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This book of the bible is frequently and
erroneously
referred to as the start of "The Church, The Body of Christ".
99.44% of fundamental, bible-believing teachers and pastors
embrace this falsity as truth! The fact is, The Book of Acts is
primarily about the unbelief of Israel and God's postponement of
her program.
            
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For though
I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for
necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I
preach not the gospel! For if I do this thing
willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a
dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.
What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the
gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge,
that I abuse not my power in the gospel. - 1
Corinthians 9:16-18
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REMEMBER,
THE FOUR SYNOPTIC GOSPEL ACCOUNTS OF THE EARTHLY MINISTRY OF JESUS
CHRIST WERE WRITTEN
TO
ISRAEL UNDER THE LAW:
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SINCE
PROPHECY IS SUCH A HOT TOPIC THESE DAYS, DID YOU EVER WONDER WHAT THE
TRIBULATION SAINTS WILL STUDY AFTER THE BODY OF CHRIST IS RAPTURED?
Doctrine
for
The
Tribulation Saints after the rapture of the Body of Christ:
Here Israel is now back at the forefront under the law against the
imminent judgment and earthly return of The Messiah, Jesus Christ.
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1 For this cause I Paul, the
prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of
the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to
you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the
mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye
read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as
it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the
same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the
grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his
power. 8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is
this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is
the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus
Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the
manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose
which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have
boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my
tribulations for you, which is your glory -
Ephesians 3:1-13
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Special Delivery
By Dennis Fisher
READ:
Romans 16:1-16
1 I
commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the
church which is at Cenchrea: 2 That ye receive her in the Lord,
as becometh saints, and that ye assist her in
whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a
succourer of many, and of myself also.
- Romans 16:1-2
When a
special delivery letter is handed to us at the door, it usually
means we are receiving something very important. According to
many Bible scholars, Phoebe was the one who hand-delivered a
letter of immeasurable value to the church in Rome-Paul's
inspired doctrinal masterpiece. It points out how a lost and
sinful humanity can find redemption through faith in the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Phoebe,
whose name means "bright and radiant," lived in Cenchrea, a
harbor village in eastern Corinth where Paul had stopped during
his third missionary journey. Because of her kindness to him, he
wrote to the Romans,
"I
commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the
church which is at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as
becometh saints, and that ye assist her in
whatsoever business she hath need of you: for she hath been a
succourer of many, and of myself also."
All of us
are "spiritual mail carriers." We have the
good news that Paul wrote about so many centuries ago. And like
Phoebe, we should assist in delivering it by word and deed to
people around us who need its life-giving message.
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The whale
Put Jonah
Down the hatch
But coughed him up
Because he scratched
Burma-Shave |
Which Jesus do
you follow ?
Your answer is based on the books
you spend the most time with during your bible study....
16
Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though
we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we
him no more. 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is
a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath
reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us
the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead,
be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for
us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him.
-
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
In the
scripture above, the apostle Paul relayed something to us
as members of Christ's Body! He wanted us to know that we no
longer "know Christ after the flesh"; that is,
after his earthly ministry. The reason for this was because
Jesus Christ preached a different message to different people
and has since revealed a new message and a new program.
Jesus Christ's previous message or dispensed instructions were
under the law for He said so Himself. The word "law" was found
269 times in 212 verses (both used as stand alone and
contained in words) in the New Testament. Specific verses
indicating that God was dealing with mankind under the
dispensation of the law include:
-
Concerning the birth of Jesus under the requirements of the
law:
Luke 2: 21-24 21 And when
eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the
child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the
angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the
days of her purification according to
the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him
to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; 23 (As it is
written in the law of the LORD,
Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the
Lord;) 24 And to offer a sacrifice
according to that which is said in the law of the Lord,
A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons
-
As
pertaining to Simeon, that he should not see death until he
saw the Lord's Messiah:
Luke 2: 25-27 25
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was
Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for
the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he
should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the
parents brought in the child Jesus, to
do for him after the custom of the law,
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As
pertaining to Joseph, Mary and Jesus;
Luke 2: 38-39
38
And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the
Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for
redemption in Jerusalem. 39 And when
they had performed all things according to the law of the
Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city
Nazareth.
 Friends,
search the scriptures yourself and prove the fact that
Jesus Christ's earthy ministry was operating under the law
and His actions and instructions were to Israel while
being distinctively different from what He would reveal
to Paul from heaven in His glorified state!
With the
above being established, we can certainly understand why Jesus
now told Paul to tell us that we shouldn't follow Him
after the flesh since much more has been accomplished by Christ
since His earthly ministry....namely His death, burial and
glorious resurrection on our behalf!
So, which
Jesus do you follow then? Do you follow the Jesus of the Four
Gospels and take your doctrine from His teachings there? Does it
make a difference? What did the risen Christ reveal to Paul
later on this subject? Let's search the scriptures!
