The Chastisement of our Peace was upon Him

 

“The Chastisement of our Peace was upon Him”

 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).

Other Translations.  This is an intriguing expression in regard to that which Christ suffered for us, and in our behalf.

“The chastisement of our peace was upon him” (KJV, ASV, Brenton, Darby, DRB, LITV, RV, Webster);

“the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him” (AMP);

“the chastisement for our well-being, was upon him” (EB);

“He took the punishment we deserved” (ERV);

“upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace” (ESV);

“He was punished so that we could have peace” (GW);

“the punishment reconciling us fell on him” (NJB);

“the punishment that brought us peace was upon him” (NIV);

“the chastisement of our welfare was upon him” (JPS);

“upon him was the chastisement that made us whole” (RSV).

The Manifold Perspectives of the Sufferings of Christ.  There are many ways that the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ may be considered, and each with profit.  There is the primary view, which is God’s perspective of those sufferings, and there is a secondary view, pertaining to how men perceive His sufferings. 

Moses and the Prophets.  There is the perspective of Moses and the Prophets, as they lived in anticipation of the coming Sufferer.  Then there is the view of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the days of His flesh, as He Himself repeatedly spoke forthrightly of His Cross, where He would “give His life a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28; Mk. 10:45). 

The Acts of the Apostles.  We find a unique perspective of those sufferings in the book of Acts where the glorified Christ was directing His newly established church from the right hand of God, and where “repentance and remission of sins” (Lk. 24:47; Acts 2:38; 10:43) first began to be preached in Jesus’ Name.  Here Apostles, prophets, and brethren were forging ahead in newly charted waters, “preaching Jesus, and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18), reasoning with ungodly men of “righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come” (Acts 24:25), and “witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come” (Acts 26:22).

In the Epistles.  The epistles afford another necessary perspective of the sufferings of Christ, interpreting, unfolding, and announcing what actually had transpired at the “place, which is called Calvary” (Lk. 23:33), during the final and consummatory Passover, where Christ our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  In the epistles there is found an elaborate unfolding of the greatness of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the New Covenant, of justification by faith in Christ, of salvation by faith through grace, of the High Priesthood of Christ, of life and immortality, of the world to come, of an eternal inheritance that is undefiled, just to name a few things.

In the Revelation.  There is the view given by the Revelation where consolation and judgment are met together in the further outworking of the purpose of God in Christ Jesus.  “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood . . .”   “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him . . .”

God’s Perspective.  There is the high and exalted view of the Lord Jehovah, “working salvation in the midst of the earth” (Ps. 74:12).  “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it” (Acts 2:23-24).”

Our Peace.  But from one valid perspective it was not merely peace, but rather “our peace” [peace that pertained to us, peace that once was rightly “ours”], that was at stake in the sufferings of Christ.  It was “our offences” and “our justification” (Rom. 4:25) that were squarely on the line. It was “our griefs” that were being “borne”, and “our sorrows” that were being “carried” (Isa. 53:4).   It was we who were “as an unclean thing”, and it was “our righteousnesses” that were “as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6).   “The motions of sins” were working “in our members” (Rom. 7:5), accentuating the gravity of the situation as it pertained to us in our standing before the holy and righteous God.  “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3).  He “His own Self bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Pet. 2:24).

Chastisement, not Chastening.  The word chastening in Scripture is closely associated with correction with the prospect and hope of perfecting moral character.  “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD ; neither be weary of His correction: for whom the LORD loveth He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth” (Prov. 3:11-12).  “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth” (Heb. 12:6).  When a person is chastened of the Lord he or she may properly reason that He is working with such ones to perfect holiness in them.  The one who is chastened may rightly infer that God loves him, or her.  “Whom the Lord loveth!”

But in the case of chastisement, especially the way in which the word is used in Isaiah 53, there is no perceived love on the part of the One being chastised.  There is instead an acute sense of the One doing the chastising angrily distancing Himself from, and even forsaking, the One being chastised.  With regard to sin, and its effect upon God, and upon His moral government, divine correction is not an option for remedying the offense.  “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Sin is of such grievous nature that it demands that there be death to the sinner together with complete exclusion from the presence of the Holy One, with no apparent alternative in sight. But, praise God, there was indeed an alternative that was found! The chastisement of our peace was upon Christ, and not upon us!  

In the Lord Jesus Christ the God of heaven has devised “means that His banished” sons and daughters “be not expelled from Him” (see II Sam. 14:14).  And that means was by the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which has followed.  Consider how great this Man is!  Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of man, is the only One who was able to bear the consequences of our sin and transgression, and to recover therefrom.  For “God raised Him from the dead” (Acts 13:30)!

