EDITORIAL
"Ye must be born again," declared Jesus. The reason -- "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3)
Every person in the world has been born once -- physically. But is we would ever enter God's kingdom we must have a second birth -- a spiritual one.
This transpires when the Spirit of God breathes upon an individual ("The Spirit breathes on whom he wills . . . " Hoyt), breathing into him "the breath of life," heavenly life, spiritual life, eternal life. On man's part, he has but to exercise faith -- faith in Jesus Christ as his own personal Saviour -- and the new birth takes place.
The new birth is most important. It is not something that can be put aside lightly. It must happen to you. Jesus says to you, "Ye MUST be born again."
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Flesh can only produce flesh. The kingdom of God is in a different realm entirely. Flesh can never see nor appreciate God's kingdom. Only those who are born of the Spirit can ever appreciate God's spiritual kingdom. Do you not see, then, why it is so important that you be born again?
They that are born only once (physically) will have to die twice (physically and eternally). They that are born twice (physically and spiritually) will have only to die once (physically -- unless Christ comes first), having no part in the second death. They have instead eternal life and are destined to live with God forever.
May we be sensible enough to take Christ's words as seriously as He spoke them. There is no other way "up." "YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN."
Arthur E. Gordon, Editor
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Dear Shut-In . . .
EXCERPTS from
LILLIAN'S LETTERS
Have you ever categorized people, characteristically speaking? Are they gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or stubble? Interesting isn't it? Gold is a standard value. It is malleable. It is solid, durable -- never rusts. If exposed to the fiercest storms or the most terrific heat it remains durable, dependable, unchangeable.
Who doesn't like the shine of silver? I read somewhere that it has the highest thermal and electric conductivity of anything. Kindness, thoughtfulness, and ethical living cause one's life to be a channel where the love of God flows through.
Each precious stone has meaning. Diamonds stand for purity, very valuable when without flaw. It takes a specialist to bring out the priceless worth, a-surrender-of, or "Just-As-I-Am," to the Doctor. When He's finished, it's priceless. In the darkness diamonds shine. We can sparkle for God even when things are dark.
Pearls stand for sincerity and honesty. Some people are going to hear, "I never knew you; depart from Me." Why? -- Lack of the pearl standard.
Emerald stands for mercy. Blessed are the merciful. Pity looks on, sympathy feels, but mercy acts.
Ruby -- sacrifice. "Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion" (Amos 6:1). We are to be a living sacrifice.
With all this, who wants to be wood, hay, or stubble?
Wood goes well only under good conditions. It is perishable, vulnerable to wind, water, fire, termites; it swells with rain, dries and shrinks with heat.
The beauty of a golden character is that it possesses the precious stones above mentioned. Does not our Lord have the right to expect a golden character of His bride?
A bum gives up trying. But one who determines to be successful presses forward though the way seems impossible -- he will not give up. With the big Boss pulling for us we can't help but win, if we don't quit. Praise God!
Miss Lillian Butt suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. Before her illness she was a nurse.
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THE WORD
(An Allegory Of The Bible)
By Geoffrey T. Bull
"Before you there stretches in all its indescribable beauty the territory of Divine Revelation--the country of the Word of God."
THERE IS A LAND of unparalleled appeal, small in compass, yet excelling all territory in its significance. Its affairs are interwoven with the destinies of every nation. It is both admired and hated, loved and despised. Men have fought for it till all its borders are now drenched in blood. Kings have conspired to its overthrow. The armies of aliens have ravaged it with fire, yet to this day it stands unmoved, fresh in its beauty and immortal in its righteous cause. Throughout its entire length run the great ranges. Peak upon peak rises, lifting the gaze to heaven above, and the shimmering white of untrammeled snow beckons the traveler on to realms still unexplored. Through the "Stern-Country" the mighty ridges run, so that, from the green pastures and the comfort of the valleys the inhabitants look up into the unchanging solemnity of truth. Such however, is the general contour of the hills that all the ranges large and small, converge upon a scarred and rugged promontory that occupies the central region of the whole domain. In every part of the country this is visible and from it all distances are measured and every direction determined. From the foothills of the mountains, living streams burst forth into the valleys filling the fertile earth with vibrant life. Everywhere vigorous growth is encountered and famine is totally unknown in its villages and happy fields. Scattered through the lovely countryside are innumerable lakes, each like a mirror reflecting not only the countenance of all who peer into their crystal depths, but also the sense of the Infinite above. Below the surface of the earth there is a wealth of unfathomable mines.