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you
into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert
the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so
say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you
than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now
persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet
pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11 But I
certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me
is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither
was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. -
Galatians
1:6-12
Notice that when Paul
spoke of "another gospel", he did not say it was a false gospel!
The Greek "heteros" is
simply saying that it is indeed another gospel, but of a
different type. The apostle reiterated, "which is not
another" (Gk - allos).
The point being is that the devil is most successful using God's
word against man by taking it out of context or as in this case
by trying to preach a 'good news' message not meant for
the Body of Christ. Paul continued to say that if I come back to
you and preach any other gospel then the one that I preached to
you originally, let me be considered as once accursed!
Continued
in the next column see " Which Jesus?"
"Friend, is the riches of God's grace
magnified when we believe Him and say thank you for Christ's all inclusive
forgiveness or when we ask God to forgive us again and again when He told
us that we already have been forgiven???"
FIND OUT HERE.....
"THE
DISPENSATION OF GRACE"
by Cornelius R. Stam
Many people have a mistaken
notion that a dispensation is a period of time. This is not so,
however, for the word “dispense” means simply “to deal out”. The
word “dispensation”, then, means “the act of dispensing or
dealing out”, or “that which is dispensed or dealt out”.
There are medical dispensaries, for example, where medicines are
dispensed to the poor. Sometimes these dispensations are
conducted on a particular day of each week. Such a dispensation
of medicine may take a full twelve hours each week, but it does
not follow from this that a dispensation is a period of twelve
hours! It is rather the act of dispensing or that which is
dispensed.
The word “dispensation” is
used many times in the Bible, although it is not always
translated the same way. In Ephesians 3:2, Paul writes of “the
dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to
you-ward”. God had committed to him wonderful message of grace
to dispense to others. Thus we read in Acts 20:24 his stirring
words, spoken in the face of persecution and death:
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, AND THE
MINISTRY WHICH I HAVE RECEIVED OF THE LORD JESUS, TO TESTIFY THE
GOSPEL OF THE GRACE OF GOD.”
The “gospel” or “good news”
of the grace of God: This was the dispensation committed to Paul
for us by the risen, ascended Lord. This is always Paul's
message.
“Where
sin abounded GRACE did much more abound...the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of His GRACE...justified freely by
His GRACE, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...by
GRACE are ye saved, through faith”
(Rom.5:20; Eph.1:7; Rom.3:24; Eph. 2:8,9).
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Today's World News
Babylon, Iraq
- In a world full of
debauchery, immorality and false spirituality, the following account
from the book of Daniel (chapter 3) describes three young men who
despite their surroundings remain unmovable in faith towards the God of
Israel. (Please
note the Pre-Incarnate appearance of Christ in the furnace... RICK)
Daniel 3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was
threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in
the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the
king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the
captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and
all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image
which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 3 Then the princes, the
governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors,
the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered
together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king
had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set
up. 4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people,
nations, and languages, 5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of
musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar
the king hath set up: 6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall
the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 7
Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the
people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 8 Wherefore at
that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 9 They
spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 10
Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and
all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image: 11
And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom
thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they
serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden
image which I have set up? 15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye
hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and
dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image
which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the
same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God
that shall deliver you out of my hands? 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not
careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will
deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto
thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden
image which thou hast set up. 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury,
and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the
furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he
commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their
hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the
burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore because the king's commandment was
urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those
men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three
men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of
the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied,
and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not
we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and
said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see
four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt;
and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. 26 Then
Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and
spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the
most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27 And the princes,
governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered
together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor
was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor
the smell of fire had passed on them. 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and
said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath
sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have
changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not
serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29 Therefore I make a
decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing
amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut
in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is
no other God that can deliver after this sort. 30 Then the king promoted
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
OUR GREAT
COMMISSION
by Cornelius R. Stam
Much is said of the “great
commission” which our Lord gave to His apostles just before His
ascension. We wonder whether our readers have ever examined the various
records of this commission carefully.
This “great commission” does not say one word about “the preaching of
the cross” or “the gospel of the grace of God”. The “gospel” which they
were sent to preach was very evidently the same “gospel” they had been
preaching — the Gospel of the Kingdom — only they could now declare, as
Peter did at Pentecost, that the King had risen from the dead and would
still some day occupy the throne of David.
The “great commission” demanded faith and baptism for the remission of
sins (Mark 16:15,16); it included the power to heal the sick and work
miracles (16:17,18), but it did not include the glad message that
“Christ died for our sins” (ICor.15:1-3). At Pentecost, when Peter began
to carry out this commission, he rather blamed his hearers for the death
of Christ and when, convicted of their sins, they asked: “What shall we
do?” he did not say: “Believe on Christ who died for your sins.” He
rather commanded them to “repent and be baptized every one…for the
remission of sins” (Acts 2:38).