The Chastisement of Our Peace.  The Lord Jesus Christ laid down His life in obedience to the Father’s commandment, knowing very well that it was the chastisement of our peace that was upon Him, not of His.  For He Himself “did no sin” (I Pet. 2:22), and He “knew no sin” (II Cor. 5:21), as the Scripture plainly declares.    At Golgotha, the place of a skull, it was the chastisement of our offenses against the Most High in their entirety that was upon the Savior.  And from the perspective of Isaiah 53 it was the chastisement of our peace, or wellbeing before God, that was upon Him.  It was the chastisement of our wellbeing before the living God that was upon the Savior, as He “once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (I Pet. 3:18).

The Chastisement of our Peace Was Upon Christ. Let every man think soberly when considering the matter of our sins and transgressions being laid upon Christ, for we were the ones that, by our sinning, did eat “the sour grapes”, but it was the Savior’s “teeth” that were “set on edge” (see Ezek. 18:2-4)! We were the ones that had grievously sinned, yet it was Christ that suffered in our stead for them. We were the guilty ones, and Christ was the innocent Victim.

Shall we then grumble against the God of our salvation, in much the same way that Israel did, and say to Him that this was unfair, yea that it was not right, for Christ to suffer for sins in our behalf?  Was it unfair that the Most High has devised means that His banished be not expelled from Him? (cf. II Sam. 14:14).  Was it unfair that the chastisement of our peace was on the Lord Jesus Christ when He bore our sins in His own body on the tree?  (It can be seen that with men, the circumference of perceived fairness and equity generally does not extend beyond the borders of what directly affects them.) The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.

The Dead which Die in the Lord

Such Ones are Greatly to be Envied!

 

The Dead which Die in the Lord

By Dean E. Boelt

 

“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13).

 

Death is a subject that many people avoid talking or thinking about. For such ones there is fear and apprehension associated with death. The best approach to this subject, however, is to think of it and to properly prepare for it. The Scripture speaks clearly on this matter from different perspectives: for example, how that with death is directly associated the matter of accountability. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). While, in men’s thinking, death is often connected with irresponsibility and recklessness, yet in the Scriptures, death is consistently associated with men giving a strict account to God (cf. Acts 10:42; II Tim. 4:1; Rev. 11:18).

 

From another perspective the Spirit also gives assurance that those who die in the Lord are, in fact, blessed (i.e., to be envied above all others, fortunate, happy). Jesus said to the church at Smyrna: “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (v. 11). We would have you then ponder the following vital considerations regarding death, as it pertains to those in Christ Jesus.

 

The Matter of Being Dead with Christ. Let us consider the matter of being dead with Christ. The Scriptures are very clear about this; if we die with Christ (cf. Rom. 6:8; Col. 2:20; II Tim. 2:11), having obeyed the gospel, we will not be hurt by the second death. Notice how secure the saints of God (the ones who had died with Christ) are represented to be (cf. Rev 14:6-12). “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God” (Rev. 14:12). Death has no dominion over Christ in that He died unto sin once (cf. Rom. 6:9). And if we are in Him, being crucified with Him (cf. Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20), death shall have no dominion over us. We shall no longer live in bondage to the fear of death.

 

Paul said, “death is ours.” “For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (I Cor.3:21-22).

 

When the gospel is preached and received into the hearts of men, and where men are obedient to the call and the commandments of God, continuing strong in the faith, they will possess the necessary patience to endure the trials and vexations of this life.  “The trying of your faith worketh patience,” James declared (Jas. 1:3). Those living by faith in the Son of God have full assurance regarding the outcome of the present conflict. Rom 8:28-39 is speaking of those who are patient in tribulation. Such ones are secure in Christ. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Rom. 8:35).

 

The answer is “nothing,” if we keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus Christ (cf. Rev. 12:17; 14:12). These that are spoken of as being obedient and who keep the faith are “the elect of God” (Col. 3:12). They were foreknown of God (cf. Rom. 8:29-30) because God is all-knowing, with nothing at all being hid from Him that is is either past, present, or future. By the exercise of their will, which God gave them, being energized by the Holy Spirit from God and the Word of God, they overcame.

 

The Voice from Heaven. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth (that is, from this time on): Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them” (Rev. 14:13).

 

The Holy Spirit is quick and ready to offer assurance to those in the battle. A great blessing is spoken of here for those in the fight of faith, in that the Spirit adds this word of comfort and assurance “that they may rest from their labors.” With the wicked this is not so. They shall have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name (Rev. 14:11). And “the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it can not rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isa. 57:20-21). And who can forget this word of Job, speaking of the future abode of the righteous: “There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest” (Job 3:17).

