Two Minutes With The Bible

[nChrist]

August 2, 2007
       
        CONFESSING CHRIST
        by Cornelius R. Stam
       
        “...if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9,10).
       
        In these sublime words the Apostle Paul sets forth God’s simple plan of salvation. He calls it, in the preceding verse, “The word of faith, which we preach.”
       
        But often babes in Christ are urged to get to their feet in public testimony on the basis of the words: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth . . . thou shalt be saved.” Thus new Christians are given to feel that a heart faith is not enough to make them secure; that not until they have risen in public testimony are they saved and safe.
       
        But what, then, does the Apostle mean by these words? Does he not plainly say, “If thou shalt confess… thou shalt be saved?” Yes, but here again, as with so many other passages, a traditional meaning has been superimposed upon the actual words of Scripture. What does the English word “confess” mean? Why, nothing more than to “acknowledge,” to “admit.” And this is exactly what the original Greek word means too, nor does Romans 10:9,10 say anything about confessing before men.
       
        The trouble is that the idea of confession has been changed to profession -— even public profession -— and multitudes have followed the tradition of the fathers instead of examining the Word to see what it actually says. And so “the Word of faith” has been corrupted.
       
        But does not the Apostle clearly say “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth... thou shalt be saved?” Indeed! And he adds, “and shalt believe in thine heart!” Now let us ask: Is it with that physical organ which pumps blood into our veins that we believe on Christ as our Savior? Oh, no! You say that is merely a figure of speech; somehow the heart is associated with believing. Exactly! Then you would insist that it is with the physical mouth we must confess! Can mutes not be saved then?
       
        As if anticipating the misinterpretation of his words, the Spirit-inspired Apostle adds:
       
        “For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Vers.11,13).
       
        This is “the Word of Faith, which we preach.”
       

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[nChrist]

August 3, 2007
       
        THE TIME ELEMENT IN SCRIPTURE       
        by Cornelius R. Stam
       
        How many Scriptural problems would be solved, how many seeming contradictions explained, if we were more careful to note the time element, emphasized so strongly in the Word of God.
       
        In Romans 5:12 we learn that sin entered the human race by Adam. Then later "the law entered" (Ver. 20). But still later the Apostle Paul arose to say: "But now, the righteousness of God without the law is manifested" (Rom. 3:21).
       
        Early in man’s history blood sacrifices were required for acceptance with God (See Gen. 4:4; Heb. 11:4), later circumcision and the Law (Gen. 17:14; Ex. 19:5), and still later, repentance and water baptism (Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38 ). But not until Paul do we learn of salvation by grace through faith alone, on the basis of Christ’s finished, all-sufficient work of redemption.
       
        This is why the Apostle refers in Gal. 3:23 to "the faith which should afterward be revealed." This is why he declares that our Lord "gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time", and adds: "whereunto I am ordained a preacher and an apostle" (I Tim. 2:6,7).
       
        It is only as we recognize the time element in Scripture that we see the difference between "the kingdom of heaven" and "the Body of Christ," between "the gospel of the kingdom" and "the gospel of the grace of God," between the "dispensation of law" and "the dispensation of the grace of God."
       
        A comparison of Romans 3:21 and 26 shows how this time element is emphasized in Scripture. After discussing the function of the Law in Verses 19 and 20, the Apostle Paul declares: "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested..." Then, in Ver. 26 he states that it is God’s purpose: "To declare, I say, at this time His [Christ’s] righteousness; that He [God] might be just and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."
       

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[nChrist]

August 4, 2007
       
        THE CAPTAIN OF OUR SALVATION
        by Cornelius R. Stam
       
        Years ago a man of God was asked to preach at the funeral of a young soldier whose parents were unsaved.
       
        During the course of his message the preacher sought to impress upon his hearers the basic fact that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom.6:23).
       
        This greatly upset the parents. After the service they complained: “This is embarrassing. Our boy was not a sinner.”
       
        The truth was that shortly before his death this young man had done what every true, born-again Christian has done. He acknowledged himself to be a lost sinner and, trusting Christ as his Savior, had been so gloriously saved that his parents were mystified that he could be so happy in the face of death.
       
        The simplest believer in Christ understands all this. He knows that for the “old man” the death of the body is indeed a “dishonorable discharge” for laws broken, orders disobeyed, responsibilities unmet, and trusts betrayed. But for the “new man the death of the body is the vestibule through which he is ushered into the blessed presence of “the Captain of our Salvation,” the One who “by the grace of God tasted death for every man” that He might “bring many sons unto glory” (See Hebrews 2:9,10).
       