But after Christ and His Kingdom were again rejected, God interrupted
the prophetic program and sent Paul forth to proclaim “the preaching of
the cross” and “the gospel of the grace of God”. In II Corinthians 5:
14-21 this apostle proclaims “the love of Christ” who “died for all” and
instructs us as to our “great commission”:
“And all things are of [provided by] God, who hath reconciled us to
Himself by Jesus Christ, AND HATH GIVEN TO US THE MINISTRY OF
RECONCILIATION;
“To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself… AND
HATH COMMITTED UNTO US THE WORD OF RECONCILIATION” (II Cor.5:18,19).
Name Upon Name
By Marvin Williams
Text:
Matthew 1:1-18
The book of the
genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. -
Matthew 1:1
I believe that God had specific reasons for the names He included in the
beginning of Matthew's gospel. It may seem like a long, boring list of
meaningless names, but those names served at least two purposes:
-
First, they provided the framework by
which true Hebrews could establish their family roots and maintain
religious purity against outside influences.
-
Second, the names reflected the
sovereign
work of God.They revealed God's dealings in the past, which resulted in
the birth of the Messiah.
The Lord used all kinds of people in
Jesus' lineage including farmers, kings, a prostitute, adulterers,
liars. When we read this list, we are reminded of God's faithfulness.
As you think about being a part of God's family by
faith in Christ, remember His faithfulness to you and
His desire to use you to bring about His purposes.
O God, grant me the strength of
heart,
Of motive, and of will
To falter not but do my part
Your purpose to fulfill. - Anon.
Life's purpose is found in a person ; Jesus Christ.
1 The book of the generation
of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat
Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; 3
And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and
Esrom begat Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson;
and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz
begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the
king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of
Urias; 7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat
Asa; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat
Ozias; 9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz
begat Ezekias; 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon;
and Amon begat Josias; 11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren,
about the time they were carried away to Babylon: 12 And after they were
brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat
Zorobabel; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and
Eliakim begat Azor; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and
Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan;
and Matthan begat Jacob; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations
from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the
carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the
carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
“And
if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more
grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is
no more work.”
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COFFEE
CORNER
Hymn's That Fell With Satan
I
suspect when most readers begin to glance at
this article they will automatically assume that the
thrust of this review will condemn rock & roll songs,
hip-hop or other alternative secular music. No
 matter
what music we listen to we should examine it's content
and context before making any judgments. I have
found that what would be considered "head-banging"
music by most people (or by spiritual leaders) actually
provides more doctrine and truth then some of the
cherished foundational church hymns.
Please
note that several of the hymns that we will be looking
at were written around the civil war or decades ago.
Please note this review is not meant to undermine the
difficult times of our country's past or discredit the
character of the author's but instead to simply study
the doctrinal content behind the songs!
Many of the
hymn's we will explore were considered favorite's by
those who have moved onto glory while other's are
accepted as revered favorites. The problem here is that
although they may appear romantic, heartwarming and
sentimental, they contain no doctrinal basis! So
fare we have analyzed two hymns including revered
favorites:
I
thought long and hard about what to call this particular
article so I listed some of the other titles that came
to mind but I am sure you get the picture!
Satan would have us only consider songs written by famous rock groups
to be on this list due to the filth and content
contained in them. Although they appear to be
obvious choices, they must be avoided. Man does not need
Satan's help in this regard for he is depraved in his
own way. Blaming the devil for man's sin was already
done in the garden beloved. But in all fairness; listen to the
words friends. I have heard outstanding rock & roll songs
and country songs that have factual, spiritual life
lessons in them. Just like "religion" many
are led to believe that since anything is labeled
Christian (including music choices) it must be good.
It is my prayer that you will read this article with an
open mind while yielding to the Holy Spirit as a good Berean searching the scriptures to see if those
things be so"!
This particular hymn was a favorite of mine until I
fully understood the riches of God's grace through
Christ Jesus. Through my sin and the flesh, I have
nothing to bring to the table and there is certainly
nothing that I can surrender to God friends. In the
hymnal and under
the heading "Commitment and Consecration" let us
put the words of this song to the test of grace-centered
doctrine....
"XXXXXXXXXXX" -
Text: Judson W. Van De Venter, (1855-1939); Music:
Winfield S. Weeden, (1847-1908).
All to Jesus I
surrender,
All to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.
(Refrain)
I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to thee my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at His I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me Jesus, take me now.
(Refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender,
Make me Savior wholly Thine;
May Thy Holy Spirit fill me,
May I know Thy power divine.
(Refrain)
All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power,
Let Thy blessing fall on me.
