MISCONCEPTION OF GOD
"Nevertheless when it (the heart) shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away" -- II Corinthians 3:16.
There is a "veil" upon the heart and mind of every individual in the world until it is removed by God. Satan has blinded the mind and closed the heart so that they are insensitive to the things of God. This came about by sin -- listening to Satan rather than God. Man cannot truly know God until the veil is taken away. Mankind has a misconception of God.
I had a misconception of God for many years. In spite of my almost constant exposure to the Word of God in my youth, I felt deep in my heart that God was angrily pursuing me, anxiously awaiting opportunity to pour out His judgment upon me for my sins. I knew I deserved His judgment.
But one day, some twenty years ago, God finally caught up to me, put me in a corner where I could not get out, my heart was turned to the Lord, the veil was taken away, and I saw God as never before. Far from being an angry God anxious to judge, I found Him to be loving and kind and patient and anxious to save me by His grace. And He did just that.
Then I began to realize the significance of Christ's death on the cross. It was there that God's wrath and judgment was poured out, poured out indeed against my sins, but upon His own holy Son who bore my sins. Sin was effectively dealt with once and for all there. God was satisfied with Christ's sacrifice; He wants us to be. He will accept us in Christ; when we in the heart accept Him. "There is therefore now no condemnation (judgment) to them that are in Christ Jesus."
Maybe you have a misconception of God. When in your heart you turn to the Lord, the veil will be taken away. You will begin to perceive with your mind and understand with your heart the God who loves you and who sent His own Son to redeem you. You will call upon Him and discover that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." You will accept Him, and be accepted in the Beloved.
-- Editor
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"Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ
is born of God . . . " -- I John 5:1
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Fourth in a Series
HIS VIRGIN BIRTH
Critics of the Virgin Birth of our Lord contend that because it is mentioned by only two New Testament writers, the rest knew nothing of it. But this does not necessarily follow.
The reason Mark and John did not present it in their Gospels is that they, along with Matthew and Luke, each had a different purpose in writing. Matthew wrote to portray Jesus as the KING of the Jews. Luke wrote to portray Him as the SON OF MAN. In either case it is important to know the origin of the person in question. So both writers give a full account of His birth.
Mark portrays Jesus as the SERVANT of God. John shows Him to be the ETERNAL WORD. In neither case is it necessary to know anything about the origin of the person in question. So neither writer gives an account of His birth.
As to the other New Testament writers, we must believe they knew of Christ's miraculous, virgin birth, although they had no occasion to present it in any fullness. And besides, it is very difficult to prove something conclusively from silence.
Paul, writer of 13 of our New Testament epistles, apparently knew about the Virgin Birth. The ordinary Greek word used when speaking of birth is "gennao." Paul used this word when relating the account of the birth of Ishmael to Hagar by Abraham: "The son by the handmaid is born (gennao) after the flesh" (Galatians 4:23). But when speaking of the birth of Christ, Paul used another Greek word, "ginomi." "But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born (ginomi) of a woman" (Galatians 4:4). This word implies something different from an ordinary birth. It shows Paul knew that Jesus' birth was not just another birth of a son to a father and mother, but that it was in fact an extraordinary birth.
The critics may also point out that Joseph was actually called the father of Jesus. "The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, and they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" (John 6:41,42). But this testimony comes from unfriendly lips. We cannot trust such testimony. On another occasion the people "wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of his mouth: and they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" (Luke 4:22). This may also be unfriendly testimony. But whether friendly or unfriendly, it reveals that doubts as to His origin had arisen in their minds because of the words He spoke. Again, such testimony is not trustworthy.
But what of Mary's own testimony? Once she said to Jesus, "Behold, thy father and I have sought thee" (Luke 2:48). There is nothing strange about this. Joseph, though not His natural father, was His legal father. Parents of adopted children today do the same -- they call themselves the father and mother of the child. And rightly so. Mary meant nothing more than that Joseph was Jesus' father by adoption, legally.
