EDITORIAL
UNBELIEVING PREACHERS
What about preachers who do not believe the Scriptural account of the Virgin Birth of Christ, His sinless life, His miracles, His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His second coming; Where do they stand with relationship to Christianity?
Let's not beat around the bush! These men are not true Christian ministers -- in fact, they are not Christians at all.
The name Christian was first used in a derogatory sense by the populace against believers in Christ. It means "Christ's one," or one who belongs to Christ. A Christian was one who believed every word that Christ said, who believed in everything Christ did, who believed in everything about Him, all His claims, all His works, and who would defend His name and honor even unto death.
Where does this leave the modern-day preacher who unashamedly stands in the pulpit and denies the clear teachings of the Word of God concerning God's blessed Son? It leaves them on the outside looking in. They are not Christian. They do not belong to Christ. They do not believe what He said, they do not believe what He did, they do not believe what He was.
They claim to follow His example of holy living. Hollow mockery! They say it doesn't matter what you believe, only how you live. But it does matter what you believe, and what you believe has a lot to do with how you live. The Bible says, "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." (John 3:36).
These unbelieving ministers are "false teachers . . . who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." (II Peter 2).
They are "ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. These speak evil of those things which they know not . . . Woe unto them! These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever." (Jude).
Harsh words, you say, for these otherwise nice people. They are not my words. They are the words of Almighty God who is jealous for His Son's honor, and who will deal not too kindly with those who dare to drag His honor in the dirt. With His Son He is well pleased; He is not pleased with those who deny His Son.
One final word from Scripture. "Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh; this is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house (-- this goes for your house of worship, too --), neither bid him God speed: for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." (II John).
-- The Editor
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"As many as received him (Jesus Christ),
to them gave he the right to become children of God,
even to them that believe on his name."
John 1:12
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A QUESTION FOR CHRISTIANS --
DO YOU WANT CHRIST TO WIN?
We want out team to win, our candidate to win, our country to win, but do we want CHRIST to win? Oh, He shall ultimately win when all things are put under Him at the consummation of the ages, but do we want Him to win now, today?
Do we want Him to win over evil? -- Evil in the world, in the church, in our community, our homes, our lives? Would we rather entertain evil thoughts in our mind than thoughts of Him? Would we rather let lustful desires rule our heart than Christ as Lord? Would we rather pour out vile and hurtful words from our lips than sweet conversation concerning Him?
Do we want Christ to win over good? There are good things in the world, in the church, in our community, our homes, and lives, but sometimes the good would replace the better or best. When the good replaces Christ then it is bad. Christ must be first in the Christian's life. He must win over both the evil and the good.
Do we want Christ to win the allegiance of the souls around us? -- In our family and in the community, in the church and in the world? He wants to be head over all things to the church, Lord of our lives, and exalted in the world. Is this what we want? Do we long to see Him enthroned in the hearts of those near and far? We should.
But how? you ask.
The secret lies with that little word "want." If you WANT Him to win, He will. This implies sincerity. If our Lord hates anything it is insincerity or hypocrisy. If we sincerely want Christ to win over evil and good, especially and primarily in our own lives (where it must begin), and to win the allegiance of others through our instrumentality, -- if we really want this, from the depths of our heart, then He will.
The Scriptures portray Christ as "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature . . . by whom were all things created . . . created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist . . . He is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead --
"THAT IN ALL THINGS HE MIGHT HAVE THE PREEMINENCE" (Colossians 1:15-18).
The Father predestined Christ's preeminence; the Holy Spirit promotes His preeminence; it is our part who know His saving grace and power, to yield to His preeminence in every area of our lives.
Thus our Christ shall win.
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Our Jesus is the mighty God. All that there is in the Godhead, of power, and might, and wisdom, and love, and dominion, has been His and must be His for ever. Heaven is His home. His strength is Omnipotence. His arm is Infinity. His eye is All-seeing. His ear is All-hearing. His mind is Omniscience. He wills and it is done. He puts on glory for a crown; and the brightness of that diadem is the redemption of souls.
-- Things Concerning Himself
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JOHN BUNYAN'S CONVERSION
Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed; I was loosened from my afflictions and irons; my temptations also fled away . . . "Twas glorious to me to see HIS exaltation, and the worth and prevalency of all HIS benefits; and that because now I could look from myself to HIM.