        This is why we read in Hebrews 2:14,15:
       
        “Forasmuch, then, as the children [of Adam] were partakers of flesh and blood, He [Christ] also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
        “And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
       
        No wonder St. Paul’s simple message of salvation was: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
       

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[nChrist]

August 5, 2007
       
        FAITH VERSUS PRESUMPTION
        by Cornelius R. Stam
         
        The Word of God declares in Hebrews 11:6 that “without faith it is impossible to please Him”.
       
        There is nothing that will haunt a man like the fear that God may be displeased with him, nor any joy comparable to the assurance that He is pleased. It is foolish, however, to suppose that we can please God with the things we think He desires. We must give Him what He says He desires. Thank God, it is not difficult to determine this, for He tells us again and again in His Word that it is faith He desires most of all. He wants us to trust Him, to take Him at His Word.
       
        The Bible tells us at length how God loved us in spite of our sin and gave His blessed Son to die on Calvary’s tree to clear our title to heaven, but alas, instead of taking Him at His Word, thousands turn away from His gracious offer, “going about to establish their own righteousness” (Rom.10:3).
       
        They do “good works” and make great sacrifices, thinking that a God of love will surely accept their efforts and overlook their sins. But this is presumption, not faith. How can a just God overlook sin? We should thank Him that in His matchless love He himself paid for our sins so that we might be free, and that salvation is “the gift of God”, obtained by faith alone.
       
        Cain presumed that God would accept his attractive sacrifice instead of the prescribed one, but God refused both him and his offering. Pharaoh presumed that he could take his armies through the Red Sea as Moses had done, but he perished in the sea for presuming on God. Naaman, the leper, refused God’s way of cleansing, saying, “I thought…”, but the great general remained a leper until he took God at His Word. Will you take God at His Word and trust Christ as your Saviour?
       

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[nChrist]

August 6, 2007
       
        Applause
        by Paul M. Sadler, President
       
        Scripture Reading:
        "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him."
        -- Colossians 3:17
       
        There seems to be a growing trend in Christendom for congregations to physically applaud those who are ministering in the things of the Lord. Pastors are applauded when they wax eloquent or say something humorous. Also, after soloists lift the hearts of the saints into the heavenlies they are often met with a round of applause as they step down from the platform. Having pastored a number of local assemblies, I've risen from my chair, on more than one occasion to interrupt the hand clapping of the saints. While I am sure their applause was well- intentioned, it is nonetheless very irreverent and disrespectful to the Lord.
       
        When the world gives a standing ovation after a performance of an actor or comedian they are expressing their appreciation for having been acceptably entertained. They are also praising the performer for his excellence in an art which has been cultivated through years of hard work.
       
        When the servant of the Lord comes to the platform, to minister on our behalf, the purpose of his labor of love is not to entertain the congregation. It is to be viewed rather as a ministry, which is an integral part of our worship of the Holy One of Heaven. Anyone who serves the Lord, sincerely, would never want the applause of men, but would insist that all the honor and glory be given to God. May all our adoration go to the One Who is worthy to be worshipped, for He has given us his Word and the opportunity along with the gifts to minister on His behalf. Amen!
       
        CHRYSOSTOM ON APPLAUSE
        345-407 A.D.
       
        "... some clapped their hands in applause, according to the custom of the times. Then Chrysostom raised his voice: 'How does your applause help me?' It will be the right approval if you practice in life what I say to you. The church is no theater, where men listen for their own pleasure." (From the Life of Chrysostom, by Frederic Perthes, P. 18).
       

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[nChrist]

August 7, 2007
       
        CONTINUE THOU
        by Cornelius R. Stam
       
        “Evil men and seducers shall was worse and worse…but continue thou” (IITim.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” (IITim.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” (IITim.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.
       

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[nChrist]

August 8, 2007
       
        WHEN THE LORD WOULDN’T ANSWER
        by Cornelius R. Stam
         
        In the various accounts of our Lord’s earthly ministry we find three occasions when He declined to answer those who appealed to Him or questioned Him.
       
        First there is the Gentile woman of Matt. 15:21-28. Her daughter was possessed of a demon and in her trouble she appealed to the Lord to help her, "but He answered her not a word." Finally, in His grace He did help her, but not until He had taught her the lesson that as a Gentile she had no claim on Him. As Romans 1:28 tells us, the Gentiles had been "given up" because "they did not wish to retain God in their knowledge." In this connection we Gentiles should read carefully Eph. 2:11,12 and see how utterly without hope we are apart from the grace of God.
       