The critics come up with the argument also that there are mythological stories of virgin births in other literature. They imply that this is just another such story, and possibly originated from the others. But a comparison of the Virgin Birth of Christ in the Bible with these other heathen stories, soon reveals which is authentic and which is not.
The heathen stories are wild and fanciful while the Biblical account of Christ's birth is sober and careful. The others are foul and obscene while it is chaste, delicate, and pure. They are many while it is only one. The others have God coming down and having a relationship with a woman while in the Virgin Birth of Christ all suggestions of sex are shut out. Indeed no analogy can be drawn between the two. The heathen stories are very evidently myths, smacking of the unreal. The Biblical account is very evidently true and real.
The critics cannot bring themselves to believe in a biological miracle, which the Virgin Birth would involve. These same men want to get rid of the miraculous element altogether in Christianity. The true Christian, however, sees no barrier to faith in the miracles of Christianity. He rejoices in them.
We may ask the critic how he can account for a sinless Man in the midst of a sinful humanity. A sinless Man is a greater miracle in the moral realm than a Virgin Birth in the biological realm. Nothing whatever is gained, therefore, in dropping the Virgin Birth. The man who accepts the sinlessness of Christ has no valid or rational reason for rejecting the Virgin Birth of Christ as far as the miraculous is concerned. Professor Bruce is right in observing that "with the denial of the Virgin Birth generally goes the denial of the Virgin Life."
In which camp do you find yourself: with His critics or with His confessors? Hear His words to us: "Whosoever therefore shall confess me . . . him will I confess also . . . But whosoever shall deny me . . . him will I also deny . . . " (Matthew 10:32,33).
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A COMPLETED JEW
By Mrs. Joseph Carey
I thank the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for now I can truly say that I am a completed Jew. Our wonderful, all-knowing God, through His marvelous grace, removed the veil from my eyes and revealed to me, through His precious Word, His Love Gift -- the Messiah of Israel, the One who came so long ago and Who is coming again. I thank Him for helping me to see myself as an unworthy sinner, in need of an all-knowing and loving Savior, and my prayer now is that I will allow Him to become the Lord of my life.
Looking back across the years, how wonderful it is to see how He worked in my life -- gently, patiently, lovingly -- to lead me to Himself!
My parents had an orthodox Jewish upbringing. In our home we observed the rituals and traditions of orthodox Judaism, but to me the customs and holidays were memorable largely for the traditional food associated with them, or perhaps for the new clothing we received at these times. Our family consisted of four girls, of which I was the third. Our parents were fairly well educated, each reading and speaking five languages. They instilled in us the proper moral and social attitudes and loved us very much, but they never seemed to feel it important to teach us the beliefs of Judaism or their spiritual significance.
At the early age of seven, I remember having a great fear of death -- the unknown. It was a feeling of hopelessness because there were so many questions in my mind for which to me there were no answers. This fear was very real and sometimes overpowering. The things of childhood and growing up occupied most of my time, but this fear was always in the back of my mind, especially at night.
At about eight years of age, a friend invited me to go to a place where she promised I would have a good time. This place was so pleasant. Everyone there was kind and friendly. We sang hymns, and there was a feeling of love. I learned years later, that this was the home of The Cleveland Hebrew Mission. I remember returning to my home and talking and singing about Jesus. When my mother heard me mention that name, the name we had been taught to hate, she forebade me to go there again.
As I was growing up, I did not think seriously about God; however, when I did, I thought in a vague sort of way, that religion was a way of life with a God somewhere in the background. As my parents grew older they dropped many of the Jewish customs considering them to be foolish and without meaning. As a result, I was very lonely when the Jewish holidays came, and lonely at Christmas when the Gentiles were observing their holiday.