 

On the Anticipation of Death. The last enemy, death, has lost its sting! Death is swallowed up in victory O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? (I Cor. 15:54-55). Those secure in Christ need not fear the second death. For as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He (that is, 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 life time subject to bondage (Heb. 2:14-15). Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once; but in that He liveth He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:9-11).

 

Those who reason like men of the the world would reason that death is a terrible thing; there is great fear in death. Death is anticipated with gloom and doom. From their perspective, death is final. There is no optimism in growing old and facing the finality of death.  The very consideration of Scripture speaking of death as a blessing is foreign to their thoughts. But for those who are dead with Christ, the future is bright and it is faced with great anticipation and optimism. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Ps. 116:15).

 

“Know ye not that so many of as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4). As God reckons things, when we come into Christ, and are baptized into Him, we are dead and buried. We must reckon as God reckons! “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin: but the spirit is life because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:10). “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20, NASB).

 

“Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?” (Col. 2:20-22).

 

Three-fold Involvement of Being Dead with Christ. If we are dead what are we dead too? We are dead to the law (Rom. 7:1-4). Also Paul writes in Galatians: “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God” (Gal.2: 19).  We are dead unto sin, as previously mentioned. “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:11). Men are either dead in sin or dead unto sin. As Paul declared, “even when we were dead in sins,” God “quickened us together with Christ” (Eph. 2:5).

 

We are dead to the world. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6: 14). “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3: 2-3).

 

Our primary text, (Revelation 14: 13), also is applicable to those living in the flesh, who are dead with Christ; they do rest now from their labor. No spiritual blessing can be possessed except we are united together with Christ in His death. We must die with Him in order to live with Him. The resurrected Lord does not minister spiritual benefits to dead sinners. Our text states that the dead rests from their labors, and that is also true as we are dead with Christ.

 

We cease from our own meritorious works as a means of acceptance by God. “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (Heb. 4: 10).  “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God” (v. 9). The only rest we have now is rest from meritorious works. The life we live now by faith involves rigorous work that requires total commitment, focus, single-mindedness (cf. Jas. 4:8) and a single eye (cf. Mt. 6:22). Paul said: “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal. 2: 20), and that requires alertness and diligence. “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself” (II Tim. 2:11-12; cf. Phil.3: 7-11). In another place he said: “I die daily” (I Cor 15:31). And again, “always bearing about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (II Cor. 4: 10-11).

 

THE PROMISE TO THE OVERCOMERS

Relevant Expressions of the Warfare of Faith being Waged in Kenya

 

 

THE PROMISE TO THE OVERCOMERS

 

By David Mulele

 

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His holy angels.” (Rev. 3:5)

 

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.” This is actually a repetition of the thought in verse 4, wherein is made reference to the few who have not defiled their garments. We used to have a saying years ago here in Kenya that no doubt was taken from this verse. It was, “Keep your skirts clean.” It meant: don’t get involved in questionable things; others will be involved and you might be tempted to be involved, or someone might even try to involve you; but stay clear of it all by steering a course away from it. Now God is to reward those who follow this advice. They are going to be clothed in white. Apostles Peter, James and John saw Him on Mount Transfiguration: “and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as light” (Mt. 17:1-2). That is how the saints are going to be clothed. Their white garments will be shining exceedingly white.

 

Everybody knows that we are living in the perilous days – in the “end time” (Mt. 24:12; 24:24; I Tim. 4:1-2; II Tim. 3:1-7). In this age churches are coming together – having “unity” and claiming to be “one”, but without God’s Word. And as they are even now controlling world politics, they will soon control the finances of the world. Then, if you don’t belong to the world organization of churches, National Council of Churches (NCC) that leads all to the World Council of Churches (WCC) which is the very “image of the beast” (Rev. 13:14-16); you won’t be able “to buy or sell” (Rev. 13:17). You will lose all.

 

Those who stay true to God and keep their garments clean from the defilement of this “Ecumenical Movement”, “World System”, and “One World Order” of churches will be physically bereft (Rev. 13:15). There will be presented to them a great temptation to give in. Many preachers will give in with the excuse that they will serve God within the framework of the anti-Christ beast-system. They will give in to the flatteries and blandishments of the hierarchy of Rome. And the people will follow these false shepherds right into the slaughter. But in the judgment they will all be found naked. They will not be given those white robes; neither will they walk with HIM.