Although the evidences of life are so prolific yet there is no sense of confusion. There is an atmosphere of peace and order and a sense of the perfect suitability of each adjacent stretch of country to the other. Light and shadow interweave across the checkered landscape, reflecting somehow every mood the human heart can know. One of the most striking features is the absence of any man-made roads. Communication between place and place is by natural rights of way following, largely, the slopes and undulations of the terrain. There is no artificial transport. Whilst at first irksome, in a little while you realize that the superb character of the country can only be appreciated by walking at leisure in the direction of the central mountain and in paying attention to detail all along the trails. Even should you tread the same path twice over, the country always yields fresh wonders to the discerning eye.
The people that dwell there are drawn originally from other nations. Their diversity of language, nevertheless, has not prevented them from contributing in harmony to the permanent reputation of their country, and if you enquire of them, you will find that now their speech is one, and the themes of their conversation in perfect unity with each other. Those coming from the outside world, provided they are of the same mind, actually find no difficulty in understanding the inhabitants, although it takes a long while to be able to speak their language with any fluency. The people who inhabit the land, irrespective of the weather, have permanent light in their houses and welcome all who are willing to stop and talk with them. There is not one who would not spread a veritable feast if you but take the time to stay. Amongst them I have found folk who in their lifetime have fulfilled a variety of stations. There are people like peasants, fisherfolk and shepherds, there are scholars, princes and kings. Two of the most outstanding examples I recall are a physician and a tentmaker. All these are so interested in pointing the visitor to the central mountain and in speaking of the ruling Authority, who apparently, some good while back now, laid down the foundation of a plan in that district, which should bring blessing to all nations and ultimately, subject the whole world to the beneficent principles at present prevailing in their borders.
Contrary to general opinion, the frontiers of the country are well defined, but the borders as a rule are largely unguarded and this defenseless frontier region sees from time to time large unauthorized intrusions from hostile forces. Whilst wars have been fought in the country's defense, generally speaking, the aggressors are compelled to withdraw, by reason of popular support for the country's integrity throughout the world. Perhaps the most inherent cause is the country's ability to revive in even greater rigor, whenever the marauders retire. Actually, a most unusual thing happens to the would-be invader, particularly if he has preconceived opinions of the territory or tries to carry out some pretentious scheme of survey not authorized by the Authority. Once he crosses the border he becomes affected in his vision. He is afflicted with something like color blindness so that the luxuriant foliage and fresh green fields look more and more like a desert than verdant pasture. It is due partly to the air. If he is caught by the Authority he will be presented with an edict which simply says, "I can come into this world, that they which see not, might see, and that they which see might be made blind." Such people generally retire in confusion, although frequently they will write books about what they profess to have "seen," giving a thoroughly erroneous picture to the general public of the beloved country. sometimes you will get an intruder who will persist in his injurious trespass, and these often die tragically of thirst; the blindness becoming so bad that even though streams abound on every side, they do not avail themselves of the lifegiving waters.
Proper access to the country is sadly misunderstood. Many dignitaries of scholarship, experts of scientific standing and critics of acclaimed ability arrive daily at the frontier stations and present their special credentials. They are issued by renowned governments and seats of learning the world over, but, ironically, when these papers are examined, in the vast majority of cases, you find that the vital visa is missing. When told that they have failed to qualify for an authorized entry they are sometimes very angry but on enquiry they can find out that the procedure is after all quite simple. The unique part about the Authority in this matter is, that no visa issued by a human government or educational organization is considered satisfactory. What is required is a bona fide declaration of the intention of the entrant. This includes an indication of an attitude of faith in, and submission to, the Authority, and a willingness to act sincerely upon the information obtained within the boundaries of the country. The Guide of the Authority is to be acknowledged as the official interpreter of the country's policy and purposes, and the would-be entrant is asked to show willingness to co-operate with the Guide as He may deem fit to lead and instruct, towards the Central Mountain. When these conditions are understood many turn away in disgust, saying that they want to be able to judge things for themselves. Some resent them as a restriction of their freedom and return in high dudgeon to their own country. Some however, do preserve and submit themselves to the requirements of the Authority and go in. To these the Authority although unseen becomes an increasing prospect of wonder and desire. Every tract of the country reveals something more of His excellence and soon the sense of His presence even in the remotest parts or secluded glades begins to be felt.