(Refrain)
In the first stanza of the hymn "I
Surrender All", we sing praises about how we
surrender to Him. In fact, we did nothing for God
and did not need to surrender anything to Him
since committing, promising or surrendering anything
to Christ is empty and vain at best. The only thing that
Jesus Christ will accept from us is to simply believe on
Him and His merits accomplished at Calvary. Yet, the
hymn implies again that we would have something worthy
to give to God; such as worldly pleasures as noted in
the second stanza.
Continuing on in the first set of lyrics, we read about
the love and trust we will give to Him and while
being in His presence daily, we will live before Him.
The completion of this set of words leads into the
"refrain" of the old-time hymn, again stating that
believers will surrender all to The Blessed Savior.
I
am certain that the intent is meant to be spiritual and
honest, but doctrinal speaking mankind, believer and
unbelief alike, is not trustworthy. Paul tell us in
Romans
3:21-28
that
the righteousness of God without the law has been reveled to
us which is by faith in Christ.
21
But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:
for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare
his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at
this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and
the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where
is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works?
Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of
the law.
Verse 23 of Romans chapter three tells us
that ALL have sinned and come short of
the glory of God! The context of that verse tells us
that not only did we miss the mark, but we continue to
miss the mark! We cannot rehabilitate this sinful
flesh.....We cannot surrender anything to God since it
was Christ Jesus who surrendered His life for us!
3 But
I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve
through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he that
cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not
preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have
not received, or another gospel, which ye have not
accepted, ye might well bear with him. -
2 Corinthians 11:3,4
Each stanza starts with "I surrender" and follows
with a list of things we say we will do. In stanza
two, it tells us that we will humbly bow at His
feet and forsake all worldly pleasures. Whether or not
this verse is meant to describe a commitment made to God
prior to salvation is not clear but we certainly
cannot forsake all worldly pleasures before or after
salvation and if I am truly honest with myself my
desire is to do the opposite of what the second stanza
says! However, I am not in bad company here....
15
For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that
do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do
that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it
is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin
that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is,
in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is
present with me; but how to perform that which is good I
find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the
evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I
would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would
do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in
the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see
another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members. -
Romans 7:15-23
"We cannot surrender anything to God since it was
Christ Jesus who surrendered His life for us!"
Thankfully, the apostle Paul, saved some 30 years after
his marvelous book of Romans, gave us our only hope as
it pertains to this issue of sin and our attraction to
it....
24 O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law
of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. -
Romans 7:24-25
In the third and fourth stanza's of the
hymn "I Surrender All", the writer asks God to
"be wholly
his" and asks for a complete filling of the Holy
Spirit. He again states what he will give and
pleads to receive God's power and blessings. This
erroneous belief is taught by many pastors and Sunday
school teachers. Friends, please remember this...
-
We have
all of God we are ever going to have at the
moment we take Him at His word concerning the
finished work of His Son at Calvary!
-
We have
all of the Holy Spirit we will ever need once we
believe that Jesus Christ's death, burial and
resurrection resulted in our glorious justification
(taking on the very righteousness of Christ
himself)!
-
Lastly, the
apostle Paul tells us that we have ALL
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Ephesians 1:3 before launching into a vast array
of blessings due to our oneness with Christ!
It is sad that the writer of this hymn did not fully
understand His
unchanging position in Jesus Christ. I know this article
and series
may irritate and even anger many people but celebrating
this hymn only encourages believers to pray, beg and
plead for less than what God would have for us
through
 Christ
Jesus! Life in Christ is much more than being saved from
the debt and penalty of sins
and it is the one thing that Satan can confuse
believers on!
I
hope readers found this article encouraging and that as
good Bereans, we will learn to apply doctrine to
the romantic hymn's of old as we rightly divide God's
truths....
GODLINESS IN AN
UNGODLY DAY
by Cornelius R. Stam
It is an interesting fact that the words "godly" and "godliness" are not
found in Paul’s writings until we come to the Pastoral Epistles, the
very epistles that have so much to say about evil days and evil
surroundings.
In the epistles
to Timothy we read about the "perilous times" with which this present
dispensation of grace will be brought to a close, while in the letter to
Titus we read of "unruly and vain talkers and deceivers," of "liars...
evil beasts... lazy gluttons," whom Satan would use to neutralize the
work and witness of God’s servants.
To Timothy and Titus, these young men of God, the Apostle had much to
say about godliness, and we must not forget that Paul’s words to them
are also
God’s Word to us, believers in
Christ, who indeed appear to be living in the closing days of the
dispensation of grace, surrounded by a steadily-rising tide of evil and
an ever-growing number of wicked, godless men.
We do not mean to imply that the Apostle does not deal with the various
phases of the Christian life in his other epistles, but rather that here
in the Pastoral Epistles he wages a sort of campaign for individual
godly living in the midst of increasing apostasy and godlessness.
May God help us, in our character and conduct, to exhibit "the power of
godliness," the spiritual power that comes from putting Christ first in
all things.
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