        Next there was a Jewess, in trouble of a different kind. She had been caught in adultery and was brought to Him for judgment (John 8:1-11). Unlike the Gentile woman, she belonged to the chosen race and possessed God’s holy Law, a distinct advantage -- unless you are a lawbreaker. Our Lord, in grace, also helped her, but not until He had demonstrated that the Law is the great leveler of mankind, bringing all in guilty before God (Rom. 3:19).
       
        But finally we find how it was that our Lord could show grace -- and do it justly -- to sinners, both Jewish and Gentile, for in the third instance we find the Lord Himself in trouble. On trial for His life before the representatives of Hebrew and Roman law, He is accused of all sorts of wicked crimes. But on this occasion too, He declines to answer.
       
        First Caiaphas, the High Priest, asked Him: "Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which these witness against Thee? But Jesus held His peace..." (Matt. 26:62,63).
       
        Next Pilate, the Gentile judge, said: "Hearest Thou not how many things they witness against Thee? And He answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly" (Matt. 27:12-14).
       
        Why did our Lord decline to answer and defend Himself? Because He had come into the world especially to die for man’s sins. Had the sinners of all ages been there to accuse Him of their sins, He would still have remained speechless, for He stood there as man’s representative, so that we sinners might be "justified freely by God’s grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).
       

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[nChrist]

August 9, 2007
       
        KNOWING CHRIST AS HE SHOULD BE KNOWN
        by Cornelius R. Stam
       
        John the Baptist introduced our Lord with the proclamation: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt.3:2). Throughout His earthly ministry Christ was known as "the Son of David", the king with whom God made a covenant to establish His Kingdom forever.
       
        The Old Testament prophets predicted that Christ would — and He will — reign on earth upon the throne of His father David. While His Kingdom was being proclaimed "at hand", He walked and talked and ate with men as "the Son of Man". Wearied with traveling, He sat at Jacob's well and asked for a drink of water. Pressed by the throng, He got into a fishing boat and addressed the multitudes from the sea. Hated by His adversaries, He was tried, scourged, spit upon, and nailed to a tree. This was indeed "Christ manifest in the flesh".
       
        With regard to His humiliation, however, the Apostle Paul says, by divine inspiration: "God also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name" (Phil.2:9).
       
        Again, the Apostle declares that God's mighty power was "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..." (Eph.1:20). He is no longer to be known as "the lowly Jesus", but as the exalted "Lord" in heaven. And this has its bearing on us too:
       
        "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now, henceforth, know we Him no more" (IICor.5:16). Our blessed Saviour is now to be known as the glorified Son of God, the Great Dispenser of Grace to a lost humanity; the One who in love and mercy "tasted death for every man" (Heb.2:9).
       

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[nChrist]

August 10, 2007
       
        HOW SMALL WE ARE!
        by Cornelius R. Stam
         
        Just behind me, in the supermarket check-out line, were two little boys. I noticed that the older one kept looking up at me and then down at his brother again several times in succession. Finally, nudging his little brother and pointing up at me, he said: "Hey, Joey, look how little you are!"
       
        Those who have seen me in the flesh know that I am not exactly small, physically, and I can easily imagine that, standing next to these little fellows, I made them look small indeed!
       
        But all this pertained only to the physical, and as I left that supermarket, I began asking myself: "How big are you, actually, in the sight of God?" I thought of Psalm 8:3,4, where David mused over the same question:
       
        "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man that Thou art mindful of Him...?"
       
        Yet we are so important to the heart of God that He entered the stream of humanity, as it were, and became one of us in Christ, Son of God and Son of Man. Why? Hebrews 2:14,15 gives us one important reason:
       
        "...that through death [His death for our sins] He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
       
        Moreover, insignificant as we are in ourselves, He would use us mightily to His glory for, according to I Cor. 1:27,28, He has "chosen" the "foolish," the "weak," the "base," the "despised," and those who "are not" to accomplish His purposes and to bring to naught the plans of the world’s great ones.
       
 

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[nChrist]

August 11, 2007
       
        IS "FAITH" THE "GIFT" OF GOD?
        by Russell S. Miller
         
        Is "faith" in Ephesians 2:8,9 the "gift" of God?
       