Though my parents did not consider it important to observe and uphold Jewish tradition, when I married a Gentile -- a catholic, they were very unhappy and deeply humiliated. From a worldly standpoint, my marriage was a good one. I had a fine husband, who provided well so we could live comfortably and my life seemingly was full. I appeared happy. But as we accumulated material things, I realized these did not bring the satisfaction or joy that I had anticipated.
We were blessed with three fine children, two girls and a boy. I was determined that they would not be plagued with this hopeless fear of death, that still gripped me from time to time, yet I did not know where to turn for help.
I became restless and bored. I thank God now for this restlessness because it led me on to a search which eventually brought me to our precious Messiah. I explored positive thinking; studied some of the eastern religions; delved somewhat into the study of science, and finally I studied applied psychology. These all had some good in them -- they provided an explanation -- but they did not solve my problem.
I decided then that I would cultivate new friendships. Being of an Italian-Jewish marriage, I got in touch with others in the same marital status to find, perhaps, if we might have something in common. In contacting one acquaintance, our conversation led to her telling me of the joy and peace she had from attending a Bible class that met regularly. This lady said she had no interest in anything else, socially, and that this class provided all that she wanted and needed. I called at the address she gave me and learned that it was the home of The Cleveland Hebrew Mission. There, I talked to Florence Hagen and made several appointments to see her, but each time something came up so I was unable to keep the appointment. I was impressed with the friendliness and sincerity of this one to whom I talked, and in the back of my mind I decided that some day I would make an effort to meet her.
In the meantime, I became active in PTA work. There I met and became close friends with the one who was then the president. She was a wonderful person, loved by everyone. There was something different about her, but I did not know then what it was. One day I called for her to go to a social club with me, and later we sat in the car until 1:30 A.M. talking. I was amazed. Could she, this wonderful Jewish woman, be talking about Jesus? Seeing my interest, she told me that she would refer me to a place where I could really learn the Truth. This place again was The Cleveland Hebrew Mission. I could no longer disregard these so-called coincidences. I made a call by phone and arranged to study the Bible with Florence Hagen.
I thought I was quite smart in those days. I remember telling Florence that she would probably be wasting her time if she expected me to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and that I did not want to obligate myself. I wanted only to understand what the Bible said. At that point I did not even believe the Bible was the inspired Word of God. Well, Florence was patient, loving and very wise.
How I praise God for giving me an open mind, and for the faith to believe the Truth when it was revealed to me! We studied Genesis. I learned the Hebrew plural and meaning of the word Elohim -- "Let us make man in our image . . . " and I read Isaiah 53. I wondered who this one was who would be despised and rejected of men. I met other workers at the mission and was impressed with their genuine love for the Jewish people. (I was not easily deceived and I recognized their sincerity.) Before that, I did not believe it was possible for a Gentile to love a Jews. I was suspicious and felt they had ulterior motives when they were friendly.
I do not remember the exact moment of decision when I passed from doubt to wonder and then to faith, joy and freedom in Christ Jesus. But I do know there was a great change. Prayer became precious, the Bible became very dear, even the grass appeared greener. I started to love the gospel hymns; they had new meaning for me. The veil was lifted -- doubt and fear were gone.
Then, I became burdened for unsaved loved ones and friends. Since Jesus, the Messiah, has become a reality in my life, my sister and her daughter have accepted Him as their Saviour. Then my catholic husband and our two married daughters came to Christ and were saved. Just recently my second son-in-law, who was raised as a strict catholic and had been an altar boy, helping to serve mass, went forward in a service and accepted Him as his personal Saviour, and Lord. What a joy it has been to see the Lord working in my family as one by one He is bringing them into the fold!
I praise and thank the Lord for His wonderful, faithful saints who, because of their love for Him, are bringing to our people the blessed good news that our Messiah, the Wonderful One, came, and is coming again for those who accept Him.
I thank God for peace in place of conflict, for faith in place of fear and for the peace and joy that truly passes all understanding. Most of all I thank Him for His Unspeakable Gift -- our Saviour Jesus, the Messiah of Israel.