 

No one who walks in spotted garments of this world, holding hands with the devil here, can expect to be with God.  What a time it is to wake up and hear the voice of God crying, “Come out of her (organized religion), My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, that ye receive not her plagues” (Rev. 18:4)! Amen. God is speaking. Shun the religions of this world like you shun the plague. Leave off walking with the world and make your garments white by repentance under the blood of the Lamb. But do it now, for tomorrow may be too late.

 

The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand; it is later than we think. What a time to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12:2)! The world is in chaos and even in a condition like unto Sodom, just as it was in those times (cf. Gen. 19; Lk. 17:28-30). We can see all Biblical signs and Scriptures being fulfilled in our Day.

 

What a time is it saints of God?  Sin is now on the rampage (cf. Isa. 5:20) –sin is greatly cherished and even supported politically, religious and financially in our day more than the Gospel of truth can be supported, yet churches say nothing about it. The average church is now united with the world and doing exactly what the world does. The Apostle James asked this burning question: “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?”  (Jas. 4:4). We must not love the world and the things of the world, because those who do that are lacking the love of God (cf. I Jn. 2:15-17). The world is on its peak, climax and not realizing that judgment is coming? “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh” (Mt. 24:44: I Thess. 5:6).

 

Remember “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.” Oh, how “blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Mt. 24:46; Rev. 16:15)! 

 

The Festival of the Eternal Inheritance in Christ

Spring 2016 Preaching Festival

 

First Christian Church of New Elliott, Griffith, Indiana

 

The Festival of the Eternal Inheritance in Christ

 

April 8th,  9th and 10th (Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday)

 

 

 

1.    Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to Whom Thou Didst Swear (Exod. 32:13: Gen. 22:16)

 

2.    The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth (Ps. 37:11; Mt. 5:5) –Benjamin Blakely

 

3.    The Inheritance of Everlasting Life (Mt. 19:29; Lk. 10:25; Mk. 10:17; Tit. 3:7)

 

4.    The Inheritance of a Prepared Kingdom (Mt. 25:34; Jas. 2:5; I Sam. 2:8)

 

5.    The Inheritance of the Blessing (Heb. 12:17; I Pet. 3:9)

 

6.    Inheriting the Promises (Heb. 6:12, 17; 10:36; see Gen. 27) –Tim McCulfor

 

7.    Inheriting All Things (Rev. 21:7; I Cor. 3:21-23)

 

8.    The LORD is My Inheritance (My Portion, My Part) (Ps. 16:5) –David Perryman

 

9.    The Inheritance Among All Those Who Are Sanctified (Acts 20:32; 26:18)

 

10.   The Earnest of Our Inheritance (Eph. 1:14; II Cor. 1:22)

 

11.  The Promise of Eternal Inheritance (Heb. 9:15; Tit. 3:7), “The Promised Eternal Inheritance” (RSV) --Jonathan Blakely

 

12.  Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light (Col. 1:12)

 

13.  Christ Inheriting a More Excellent Name (Heb. 1:4; Ps. 2:7-8)

 

14.  The Heirs of Salvation (Heb. 1:14)

 

15.  Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:17)

 

16. The LORD’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance (Deut. 3:29)

 

17.  That the Gentiles Should Be Fellow-Heirs (Eph. 3:6)

 

18.  Heirs of the Righteousness, which is by Faith (Rom. 4:13; Heb. 11:7)

 

19.  They that are Christ’s are Abraham’s seed, and Heirs according to the Promise (Gal. 3:29)

 

20.  If the Inheritance be of the Law, it is No More of Promise (Gal. 3:18) –Daniel Brueck

 

21.  In Christ We Have Obtained an Inheritance, Being Predestinated (Eph. 1:11)       –Richard Ebler

 

22.  The Riches of the Glory of God’s Inheritance in the Saints (Eph. 1:18)

 

23.  The Unrighteous Shall Not Inherit the Kingdom of God (I Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5) –Ernie Santos

 

24.  Begotten Again to an Inheritance Incorruptible, and Undefiled, and that Fadeth Not Away, Reserved in Heaven for You (I Pet. 1:4; Col. 1:5; Ps. 31:19) –Al Stoner

 

25. The Inheritance from the Perspective of being an Appointed Lot, or Portion, or Part (Ps. 119:57; 142:5; Lam. 3:24; Num. 33:54; 36:2; Josh. 14:2; 19:1; Ps. 16:5; 105:11; Rev. 21:8) –Rodney Jordan

 

26. Heirs Together of the Grace of Life (I Pet. 3:7)

 

27. Inheriting the Promises through Faith and Patience (Heb. 6:12)

 

28. The Abundant Willingness of God to Confirm His Word to the Heirs of Promise (Heb. 6:17)

 

For more information, contact me, Al Stoner

 

 

The Benefits of Our Justification

The Benefits of Our Justification

 

By Dean E. Boelt

We shall speak here of the great benefits of our justification in Christ. "Therefore, being justified by faith [cf. Rom. 4:20-25], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," (Rom. 5:1). The following considerations are some of the rich spiritual blessings which result from this state of our justification by God.