Now Christ was all; all my righteousness, all my sanctification, and all my redemption. Now could I see myself in heaven and earth at once. In heaven by my Christ, by my Head, by my righteousness and life, though on earth by body or person. Now I saw Christ Jesus was looked upon of God; and should also be looked upon as that common or public Person in whom all the whole body of His elect are always to be considered and reckoned; that we fulfilled the law by Him, died by Him, rose from the dead by Him, got the victory over sin, death, the devil, and hell by Him.
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THE NAME OF JESUS
If there is one word above another that will swing open the eternal gates, it is the name of Jesus. There are a great many passwords and bywords down here, but that will be the countersign up above. Jesus Christ is the "Open Sesame" to Heaven, Anyone who tries to climb up some other way is a thief and a robber. And when we get in, what a joy above every other joy we can think of, it will be to see Jesus Himself, and to be with Him continually!
-- D. L. Moody
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TRUTH & LIFE
People say: "I want to know what is the truth." Listen: "I am . . . the truth," says Christ. If you want to know what the truth is, get acquainted with Christ.
People also complain that they have not life. Many are trying to give themselves spiritual life. You may galvanize yourselves and put electricity into yourselves, so to speak, but the effect will not last very long. Christ alone is the Author of life. If you would have real spiritual life, get to know Christ.
Many try to stir up spiritual life by going to meetings. These may be well enough; but it will be of no use, unless they get into contact with the living Christ. Then spiritual life will not be a spasmodic thing, but will be perpetual, flowing on and on, and bringing forth fruit to God.
-- D. L. Moody
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TO DIE IS GAIN
THANK GOD, we are to gain by death! We are to have something that death cannot touch.
When this earthly body is raised, all the present imperfection will be gone. Jacob will leave his lameness. Paul will have no thorn in the flesh.
We shall enter a life that deserves the name of life, happy, glorious, everlasting -- the body once more united to the soul, no longer mortal, subject to pain and disease and death, but glorified, incorruptible, "fashioned like unto his glorious body," everything that hinders the spiritual life left behind.
We are exiles now, but then shall stand before the throne of God, joint-heirs with Christ, kings and priests, citizens of that heavenly country.
-- D. L. Moody
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THE HEAVY - LADEN
For most there is one heavy cross
Which must be borne alone;
One piercing sorrow sealed by lips
Which dare to make no moan.
Some noxious brew within the cup
Which they must lift and drink,
Some bitter bread which they must eat
Though flesh and spirit shrink;
Some gnawing cancer of the soul,
Some never-opened door;
Some sunless, unplumbed depth of woe.
O aching heart and sore,
The tender Lord, who made men's hearts
Can understand them too,
Can solve those desperate problems which
So long have baffled you.
Open to Him those long-closed doors,
Trust Him, and wait and see
What wonders He can bring to pass.
Or even if it be
You still must bear your heavy cross,
You bear it not alone;
Nor drink alone your bitter wine,
But share it with that One
Who drank the cup of gall for us,
And bids us come and rest
These weary troubled hearts of ours
Forever on His Breast.
-- Martha Snell Nicholson.
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THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
"In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God."
John 1:1
There are those who do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. They may be divided into three groups. The Arian theory -- which says that Christ was the highest pre-existent created being, but not God. The Socinian theory -- which says that Christ was the best of men and was exalted to share divine nature and thus to that extent was worthy of worship, but was not in the highest sense of the word God. The Unitarian theory says that Christ was a great and good man who lived in close communion with God and is to be honored and imitated but not worshipped.
Is Jesus Christ God? We shall let the Holy Scriptures answer. In our first study we shall see that -- NAMES ARE APPLIED TO CHRIST WHICH CAN BE APPLIED PROPERLY ONLY TO ONE WHO IS GOD.
He is called "God." The verse that most clearly teaches this is the one which heads this article. "And the Word was God" (John 1:1). This is proof enough for those who believe the Bible to be God's Word. But we shall point out a few more.
I heard a man on the radio claim that there was not one verse in all the Bible which taught that Jesus Christ was God. I wonder what Bible he was reading. Maybe the Reversed Version. Besides the verse above we read in Romans 9:5 -- "Christ . . . over all, God blessed for ever" (All references from the American Standard Version unless otherwise noted). The writer to the Hebrews, quoting the Psalmist, says, "Of the Son he (the Father) saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever" (Hebrews 1:8). In Titus 2:13 we are said to be "looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." The Greek reads literally, "Great God and Saviour of ours, Jesus Christ." These are positive declarations of the deity of Christ and need no argument or explanation; they need only to be believed.