(From a tract by Mrs. Carey.)
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RICH TREASURES in EARTHEN VESSELS
By Robert F. Vasey
If God has singled you out beforehand to suit His purpose and to manifest His Son in your very life He will enlighten your inward eye to all of the surpassing virtue which will be yours in His dealings with you. For He will shut you up to a life of crucifixion and abandonment unto Him. You will not be allowed to do some of the things that other Christians do.
Other Christians may have those passions which belong to earth. But your passion is in a life which is hidden away with Christ in God. You have undergone death so how can your corpse feel the pricks of anger, spite or insult that are aimed your way? Christ is clothing your new self with these testings so that you are being refitted all the time for a closer knowledge . . . so that the image of the God who created it is its pattern.
Others can be reckless boasters and lovers of self but God's Holy Spirit will not allow you to do such things. And if you begin it you will soon be dealt with in complete humiliation until you again stand in awe of Christ and esteem others as better than self.
Others will be allowed to have money and many earthly possessions but you may never be allowed much of this world's goods for you have received His special grace which is Christ's handpicked gift for you. Silver and gold will fade away but you will be supplied by His Spirit out of the rich treasury of His glory with a power that will reach your innermost heart.
The Lord will let others receive honor, respect and prestige from men and keep you secretly hid from view because He knows that His special, choice fruit can only develop under His shadow.
Others may be producing fine workmanship on their earthly structures of wood, grass and straw; materials all gleaned from self-controlled lives of ease. But He will make you work and toil, building upon Him.
The Holy Spirit Himself will stand constant vigilance over you to see that your sufferings with Christ are moulding you in His image. You will be rebuked for each little trace of bitterness, resentment and quarreling, or for allowing silly chatter to cross your lips. Others can waste time reading books or papers, watching television or in social gatherings while you are filling your censer with the sweet smelling fragrance of prayer through the Spirit.
If you really told God that you were willing to be exhibited as His captive in the triumph of Christ Jesus, He will spread you abroad everywhere as a life-giving perfume or as the incense of Christ offered unto God.
You will then have the personal light of Jesus Christ kindled in your very own heart which is your treasure to be kept in an earthenware tabernacle. And when the rays of Christ's illumination so thrill your soul and you become such an eager love-servant of His that you delight in the personal, private guidance of His Holy Spirit over your entire life, then you will be like a river, whose waters give life, flowing clear as crystal from the Throne of God and from His vessel whose shell is perishable earthenware.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Romans 12:1-2).
(From a tract by "Good News Publishers," Westchester, IL.)
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GRACE FOR ONE DAY AT A TIME
By the late M. R. DeHaan, M.D.
"My grace is sufficient for thee . . . " II Corinthians 12:9
The important word in this sentence is the little verb "IS." It is in the present tense. If His grace if sufficient now, it will be sufficient tomorrow -- for tomorrow will be the "present," and today will be in the past. We do not need tomorrow's grace until tomorrow. A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough today to last him for the rest of the week, or take enough air into his lungs in one breath to last him the balance of the day. God's grace is supplied moment by moment as we need it. Yes, "My grace IS sufficient for thee."
Paul suffered from "a thorn in the flesh," and prayed three times that it might be removed. The Lord did not take away Paul's thorn, but said, "I will give you grace -- so you may be able to bear it, and turn it into a spiritual victory in your life."
If you are passing through deep waters and God has not seen fit to relieve your trouble, then remember there is grace available to you so that by faith you can receive an even greater blessing. If you had known beforehand the trial of today, you would have despaired and felt you could never bear it; but today His grace is there. You didn't need grace for this trial until the trial came. We must draw upon God's grace as we need it, and then we find out that His grace IS sufficient. We do not receive grace for tomorrow's testing until tomorrow's testing comes!
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me Home.
-- John Newton
(In "Our Daily Bread." Copyright 1967 by Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids MI. Used by special permission.)
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