 

The Access into Grace. At the head of Paul's list of the benefits is that of "access by faith into this grace wherein we stand" before God, it was pointed out (v. 2). The grace of reference is that of acceptance by God on the basis of what Christ has done for us, rather than upon that of what we have done for God, as was the proffered means of acceptance, or justification, under the law. In Christ, we live unto God, and hold our status as His dear children, vicariously—"through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 5:11; cf. Eph. 1:6). That is what is fundamentally involved in grace, as distinguished from law. In this grace we "stand," and with all trustful confidence, since God has repeatedly assured us it is solidly firm ground upon which to appear before Him, and continue in His Presence (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-22).

 

The Triumph in Tribulation. A second benefit of our justification is that of triumph in tribulation, rather than defeat therein, it was observed. "We glory in tribulations" it is declared (v. 3). This is not done because of the sheer joy of suffering, but out of consideration of its good fruitage when patiently endured (vv. 4-5). Scripture makes it clear that we shall "through much tribulation" enter the eternal kingdom (Acts 14:22), since God has "appointed" His children "thereunto" (I Thess. 3:3). Hence, in our single-hearted desire for, and quest of, the happy end, we are enabled, by the Spirit, to "glory" in it and them (cf. Jas. 1:2-4; 5:7-11). Only those, of course, who are fully conscious of their complete justification in Christ can so glory.

 

The Climactic Joy in God. Having "received the atonement"—reconciliation or justification— we joy [rejoice] in God through our Lord Jesus Christ." To know God in a state of reconciliation to Him—as the loving Savior and Father which He veritably is—is the acme of human joy. Full persuasion of such a state is conducive to this joy and certainly issues in it, as one "follows on to know the Lord" in the beauty of His Person and the riches of His grace (Hos. 6:3).

 

It is no wonder that Jesus denominated such knowledge "life" (Jn. 17:3). It is also "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17, ASV). Something is heard today of the joy of serving God. But, comparatively little of the even greater bliss of knowing Him and basking in His divine presence as a dear child in Christ.

 

Some of those on the other side of the cross, without realized justification, put most of us to shame in this matter. Abraham "rejoiced" to see Christ's day—afar off—"and he saw it, and was glad" (Jn. 8:56). "God is my salvation," exclaimed Isaiah. Therefore, with joy shall we draw water out of the wells of [His] salvation" (Isa. 12:1-3).

Although material blessings should be withheld from him, "Yet," said Habakkuk. "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. 3:17-18; cf. Ps. 20:5; 33:20-21).

 

For those who have a lively consciousness of reconciliation to Him through Christ, there is great joy in God Himself (cf. Ps. 16:11). But the experience of it will be in direct proportion to one's acute awareness of his justification in Christ, and so of his full acceptance by God. Thus, the Apostle exhorts the church, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4; cf. ch. 3:1).

 

The Hope of His Glory. Our joy in God has its zenith in our hope of His glory, i.e., of His glorious manifestation and vindication at the coming of Christ. That is the ultimate joy set before us, and that for which "the whole creation," together with us, groans and travails "in pain" and in breathless anticipation (Rom. 8:19, 22). Then—ah, then!— "when that which is perfect is come" (I Cor. 13:10)—"we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (I Jn. 3:1-2; Ps. 17:15).

 

The Table Pertinence. Since the weekly gathering of the saints at the Lord's table is in both spiritual recognition of their justification in Christ and testimony of their expectancy of His coming, the pertinence of these considerations thereto is evident.  Let us, therefore, eat the body of the Lord and drink His blood in commemoration of His having brought us to God (I Pet. 3:18), and so of our complete acceptance by the Father in Him, thus proclaiming the Lord's death "till He come" (I Cor. 11:26, ASV). –Noted and recorded by Fred O. Blakely

The Witness of the Christmas Carols

The Witness of the Christmas Carols

By Al Stoner

It has long been our persuasion that the traditional Christ-exalting Christmas carols shall have proved, in the Day of Judgment, to have been a powerful, bright and shining witness for the truth among men. But, alas, in recent decades ungodly men have become increasingly intolerant of anything directly to do with Christ!  