Christ is called also "the Son of God." Reading this today may not have the significance it did when Christ was on earth. It may suggest that He was something less than deity. However, this title speaks not of His origin but of His position in the Godhead. The Jews in that day knew full well the implications of calling Christ the Son of God. "For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he . . . called God his own Father, making himself equal with God" (John 5:18). The high priest said of this "He hath spoken blasphemy" (Matthew 26:65). Indeed the high priest was right, unless it was true. It WAS true. Christ was and is the very Son of God and equal with God the Father. (Read also Matthew 16:15-17; 26:63-65; John 10:33, 36; 19:7).
Christ is called "the Lord." The angel who announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds said, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Jesus commended His disciples in these words: "Ye call me Teacher, and Lord, and ye say well; for so I am" (John 13:13).
In the Old Testament the corresponding word is "Jehovah." The Septuagint, the common version of the Old Testament in Jesus' day, always translated the sacred word "Jehovah" as "Lord." So when Christ was called "Lord," and encouraged the same, He was admitting to the fact that He was in reality the "Jehovah" of the Old Testament. Isaiah quotes Jehovah as saying: "I am Jehovah, and there is none else; besides me there is no God" (Isaiah 45:5). If Jehovah was God, and the Lord Jesus Christ was Jehovah, then the implication is clear, Jesus Christ is truly God.
There are other names applied to Christ which prove His deity, such as: "the Lord of Glory," "the Holy One," "the first and the last," "the Alpha and Omega." But let this suffice. There is an important question we must consider at this point.
What will be our reaction to this truth of the deity of Jesus Christ? It should be the same as that of Thomas when he first saw Christ alive after His resurrection (which resurrection testified to the validity of Christ's claim to deity). Thomas, on that occasion, exclaimed to Him: "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28).
It will mean your eternal salvation when you from the heart confess the same. "Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God 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" (Romans 10:9, 10).
(The outline and some of the material in this and subsequent articles on "The Deity of Jesus Christ" are by Dr. Alva J. McClain, President Emeritus of Grace Theological Seminary.)
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'THANK YOU, LORD,
FOR MY SUFFERING'
BY JANE B. SORENSON
I'm thankful for many things, my home, my son and daughter, our first new car. As a Christian, I'm thankful for my church and my precious Lord Jesus. But God has taught me something I never knew before -- to be thankful for my troubles. He has taught me that I can even be thankful for cancer.
It all started last year with a joke. I was waiting in the doctor's office for my annual complete physical exam and feeling in a gay mood. After all, nothing much ever was wrong with me! When the doctor entered the room, I quipped, "See what you can find this year. Everybody on my block has had an operation this spring, and it's getting so I don't have anything to talk about at coffee klatches any more!"
Before the hour was up, my remark wasn't so funny. His thorough examination had turned up a small but definite tumor. I didn't panic, but our conversation became sober as suddenly we both knew what it could mean.
"Come back in two weeks," he said. "Often they disappear. If not, we'll have to take it out."
I felt as if I were in a dream all the way home. After telling my husband I wept a few tears, not of fright or concern, but more as an emotional "bath." From then on, I felt completely normal -- amazingly normal.
In Psalm 112 I read that the Christian "shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." And that's just what I experienced. I never felt led to pray that God would remove the tumor. It was as if He were saying, "Of course, I can. But you'll miss out on something precious."
I told very few people about my trial during this period. Yet I was so unbelievably happy and free from fear that I wanted to share my peace. As I entered the doctor's office two weeks later, a couple from our couples' class met me outside.
"Anybody can have peace after the crisis is over," I told them. "I just want somebody to know that I might have cancer and I feel great!"
The subsequent examination revealed the tumor was still there. Surgery was scheduled for the next week.
But I had plenty to keep me busy, since I gave my students a final exam in our English course the following morning. Yet, there was a God-given sense of exuberance through every hour. My heart sang over and over, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able."
I have had no experience whatsoever with crises. As a matter of fact, the thought of cancer had always frightened me when it had touched several in our community. I had never even considered that it might lay its hand upon me or my family. I had been a Christian only seven years but it doesn't take God long to take over a person's life and make it new.
The calm continued as I entered the hospital and was prepared for surgery the following day. I slept perfectly that night.
Then the big moment arrived. Of course, I knew nothing of the four-hour long operation, complete with four blood transfusions. I knew only that I was in God's hands.
It was God's Holy Spirit, I know, that took over completely. As I began to come out of the deep sleep, I asked, "Was it malignant?"
The nurse nodded. She told me later that I smiled and drifted back to sleep, although I have no recollection of the conversation. I do remember asking my husband the same question. He said my response was the same -- a peaceful smile. That was God in me. Then he said I asked if we still could go on our vacation. To his negative reply, I wrinkled up my face as if I were going to cry. That, I am sure, was "me" -- the human reaction.
