gracious, etc. Today it is based upon the redemptive work of Christ, whose death opened the way for us into the Father's presence. This is why acceptable prayer today is offered “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”. With our Lord's departure from this world in view, He said to His disciples:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My name…At that day ye shall ask in My name: and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you, for the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me…” (John 16:24-27).
Thus today we pray directly to the Father in the name of the Son.
Our prayers, however, are often faltering and sometimes the way is so dark before us that we do not even know what to ask for. Thus Paul declared: “We know not what we should pray for as we ought” (Rom.8:26). But he was quick to follow this with the declaration:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom.8:28 ).
This is why the Apostle Paul encourages God's people:
“Be careful [anxious] for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God:
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil.4:6,7).
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb.4:16).
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Euthanasia
«
Reply #639 on:
October 02, 2006, 10:43:33 PM »
October 2, 2006
Euthanasia
by Paul M. Sadler, President
Scripture Reading:
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."
-- Hebrews 9:27
It is our firm conviction that every believer in Christ should strongly oppose euthanasia on the grounds that it runs contrary to the revealed will of God. Euthanasia is the deliberate act of prematurely terminating the life of someone who is hopelessly ill. This is normally achieved through the controlled inhalation of carbon monoxide, by a lethal injection of drugs or withholding nourishment. Those who are advocates of this unwholesome rationale believe that it is morally acceptable to end the pain and suffering of a loved one whose life would otherwise be meaningless. In the name of compassion Michigan's infamous "Dr. Death" has assisted in many such suicides, proclaiming himself to be an angel of mercy.
Thankfully most physicians still hold to the Hippocratic oath, which states that every effort should be made to preserve life. But even more importantly, man has no moral right to terminate a life that has been given by God. It has been appropriately said: "Suicide doesn't end the pain, it only lays it on the broken shoulders of the survivors." Many seem to have forgotten that it is God "in whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind" (Job 12:10). We sympathize, of course, with any family who has a loved one who is terminally ill. Nevertheless, to cut that life short may send them to a Christless eternity when they might have otherwise believed before their natural death. Also, we may never know how many souls in the medical profession have been saved because they were in the presence of a dying saint or family member who was faithful in sharing Christ. The Lord's consolation at such times is "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE!"
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DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
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October 03, 2006, 10:30:55 PM »
October 3, 2006
DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
by Russell S. Miller
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (IICor.4:4).
People sin under the cover of darkness—"they that be drunken are drunken in the night" (IThes.5:7). They suppose darkness hides the things they do. This is why unsaved man prefers evolution to creation. It destroys the thought, so he thinks, of having to "give [an] account of himself to God" (Rom.14:12).
How sad! You cannot hide from God. Because there is coming a day "in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
In "that day" these poor souls will only wish they could hide from God, but they will not be able to do so. See Revelation 6:15-17; 20:11-15. These same, now suppose that "that day" is so far away that they need not be concerned. To this the Apostle retorts:
"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight. But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb.4:13).
The difference between the unsaved and those of us who are saved is that we not only have a Saviour, but we also have "a great high priest", who intercedes for us when we fail. The Lord Jesus loves you, my unsaved friend, and wants to be your Saviour, too.
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom.8:31-34).
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb.4:14-16).
Don’t hide like Adam who sinned, but "seek the Lord, if haply [you] might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us" (Acts 17:27)
Even in the darkness of this world’s sin and wickedness God is there, and He will hear you, and save you, if you will simply ask Him (Rom.10:13).
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GOD’S PROMISE vs. MAN’S EFFORTS
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October 06, 2006, 04:08:38 AM »
October 4, 2006
GOD’S PROMISE vs. MAN’S EFFORTS
by Cornelius R. Stam
"For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law worketh wrath..." (Rom. 4:14,15).
This should be self-evident to us all. If blessing is gained by the works of the Law, it is earned. This is why Gal. 3:18 says: "If the inheritance be of the law it is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise."
The Apostle Paul, God’s great apostle of grace, declares in Rom. 4:4,5:
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
But let’s go back to that phrase: "the law worketh wrath." Many people somehow do not see this. Even some clergymen tell us that the Law was given to help us to be good. But God Himself says, "the law worketh wrath." Every criminal knows this, and every sinner should know it. God certainly places strong emphasis upon it:
"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions" (Gal. 3:19), "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be brought in guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20).
If we come to God expecting eternal life because of our good works, are we not offering Him our terms, which He can never accept? He will never sell salvation at any price, and certainly not for a few paltry "good" works, when our lives are filled with failure and sin.
Our only hope? God has promised to give eternal life to those who trust in His Son (John 3:35,36; Acts 16:31; etc.).
"The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).
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JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME
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October 06, 2006, 04:10:01 AM »
October 5, 2006
JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME
by Russell S. Miller
In Genesis 15:5,6, God told Abraham to look up and count the stars, for "So shall thy seed be", and Abraham "believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness". But who is the "God" in whom Abraham believed, what is His name?