The truth of the salvation in Christ Jesus is declared in so many of them (in some more clearly than others) in a manner that is charmingly captivating, heart-warming, and inviting to all who will lend an ear. This witness has been clearly sounded forth each year in spite of a church (and we are speaking here of everything that calls itself the church) that is, for the most part dead, and, as a consequence, grievously recreant in its proclamation of the truth.

Not that long ago in late November and throughout the month of December there would be hardly a street, a church, a home, a business, or a shopping mall, where the sound of these carols did not clearly resonate. Men and women, boys and girls, could be seen going about here and there, listening intently, noticeably pleased by these canticles of hope with their compelling and unspeakably joyous content. Often they could even be heard to sing, hum, or whistle along with the words and melodies.

However, by the time that January had arrived, all the joyous considerations contained in these hymns would be put away by men for another year.  And life would go on unaffected for the most part, business as usual. And alas, year after year the same tragic and inexplicable cycle would continue, and to some degree still continues on: the truth is heard by multitudes of men and women over and over again, but the truth, and particularly the all-essential love for it (II Th. 2:10), is not received by them!

The Day of Reckoning is Coming! The day is coming, however, when men shall give an account for all the truth which they have heard, but have not embraced, (and we are speaking now particularly of the truth which they have heard from the songs referred to above.) Ungodly men, standing there before the great and august judgment bar, shall give an account to God for not giving heed to the truth and for not embracing the glorious salvation in Christ Jesus, which was so powerfully declared in these hymns.

God will surely say to all those who would attempt to excuse and justify themselves in that great and notable Day, "Why did you not consider and inquire into this message of salvation that you repeatedly heard? You had entire lifetime to do so." And those that had made an empty profession of faith, as well, shall give account to Him as to why they had not hungered and thirsted after God's salvation and why they had not grown up into the truth that was so clearly and wonderfully proclaimed in so many of these carols year after year.

Men Must Grow Up into the Truth of Salvation. The faith of our Lord Jesus Christ has to do with great and abiding realities, and is, by its very nature, not at all seasonal (cf. Gal. 4:9-11). (It should go without saying that there is no observance of Christmas before the great white throne in Heaven. Actually, Christmas was not even celebrated on earth until about the year 300 A.D.)

Nevertheless, the kernels of truth that are declared during this time of remembrance each year are foundational to men's faith and are to be diligently embraced, put on, grown up into, and they are to be matters of intimate conversancy to all who profess the Name of the Lord Jesus. Men and women professing godliness ought to be at least as spiritually and intelligently conversant with the salvation in Christ Jesus as they are with their own families and with their jobs, and increasingly so. Anything short of this would simply be unreasonable!!  The knowledge of God, and of His salvation in Christ Jesus, is the only abiding knowledge.  All other lesser bodies of knowledge shall soon suffer obsolescence and pass away.

Some Examples of What We are Speaking. To cite some examples of the conversancy of which we are speaking, the word "Emmanuel" ought not, primarily, to provoke men to think of "the Christmas season," but rather it ought to transport them in their thoughts to the wonderfully great and abiding reality, that in Christ Jesus, "the eternal God" (Deut. 33:27), "the Creator of the ends of the earth" (Isa. 40:28), is now very near to us, He is with us, and even dwelling in us, in a marvelous sense that He never was before! Charles Wesley expressed it so very well in his familiar carol, "Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail, the Incarnate Deity, Pleased as Man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel!" Expressions such as these have proceeded forth from a deep love for the Scriptures and for the blessed Redeemer, which they declare. When earnestly considered, these expressions, set to verse in many of these carols, will assist men in perceiving somewhat of the preciousness of the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and will stir them up to make diligent inquiry into the truth themselves so that they may take hold of it.

Bible words such as (Emmanuel, the Last Adam, the Second Man, Prince of Peace, Desire of Nations, Sun of Righteousness, reconciliation, and so many others) ought to continually provoke further inquiry among redeemed personalities as to their preciousness and their great personal relevance, significance, and glorious benefit to men, both as they pertain to this world and to the one which is to come.

If angels desire to look into the things pertaining to redemption in Christ (I Pet. 1:12), how much more should men desire to look and inquire and explore, who are the recipients of that redemption? Those who name the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ must not content themselves with being pabulum-fed by their local ministers. Rather they must accustom themselves to intelligently searching out and exploring the truth as those who are seeking after great and hid treasure (cf. Mt. 13:44). Let us all, therefore, resolve to heartily embrace and grow up into the truth being sounded forth in the specific carols of which we are speaking, and may they provoke us to make more diligent search into "the truth of" God's "salvation" (Ps. 69:13) which is "contained in the Scripture" (I Pet. 2:6). 