As the traveler covers the various provinces the Guide brings him by easy stages to the summit of the central hill. By the time the last stretch is reached all encumbrances are left behind and it is then that the traveler is suddenly overwhelmed with an indescribable sense of poverty, iniquity and need. On the pinnacle of the mountain is a weather-beaten wooden cross. It marks the summit and from there you look out in every direction. You gaze into an open heaven and yet peer down into the depths beneath. You can trace the road you have just trodden, you can even see the country from which you came. Suddenly it seems very far away and yet strangely enough there is no homesickness. Before you there stretches in all its indescribable beauty the territory of Divine Revelation -- the country of the Word of God. You look away into the past and on into the future. You look within. You know that your country is not like this, nor is the arid selfish waste in the desert of your heart. You are suddenly nearer to God than you have ever known. The cross stands silent in the sunshine and the golden ridges protrude above the somberness of the valleys far beneath, tracing their way to where you stand. This then is where they lead. All the mighty arches of His truth have brought you to Mount Calvary. The stones were rough when the cross was first raised many years ago but now they are almost worn smooth, for so many coming from abroad have knelt, and, in that quiet place so high above the world's harsh turmoil, bowed in full allegiance to the Authority who lives in every portion of His land. As Jesus comes many are the words that break upon the mountain air. There the cries of repentant and aching hearts throng the wilderness. "Lord remember when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom," or others say, "Lord what wilt Thou have me to do?" Most will simply cry out as they see Him "My Lord and my God" and in that moment old things pass away and all things become new.
Once the new Authority is recognized the traveler becomes an inhabitant. In a sense he never returns to his former realm unless it be as an ambassador of the Word of God. This causes great resentment in the world. The change of nationality is so final. I suppose that is what hurts. "You are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints." The new language is gradually learned in the degree of your submission to the Lord who reigns and soon you join with every creature there, saying blessing, and honour, and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
From "God Holds The Key," by Geoffrey T. Bull; used by permission of Moody Press, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago IL.
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OVERTAKEN, BUT NOT OVERTHROWN
By George Headley, Jr., Pastor
Grace Baptist Church in Russellville PA
YEARS AGO, the airman, Handley Page, landed his plane in Arabia and while in that country, a large rat managed to get into his plane. When Page was in mid-air he discovered the rat's presence by the sound of gnawing behind him. Alarmed at the thought of the damage which those pitiless teeth might do, the aviator remembered that a rat is unable to survive in high altitudes. He determined to soar, and rose until he found difficulty in breathing. At length he ventured to descend to a lower level and upon landing he discovered that the rat was dead.
In one's spiritual life there is the danger of "pests" which would do damage to one's faith and witness: such "pests" we might speak of as being the temptations which face us daily! The only way to overcome these temptations is to rise higher in the Christian life, fixing our heart, mind, and strength upon our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Scriptures give great encouragement to the Believer in this matter of temptation. Probably the greatest single verse of help is First Corinthians 10:13 -- "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." In considering this passage, may we notice the points for consideration:
The Scriptures do not promise a life of ease, nor a bed of roses for God's own, but instead we are promised that there will be temptations come our way! Many Christians have been misled to believe that, since they are God's own, there will be no more problems with sin, Satan, or temptation. But may we here realize that temptation is promised to every child of God. (I Peter 5:8-9) -- "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist stedfast in the faith . . . " Christ, in His earthly life, was faced with temptations by Satan; are we greater than Christ? No, temptation is promised to every Believer, but this temptation is not unusual.
Such temptation is "common" -- that is, it is not beyond the normal realm of human experience. It is "common to man" and as such, reveals that, though our spirits and souls have been redeemed, we still live in an unredeemed body, susceptible to bodily and physical lusts and failures. It is no wonder, then, that Paul writes: "We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:23). We look forward to the time when we shall be in God's presence eternally, living in redeemed, glorified bodies . . . but until then, we are faced on every hand with temptation.