        Some have taught that the Greek word here, for "gift", suggests that faith is the gift of God. Can this thinking really be justified in the light of what the Apostle Paul says of salvation in Romans 6:23? The answer is an emphatic "NO".
       
        Meditate upon this for a moment: Who created us? The Scriptures reply with a resounding: "GOD". God, "who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph.3:9), created us in His own "image" and "likeness" (Gen.1:26). And this great and mighty Creator, who "formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen.2:7), put within this man, whom He had created, the ability to "seek the Lord" (Acts 17:23-27). This quotation from Acts is no less than the words of "the Apostle of the Gentiles" (Rom.11:13). Is there not within every one of us that vacuum that can only be filled with Christ? Yet the Apostle to the Nations declares:
       
        "As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no not one" (Rom.3:10-12).
       
        The Bible does not contradict itself here. God has built within every man, woman and child—upon creation—that ability within him to believe. He can discern the sky; he can choose whatever he pleases; he can believe a lie. If man is responsible before God, and he most assuredly is, then he may choose to "receive" the gift of God:
       
        "For the wages of sin is death; BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD" (Rom.6:23).
       
        It is not that he is unable to believe the gospel, as we have demonstrated, rather it is a matter of his will. Consequently, man will stand to give an account to his Creator, for his faith—his ability to believe—is indirectly given of God in creation. Man, however, is a rebel from his birth, and intentionally disobedient. In the words of John 3:18, "...he that BELIEVETH NOT IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God". This is why his sinfulness is defined in terms of "total depravity".
       
 

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August 12, 2007
       
        WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS
        by Cornelius R. Stam
 
        Strange, is it not, that when men are successful, they generally credit themselves liberally for their success but when things go wrong they begin to blame others -- even God.
       
        The writer does not have up-to-date information about two particular plots of ground in Moscow, but some years ago one of these was a beautiful garden, the other a patch of weeds. Above each there was a sign. Over the one: "This plot is cared for by the United Soviet Socialist Republic," over the other: "This plot is cared for by God"!
       
        Evidently the atheistic Soviets who hatched this "bright idea" did not stop to think that only God could produce the beautiful flowers in the USSR plot. All their watering and cultivating would have been in vain except for the God they deny.
       
        As to the other plot, they probably did not even know that even in Eden God put the garden in man’s charge "to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15), and later, when man sinned, God said to Adam, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake" (Gen. 3:17). This is why the Soviets must employ a gardener to control the weeds in even their garden! How wrong and foolish, then, for man ever to blame God for anything that goes wrong for him or causes him trouble!
       
        Actually, when I have been asked: "If God is a God of love, why does He allow all this trouble and misery, and all this wickedness?" I have replied: "That’s easy. When God sent His Son into this world offering peace and righteousness and prosperity they cried: 'Away with Him' and nailed Him to a cross. If the Bible is true, and in this case it has surely proved to be true, how can this world expect peace while they still reject the Prince of Peace?"

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August 13, 2007
       
        HOW THEY SHINE!
        by Cornelius R. Stam

        Years ago, while preaching the Word at a Bible conference, I noticed a young lady in one of the front pews who wasn’t listening to a word I was saying.
       
        I could understand, however, for evidently she had just become engaged to be married. Her eyes were focused on the ring on the third finger of her left hand, and her heart and mind, evidently, on the young man who had placed it there.
       
        With a pleased look on her face, and cocking her head from one side to the other, she gazed at that diamond from every angle. No matter how she looked at it, it shone -- entirely apart from the quality of the stone. It shone because it spoke to her of him and of his love for her, and was the symbol of her betrothal to him.
       
        For some time after I had concluded my message, my mind went back to that scene. The ring that had so occupied this young lady’s attention, made me think of the Bible, the very Book we had been studying that night. Examine that blessed Book ever so carefully; look at it from any angle and it shines! It made me think too of the grand Subject of that Book, the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom we believers have been "espoused... as a chaste virgin" (II Cor. 11:2). Unlike any earthly friend, He shines no matter how one looks at Him. Examine His words, His deeds, His personal attributes, from any angle and ever so carefully, and no matter how you look at Him He shines!

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August 14, 2007
       
        ARE YOU SURE?
        by Cornelius R. Stam

        Would you like to have the knowledge, the assurance and the joy of sins forgiven? Would you like to be sure of heaven?
       
        Well, the first step to heaven is to realize that you cannot get there by trying. You can’t walk there. You can’t climb there. You can’t fly there. Only God can take you there. Many try to earn heaven. They try to climb there on a ladder of good works. They talk about "adding another rung." But look out for that good works ladder! It’s not anchored at the top and the higher you climb the farther you will fall.
       