The Fear of God Being Taught by the Precept of Men

 

The Fear of God Being Taught by the Precept of Men: a Jeopardy

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men” (Isa. 29:13).

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mt. 15:7-9). “He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mk. 7:6).

Bible things, particularly the knowledge of God, must be communicated to other men with Bible words, words which the Holy Spirit teaches  (I Cor. 2:13). They must be communicated by those who are “living epistles”, having been begotten again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. [How shall they hear without a preacher?]. The Holy Scripture is a precious compendium of spiritual vocabulary: spiritual words that are especially suited to acquaint men and women with God’s thoughts and ways. Scriptural words are the divinely ordained containers for imparting to men the knowledge of God.  They alone are able to make men “wise unto salvation” (II Tim. 3:16).  It has “pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (I Cor. 1:21).

Whenever men seek to communicate the knowledge of God with the wisdom of men’s words, they cause their hearers to stumble and to err.  The knowledge of God must be communicated by the means which God has both provided and ordained.  When this divinely appointed means is ignored, the tragic result is that of the fear of God being taught by the precept of men.  The hearers who subject themselves to the wisdom of men’s words  may become “religious”, but they are woefully ignorant of the God revealed in the Scripture, whom to know is life eternal (see Jn. 17:3).

Language Describing this Phenomenon. “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD : Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us” (Isa. 30:9-11).

“HEAR ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD , and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness. For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is His name” (Isa. 48:1-2).

“CRY aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God” (Isa. 58:1-2).

The Lord Jesus Christ, addressing such corrupters of the Word of God, declared: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Mt. 23:15).  These proselytes were being taught by the religious elite of that day, and yet the result of that instruction set the hearers on a course that ultimately leads to damnation, rather than them being set on “the way of holiness”, even the way that leads unto life eternal.

In our day religious instruction of one sort or another abounds on every hand, even in the name of Christ.  Every sect poses as an official representative of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and yet each religious faction is saying and emphasizing completely different things from the others. There are multitudes of approaches for finding God, an abundance of agendas for serving and pleasing God, yet in the vast majority of these sects, the fear of God is taught by the precept of men, as Jesus said.  As striking evidence of this, for the most part the people of which we are here speaking are strangers to Bible things, and strangely unfamiliar with the God who sent His Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is the tragically fatal result of the fear of God being taught by the precept of men.

God’s Use of Scripture

God’s Use of Scripture

The case of Melchizedek and his typification of Christ’s new order of Priesthood, as set forth in Genesis 14:18-20 and Hebrews 7 :1-3, is difficult of comprehension by some. The question centers on the nature of Melchizedek’s eternity, which is asserted in Hebrews 7:3.

 

The answer is, of course, he was not himself an eternal being, but prefigured Christ, who is, and serves as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary without the interruption of death, which limited the tenure of the Aaronic priests.

 

For the purpose of clarifying the point, we offer a statement of the situation. By God’s design, the Genesis account is a restricted literary portrayal of an historical situation intended to depict the eternal nature of One then yet to come. God so ordered the record as to have Melchizedek appear and leave the stage of action with no account of his beginning or end given. It was simply God’s manipulation of the history to convey the impression He wanted to give of the actual nature of Christ’s Person and ministry.

 

Obviously, Paul’s inspired interpretation of the incident. coupled with David’s prophecy concerning it in Psalm 110:4, was required to bring out the significance of the occurrence. So perceived, the whole episode provides a vivid demonstration of the precision with which God uses the Scriptures to serve His purposes. —Fred O. Blakely

The Significations of Pentecost

The Significations of Pentecost 

 

Two significations of the first Pentecost after our Lord’s resurrection were stressed by Richard Ebler in his lesson for our Bible class. The first of these was Its fulfillment of the typology integral to the days of Pentecost which had preceded it. Known as the harvest feast, or feast of weeks, It was also a feast of firstfruits, since the two loaves made of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest were presented to the Lord on that occasion (Exod. 34:22). 

 

The fulfillment of this typology was in the fact that the Pentecost coming seven weeks (inclusively) after Jesus’ resurrection marked a great harvest of souls. In turn, this could be said to be the firstfruits of the gospel and, as such, the pledge, or earnest, of a multitude which no man can number who will respond to and be saved by the gospel ere the day of grace has run its course. 

 

Further antitypicality was seen in Pentecost regarding the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. The law was given fifty days after the deliverance of Israel from Egypt (cf. Exo. 12 and 19), and the gospel went “forth from Jerusalem” fifty days after Christ’s death, which marked our deliverance from sin (Isa. 2:1-4). 