As we consider this temptation, God gives to you and me a ray of light that we be not discouraged; for He says that this temptation which comes our way is limited. We shall "not . . . be tempted above that ye are able." Praise God! He is a personal God who knows our personal and individual abilities; He knows exactly how much temptation you can stand, and how much another Believer can stand, and how much I can stand. As we each have individual personalities, individual characteristics, so too have we individual "breaking-points" -- when we "come to wit's end" -- and God, being a personal God, knows exactly how much each individual can stand. He knows your "breaking-point" and mine.
Thus, our Heavenly Father allows Satan to go the limits in the time of temptation. (II Thessalonians 2:7) -- "He who now letteth will let . . . ," or in modern thought, He who is now hindering and limiting Satan in his efforts will continue to hinder and limit him. This refers to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, as He limits Satan's power in the world. Might we not also recognize this in the Believer's individual life, too? The Holy Spirit limits Satan's working -- and the temptation to each individual Believer's ability. (Consider Job's temptations, and how God permitted Satan to go so far, and no farther -- Job, chapters 1 and 2, especially 1:12 and 2:6.)
Since temptation is common to man and limited to personal endurance, then God reveals that it can be endured. God says: "That ye may be able to bear it." This is another of God's precious promises; and they are ever true. To bear up under temptation is not impossible, as the Apostle Paul testifies: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me," and again, "My God shall supply all your need . . ." (Philippians 4:13,19).
Truly, though temptation comes, "God is faithful." God will never fail nor forsake us (Isaiah 41:10) but instead, will strengthen, sustain, and uphold us in the midst of the experience (I Corinthians 1:9; I Peter 4:19). God instructs us as to our reaction in all life's experiences, pointing out that we should "Trust Him . . . Commit ourselves to Him . . . and then Rest in Him" (Psalm 37:3,5,7). His faithfulness to us should inspire our complete trustfulness in Him.
It is God who gives victory. "God . . . also make(s) a way to escape." (II Peter 2:9 -- "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation . . . " What is this way of escape? "Jesus saith . . . I am the way . . . " (John 14:6). Truly, Christ is the way, not only for salvation, but in victory, too. He Himself went through the entire realm and pattern of temptation (Matthew 4) -- the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life -- yet, endured and came through each one the Victor. "He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He knows our weakness, and desires to help in time of temptation, as we are told in Hebrews 2:18 -- "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."
How did Christ Jesus gain the victory in temptation?
He personally resisted the efforts of Satan; and He used the Word of God in combating Satan's attacks. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). "Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God . . ." (Ephesians 6:17). "The Word of God is quick and powerful . . . " (Hebrews 4:12). Thus, to have victory over Satan and sin, we must saturate ourselves with the Word of God and use it in defense as we, through God's power, resist the Devil.
Christian, you may be OVERTAKEN by temptation, but you should not be OVERTHROWN. To be tempted is not a sin . . . but to give in to temptation is sinful. God's warning: "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). May we not fall prey to temptation, and sin against our Lord who loved us and gave Himself for us.
God has given every means possible for a Christian to live a life well pleasing unto Him, a life of daily victory over sin and temptation. But, the Christian must do his part in --
1. Yielding to the Holy Spirit, not Satan -- (Our committal).
2. Wielding the Holy Scriptures -- (Our weapon).
3. Dealing on God's terms -- (Our resisting).
As we consider this passage of Scripture (I Corinthians 10:13) it becomes a source of real encouragement to each Believer, irregardless of our physical condition, knowing that God is faithful; and though discouraging and disheartening may be our experiences, God is not taking us beyond our limits. This is His way of bringing us to the place where we can come forth as pure gold, bringing honor, glory, and praise to His name in and through our life and testimony.
May God be praised through our lives!
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SERMON SERIES
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER
No. 22
THE PROPER ATTITUDE TOWARD SUFFERING
I Peter 4:1-2
SUFFERING IS THE appointed discipline of the Christian soul. Gold is tried by fire, the Christian's faith by suffering. Our present concern is: what should be our attitude toward suffering?
OUR EXAMPLE
"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind . . . " (1a).