        God’s Word says that salvation is "the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). He is not going to have boasters in heaven -- there are enough of them on earth and nobody likes them.
       
        All of us should realize that even the best of us are not good enough for heaven, for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23), but in this same statement the Apostle Paul declares that believers in Christ, who died for our sins, are "justified freely by His [God’s] grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
       
        So, friend, it is not by trying, or crying, or praying, or paying, or doing anything that you will reach heaven: it is only by believing. God says He loves sinners, and that Christ died for our sins. Will you believe this and trust Christ as your Savior? The terms are stated very plainly 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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August 15, 2007
       
        THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
        by Russell S. Miller

        “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS according to the Scriptures, and THAT HE WAS BURIED, and THAT HE ROSE AGAIN THE THIRD DAY according to the Scriptures” (ICor.15:3,4).
       
        There were witnesses of the resurrection of Christ and in this passage of I Corinthians, the Apostle Paul cites Peter and the twelve apostles who saw the Lord after His resurrection, and he further states:
       
        “After that, He was seen of more than five hundred brethren at once.” He was seen “of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all, He was seen of me also as one born out of due time” (ICor.15:5-8 ).
       
        That Christ was “raised again the third day” is of the utmost importance because it is the receipt from God, Himself, that our sins have been paid in full—signed in His own blood, as it were. This is a very good reason for following the glorified Lord Jesus Christ. Death and Hades could not keep the Son of God in its icy grip. Unlike you and me, the Lord Jesus Christ had no sin, He is “holy, harmless, undefiled, [and] separate from sinners” (Heb.7:26), and possessing “the spirit of holiness” God “declared [Him] to be the Son of God with power...by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom.1:4).
       
        The Father raised Christ from the dead (Gal.1:1). The Spirit raised Christ from the dead (IPet.1:18 ). Jesus Christ raised Himself from the dead (John 10:18 ). In the resurrection of Christ God shows “what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us—ward who believe” (Eph.1:19). Christ’s appearance to Paul was very different than His appearances had been unto all those other saints. The Apostle Paul saw the risen, EXALTED, and GLORIFIED, LORD JESUS CHRIST in the glory of His grace. Listen to Paul’s own testimony:
       
        “And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias...said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will, AND SEE THAT JUST ONE, and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth” (Acts 22:11-14).
       
        So in Paul’s gospel when he focuses upon the “crucified” One (ICor.1:23), he proclaims “Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery” (Rom.16:25). In our endeavors, therefore, to keep our congregations informed of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ may we never forget that we “who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the BLOOD of Christ” (Eph.2:13).
       
        What love, and what grace, that should compel our worship, our praise, and our adoration of our wonderful Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And it all begins at Calvary.

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August 16, 2007
       
        GOOD NEWS FROM CALVARY
        by Cornelius R. Stam
 
        All through the Old Testament the cross is but dimly seen. Though a hundred historical characters and a hundred more Levitical sacrifices and rituals were typical of Christ and His finished work, not once does the Old Testament state this. The silence is profound. The clearest Old Testament prophecy of Christ’s death, Isaiah 53, does not even specify who the Sufferer would be.
       
        It was the same during our Lord’s stay on earth, for only toward the close of His ministry do we read: "From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples how that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer... and be killed..." (Matt. 16:21). And what was their response? "Then Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him" (Ver. 22). Luke 18:34 states three times that they did not have the slightest idea that He would even die, much less did they understand all that His death would accomplish. Even at Pentecost Peter blamed his hearers for the death of Christ and said to them: "repent and be baptized every one of you... for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38 ). The twelve were preaching "the gospel of the kingdom" and knew little about the cross and its purpose.
       
        Not until the Apostle Paul, that other apostle, do we have what is properly called "the preaching of the cross," i.e., as good news. And in Paul’s great message our Lord is no longer seen as the Victim, but as the Victor, not merely after death, or over death, but in death. His death itself is seen as His greatest triumph. In Heb. 10:12,14 we read:
       
        "...after He had offered one sacrifice for sins [He] sat down... for by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified."
       
        And in Col. 2:14,15 Paul describes Christ at Calvary nailing the Law to the cross and utterly defeating Satan and his hosts, "triumphing over them in it (i.e., in the cross)." Little wonder the Apostle exclaimed:
       
        "God forbid that I should boast, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Gal. 6:14).

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