The months ahead were my most difficult and most glorious, all at the same time.
Physically, the days were dark. I developed a blood clot in my right arm. The incision became so badly infected that X-ray treatments had to be postponed. In an effort to heal the area, skin was grafted from my legs. Less that six weeks after the first surgery, I was hospitalized for a second major operation. A month of daily radiation treatments left me burned and exhausted.
Yet, these were the most glorious days I've ever spent because God was in each situation with me. Hundreds of friends became involved in prayer and ministered to me through visits, cards, and kindnesses. The Lord met our every family need. My spirit soared as passages of Scripture "came alive" and I experienced them for the first time.
God answered my own prayers so quickly I was often breathless with praise. He even provided "frosting on the cake" again and again in His answers to the insignificant wants and wishes of my heart. I needed a pair of slippers and a cooler gown. In walked a former college friend with both items in my size.
Another time I began thinking about a roommate as I prepared to return for the second surgery. I had shared a room with a precious older woman during the first confinement and had the joy of introducing her to spiritual things.
"I hope I get somebody again who doesn't smoke" I said rather selfishly. "And while you're at it, Father," I prayed, "how about someone young this time? And wouldn't it be marvelous if she were a Christian!"
I was full of faith, but my mouth fell open when a wonderful 18-year-old Christian was wheeled into the room. The fellowship we enjoyed must be what heaven is like.
Now, as I look back on those days, I realize that, to God, this whole experience started six months before I had that check-up. It was then, at a woman's retreat, that I was asked to write down my goals in life. On a crumpled piece of paper I had written five words from Philippians 3:10: "that I may know Him."
I realize now that it is possible to travel on beyond initial encounter to an ever-fuller knowledge of God. To understand what Paul meant, "that I may know Him," we must go back to verse eight for the beginning of the thought. Then we have something like this: "I count all things but loss that I may know Him." Or, to put it another way, "Knowing Christ is the most important thing in my life -- whatever it costs."
If we mean business -- if we are willing to count all things but loss to know Him more fully -- then every one of life's present circumstances takes on new significance. Each blessing, each mercy, each trial provides new knowledge of Christ. Therefore, each blessing, each mercy, and each trial can be an occasion for thanksgiving.
Scripture tells us to be thankful for everything. Obviously, it's easy to give thanks for good circumstances: no one even needs to know Christ at all for that dimension of thanksgiving. But when it comes to giving thanks when life has tossed you a curve, that's another story.
Then the person without an experiential knowledge of Christ must, if he gives thanks at all, skirt around the edges of the circumstances. He, in effect, gives thanks that it wasn't worse, or that it's over; or he gives thanks for friends, for doctors, or for insurance. Only the Christian can give thanks for the actual difficult circumstances.
It is only normal, without Christ, to look at the circumstances themselves. But the person who knows Him looks at Christ. Thus he can be thankful even in the midst of trials because they are the means God is using at the time to reach him and reveal more of Himself.
One of my friends traveled a similar path without Christ five years ago and she considers the experience a tragedy. I'm no stronger, no more optimistic, no braver than Marcia. And I'm not some kind of nut that enjoys being sick! Yet I am thankful that God has used this experience "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings."
Oswald Chambers in "My Utmost for His Highest" says, "To choose to suffer means that there is something wrong; to choose God's will even if it means suffering is a very different thing. No healthy saint ever chooses suffering; he chooses God's will, as Jesus did, whether it means suffering or not."
Not only has God used this experience to edify me, but He has also used it in the lives of friends and neighbors because they saw His grace at work.
Non-believers with problems come to me, now that I am "in the club" too. I am in a better position to share Him with those about me in the everyday "fellowship of sufferings."
I thank God for my difficult circumstances because He has used them to teach me a whole new sense of values. I have tasted heaven, and nothing is to be compared with the joy of fellowship at the feet of our Lord.
On the other hand, life has also become more precious. I have learned to value many things I formerly took for granted. I love life, but hold it lightly.
I thank God, too, for the ability to be realistic about my future. He may not see fit for me to watch my children grow up. But, again my confidence is in Him. He who gave them to me will care for them. I need never pretend that "everything's coming up roses." I instead give thanks that I know Jesus Christ who will never leave me alone.
How can we dare to give God the right to ourselves? How can we thank Him when circumstances are blackest? Over and over my heart sings the reply, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day."
(Christian Life Publications, Inc., Wheaton, IL. Used by permission from November 1964 issue.)
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