"Christ hath suffered." Who really knows how much He suffered? Oh, we know well of His suffering from the garden onward, but do we know anything of His anguish of soul, spirit and mind during those earlier days when He was set apart as someone quite out of the ordinary. His own creation received Him not. His own people rejected Him. Even those of His own immediate family turned from Him in disgust. He wept over the scattered sheep of Israel who should have heeded His call and followed Him. He wept at Lazarus' tomb at their unbelief. How often His great and tender heart was broken as He traveled among those He came to save we cannot know, but this we do know, He was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." He suffered as no other man has.
Peter, having reminded us of the greatest Sufferer, now extends to all fellow-sufferers a call to arms. "Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind." If the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering, it follows that we too shall take part of the same. If the Master was ill-treated, so will be the servants. But what will be our attitude? Our attitude must be just like His.
If one word could describe Christ's attitude toward the suffering He bore, it must be the word "patience." Peter earlier commends the patient sufferer in these words: " . . . but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God." Peter then points out that patience is a "coin" with two sides. Speaking of our Example, Christ, he says: "who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." In other words Christ submitted to His tormentors and the torments without any thought of striking back, and at the same time He committed Him and His cause to God who shall in His time make all things right. "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair," said this Sufferer, "I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me." Christ had the long view. He came to deliver sinful man from his sin. He knew this involved suffering. But He knew also that suffering was not the end of the matter. He knew that suffering culminated in glory. Thus He could confidently submit to His suffering, and this because He was wholly committed to God.
"Arm yourselves likewise with the same mind," exhorts the apostle. This word "arm" comes from a word in the Greek which has reference to a soldier donning himself with heavy armor for the battle. As soldiers in the army of the Lord, this is to be our heavy armor -- the mind of Christ. His attitude toward suffering is to be our attitude. What worked for Him will work for us. As He was submitted and committed, so are we to be. Ours, like His, must be the long view. Suffering, for us, as God's own children can only culminate in glory. God has committed Himself to the task of righting all wrongs, of bringing order out of chaos, of giving beauty for ashes.
But don't think it will be easy. The very fact that armor is involved, shows that it will be a battle. But note, it is not our armor that we don. It is Christ's. We are to put on His armor of patience. We have none of our own. Everything about us is just the opposite. When someone hits us, we hit back. When someone slanders us, we answer with more of the same. Instead of looking to God for help and vindication, we look to ourselves and others. What is the answer? How shall we successfully meet suffering in the flesh? "Arm yourselves . . . with the same mind" -- Christ's mind. Absolutely nothing can defeat us dressed in this armor.
Job is a good example. Satan accused Job before God of being righteous just because He had everything he wanted. So God permitted Satan to strip Job of all of his possessions. But Job held to his integrity. Again Satan accused, that if Job were himself afflicted, then he would depart from his integrity. Again God gave permission.
Job's friends (so-called) fell into Satan's trap and came up with the idea that Job was being thus afflicted because of hidden sin in his life. Even his wife bade him curse God and die. Job knew his suffering wasn't the result of hidden sin and he refused his wife's suggestion. So he suffered on. He submitted himself to the ash heap and kept his eyes on God whom He knew would make all things right in His own good time.
Behind the scene, Satan was taking a terrible beating. Every time he threw another punch at Job, Job submitted and committed, and the blow bounced back on himself. When the bout was ended, Satan was completely whipped, Job was completely vindicated, and God was completely glorified. Satan can't get through this sort of armor and when he tries, he only defeats himself in the effort. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." "Arm yourself likewise with the same mind."
This proper attitude toward suffering betokens --
A NEW STATUS
" . . . for he that suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin." (1b).
The person who assumes Christ's attitude in suffering -- bearing it patiently -- shows by his attitude that something has happened in his life previously. His attitude betokens the fact that he "hath ceased from sin." So have we all who have owned Christ as Saviour and Lord.
Once sin was the ruling force in our life. We bowed obediently and daily to its suggestions. We were its servant. The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life was part and parcel of our person. Temptation confronted us, and our old nature responded with a ready "Yes!" Sin was king. It sat on the throne in the throne room of our heart.