 

At the giving of the law, it is to be noted, 3,000 were slain because of their sin, while on the Day of Pentecost, when the gospel was first proclaimed, 3,000 were saved by their obedience. That contrast is indicative of the law as a “ministration of death” (II Cor. 3:7), whereas the gospel is one of justification and life (v. 9). 

 

The fact that on Pentecost God gave the Apostles to so speak that the peoples of various languages present heard them in their own tongues (Acts 2 :6-12) was noted by Brother Dick as a marked contrast with God’s confusion of the people’s tongues at the tower of Babel, as a result of their presumptuous endeavor to circumvent Him. 

 

So does God honor His Old-Testament ordinances and types, the teacher remarked. Consequently, we should have great respect for the ordinances of the new-covenant era, which He has ordained. To lightly regard or despise them, is to do so with reference to God, whence they are. --Noted and recorded by Fred O. Blakely 

The Preferred Faith

The Preferred Faith

What might be termed the "preferred faith," as evaluated by Jesus Himself, was discussed by Kenneth Millspaugh in his comments on John 20:29. The occasion of reference was that of Thomas' being convinced by sight of Jesus' resurrection, and our Lord's accompanying observation. "Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed," said the Savior: "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Thus, He anticipated that faith which is the belief of competent testimony in the case, and implied that it is more highly valued by God than that virtually forced upon one by sight, as was so with Thomas. Peter, apparently taking his cue from Jesus here, spoke in like commendation of such faith, saying with reference to Christ, Whom, having not seen, ye love; in whom, though ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (I Pet. 1:8).

In enunciating this appraisal of faith-based-upon-testimony, both our Lord and the Apostle recognized and stressed the genius of the whole new-covenant economy, it was noted. In the very next verses of his account, John emphasized that the spiritual life which the new order was to make possible would be simply by believing the Apostles' testimony concerning Christ (vv. 20-21), and that the production of such faith was the objective of their writing. Thus also John's representation of the situation in First John 5:13-19, where he traces the possession of "that eternal life" (ch. 1:2) to the fact of one's believing "the record that God gave of His Son."

This being the case, all the current agitation in some religious circles about miraculous gifts for today as necessary for, or even especially conducive to, faith in the Father and the Son is exposed and refuted as the error which it certainly is. We have a testimony which has been amply confirmed by miracles and given to us by infallibly-guided men—not the testimony presumptuous and lying claims. We believe what these chosen witnesses of God have said of Jesus of Nazareth, and believing, ''have life through His Name" (Jn. 20:31), that faith being energized and empowered by the Holy Spirit, who operates through our faith, Brother Ken pointed out. How blessed, indeed, are those who, having not seen, yet believe, and so have Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith (Eph. 3:17), and leading them to heaven through this dark and evil world. –Noted and recorded by Fred O. Blakely

                              

The Dilemma of Current Materialism

The Dilemma of Current Materialism

 

By Fred O. Blakely

Increasingly, we are being confronted with the dilemma created by a materialistic technology. Particularly is this so in view of the phenomenal advances In medical science and the development of life-support and -maintenance systems.

 

Time was, when death threatened, the family doctor did what his limited knowledge and means permitted, with the not uncommon result that the patient died, without any agitation or controversy concerning the involvement of legal, moral, or spiritual considerations. But now all that has changed, and we are by no means persuaded that it is unfailingly for the better.

 

Mechanical, human, and animal transplants into the body of the ailing one are being made. In addition, highly sophisticated life-maintenance systems are employed for prolonged periods of time on even hopelessly ill or injured patients. The health-care people, of course (incidentally), reap astronomical financial receipts from these procedures, and yet, in the latter cases, the stricken one still dies.

 

The morally-complicated aspect of the situation arises in the case of the hopelessly afflicted. Who is to say when the synthetic life is to be discontinued, and the dying person be permitted to depart the body, as God has appointed him? It is at this point that the spiritual dilemma of reference emerges.

 

With such a grave decision to be made. the health-care people, as a rule, and, more often than not, the family of the patient also, simply are not qualified by spiritual attainment to make the delicate judgment. The spiritual acumen has lagged far behind the radical advance in material technology, so that, Frankenstein like, the latter mocks man by the dilemma into which his godless inventive genius has thrust him.

 

In this state of things, what is desperately needed is not more advance in technology. Rather, it is a crash program of repentance and faith by which our decadent civilization seeks God, and the wisdom and judgmental ability that only He can impart, so that it may be able to cope with the technology which it already has. Only in that way can the ethical discriminations which modern technology is increasingly demanding be properly made.