When the Israelites were in the bondage of Egyptian slavery and Moses was commanded to deliver them out of Egypt, he also inquired about God’s name:
"...Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name?, what shall I say unto them?
"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Ex.3:13,14).
Now in Exodus 6:3, the Lord again spoke to Moses:
"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them".
So it was Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty, in whom Abraham believed, the same Lord who "made Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Gen.1:1; Ex.20:11; Eph.3:9).
In John 8:56 Christ spoke to the Jews of His day about Abraham’s God: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad". How often in John’s gospel the Lord speaks this truth, that "...Before Abraham was, I AM" (8:56; 6:35; 8:12; 10:7-11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1-5). This is most interesting, because, in the darkness of that night of Christ’s betrayal and arrest, they fell over "backward" upon hearing those two little words, "I AM" (John 18:5,6). The Eternal God was in their presence! And they could only arrest Him, as He voluntarily surrendered to God’s purpose.
So, Jehovah, of the Old Testament, is the Lord Jesus Christ, of the New Testament.
In his epistles, the Apostle Paul relates that this same JESUS "took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
"And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.2:7,8).
Thus, the Apostle points peoples of all nationalities to the Christ of Calvary’s cross as the only means of salvation today:
"For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom.4:3-5).
Jehovah means Saviour, Jesus Christ is our only Saviour, consequently, God will also "count" your "faith" for "righteousness", if you will simply believe what the Bible says about Jesus Christ:
"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins ... that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in JESUS" (Rom.3:24-26).
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THE MOST IMPORTANT HOUR OF HISTORY
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October 08, 2006, 06:18:44 AM »
October 6, 2006
THE MOST IMPORTANT HOUR OF HISTORY
by Cornelius R. Stam
The most important hour of all history was the hour when the Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cross for the sins of mankind. Often, in Scripture, the hour of our Lord’s death is called simply "the hour ," "My hour ," or "His hour."
To fulfill prophecy He could not have died one hour earlier, or one later: Until that hour arrived His enemies were somehow restrained from doing Him bodily harm, so that we read in John 7:30:
"Then they sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on Him, because HIS HOUR WAS NOT YET COME" (See also John 8:20).
This hour was to be for Him a time of unspeakable agony and shame. Referring to this, He said to Andrew and Philip:
"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save Me from this hour? But FOR THIS CAUSE CAME I UNTO THIS HOUR" (John 12:27).
He had come to die for the sins of the world and would not now turn away from the sufferings involved. But this hour of suffering and shame was also an hour of glory, for there the Son of God paid a debt which would have sunk a world to hell. This is why, at this same time, in the very shadow of the cross, He said:
"THE HOUR IS COME THAT THE SON OF MAN SHOULD BE GLORIFIED. Verily, verily I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:23,24. See also John 17:1,2).
Little wonder we read in John 3:35,36:
"The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE: AND HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE, BUT THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDETH ON HIM."
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THE SECRET OF THE GOSPEL
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October 08, 2006, 06:20:51 AM »
October 7, 2006
THE SECRET OF THE GOSPEL
by Cornelius R. Stam
Significantly, it was to Paul, not Peter, that "the secret of the gospel" was first revealed. (See Eph. 3:1-3; 6:19). It was he who was first sent forth to proclaim the doctrine of salvation, and to reveal all that had been accomplished at Calvary.
The Old Testament Scriptures had predicted that the sins of others would be laid upon Christ, but they had not explained how Christ’s death would be the basis for the sinner’s justification.
Many a criminal has gone free because his crimes have been "pinned on" another, but this has by no means justified the criminal! Some sincere Christians seem to think that substitution is the very acme of Bible truth, when in fact it is but the beginning, for substitution in itself does not imply the sinner’s justification.
It is also true that salvation had been offered before Paul. Men were told what to do to be saved -- though the terms varied from time to time -- and were even instructed, upon Christ’s arrival, to believe in Him for salvation. At that time sacrifices, circumcision, water baptism, etc., were still required for the remission of sins -- and any believer would approach God in His way. This is why these religious rites were observed throughout our Lord’s earthly ministry and even through Pentecost.
The Apostle Paul, however, was later raised up to make known "the secret of the gospel," and to proclaim the glorious accomplishments of Christ at Calvary. All the rich blessings so thrillingly set forth in Paul’s epistles flow to us from Calvary. Ours is a heavenly position because He came to earth to die for our sins. Ours is "the hope of glory," because He suffered our shame. Ours is the blessing of "peace with God" because He bore God’s wrath upon sin. Ours is relief from the load of sin because He bore that load. Every one of our "all spiritual blessings" comes to us from Calvary. Paul’s "secret of the gospel" centers in Calvary. Little wonder St. Paul calls his preaching "the preaching of the cross."
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