BUT --
Things have changed. We put our trust in Christ one day and "ceased from sin." "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with (Christ), that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." "For sin shall not have dominion over you." No longer is sin the ruling force in our life. No longer do we bow submissively to it. No longer do we serve it. No longer is the lust of the flesh and eyes, and the pride of life part and parcel of our being. When temptation comes our way our new nature immediately says "No!" Sin sits no longer king. The Holy Spirit Himself takes up residence in us. He it is who now sits on the throne in the throne room of our heart. If this is not true of us then we need to do some introspection to see if our status has been changed after all. The true Christian has "ceased from sin ('s rule)."
This is not to say that we will never have any more trouble with sin, however. As long as Satan and our old nature are with us we will have trouble with sin.
When Christ died on the cross He accomplished three things for us regarding sin. He paid the penalty of sin, He broke the power of sin, and He promised eventually to deliver from the very presence of sin. We are not yet delivered from sin's presence; that takes place when we are transported to heaven. As far as the penalty of sin is concerned, that for the Christian is taken care of forever. But sometimes we seem to have trouble with sin's power. Too often sin has the mastery and we take the place of servitude under it. This should not be. Christ has broken its power. We may have the victory. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." But what can you do? "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; BUT YIELD yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead. and (YIELD) your members as instruments of righteousness unto God." Where Christ reigns supreme in the life sin cannot reign. Our part is to yield to Him.
He who has "ceased from sin" arms himself likewise with Christ's mind toward suffering. He who arms himself with Christ's mind toward suffering proves he has "ceased from sin."
This new status, in turn issues in --
A NEW LIFE
"That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God" (2).
Of "the rest of his time in the flesh," F.B.Meyer has this to say: "Who can tell how long that may be for any of us? The sands run swiftly through life's hour-glass. The shadow hastens to go down upon the dial. The waves eat away so quickly the dwindling shoal of land which crumbles beneath us. The Christian finds nothing in such thoughts to make him sad. Every milestone marks the growing nearness of his home. The waves cannot be crossed too swiftly by the eager traveler. Before us lie the ages of eternity, filled with a blessedness of personal enjoyment and rapturous ministry which defy tongue to tell or mind to picture. But the blessed future must not divert our thoughts from the duties to be discharged during the rest of the time which we are to spend in the flesh."
And so Peter exhorts the patient, new-status sufferer "that he no longer should live . . . to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." Why should we do otherwise, since sin has been dethroned in our lives?
This phrase, "the lusts of men," refers to that intense desire for self satisfaction that men experience from day to day. It may be seen in any one of several directions. It may even be seen in the religions of the day. The worshiper may find his way to the church on Sunday morning with the idea only of salving his conscience, or of appeasing God, or of appeasing his wife, or of making a business contact, or merely for an hour of uninterrupted relaxation, or for some other purely selfish motive. Such religion is no more than "the lusts of men." It is not God-honoring but merely self-gratifying.
Here in our text, however, this phrase refers to the grossest of sins, as the context reveals. The following verse lists them thus: "lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries." Such are the "lusts of men." From such, we are to keep aloof. How then shall we live? We are to live "to the will of God."
When we read, "to the will of God," this implies, first, that God has a will; secondly, that God has a will concerning men; and, thirdly, that God's will is revealed. His will has indeed been revealed through His Book, the Bible. Primarily, God's will concerning men is this: "(He) will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." "This is the work (and will) of God," said Jesus, "that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." And following naturally upon this, Jesus again said, "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life."
Having taken this primary step in "the will of God," then we are ready to consider His will further. Paul sums it up in these words: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification . . . " God wills for His children a holy and pure life, free from sin, and a life wholly given over to Him, dedicated and consecrated. Thus, "whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
God's will has been revealed through the Bible, but He has also supplied another Agent to make the Bible meaningful to us. Jesus said, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." With the Bible before us and the Spirit within us, "the will of God" becomes perfectly clear, and not only so, but also possible of fulfillment, "for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."
Specifically, "the will of God" for all His sufferers is this, found in our text. "As Christ hath suffered patiently in the flesh, during His sojourn on earth, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, with His own attitude: for he that hath suffered patiently as Christ suffered proves that he hath ceased from sin's rule in his life; that he no longer should live the remainder of his life on earth to the evil and unrestrained desires of men, but to the will of God as found in His Word and interpreted by the Spirit."
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