NO LONGER SERVANTS BUT SONS The apostle Paul was deeply concerned when he heard that the Galatian churches had been seduced into believing that they must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Writing by Divine inspiration to recover them from that grievous error, he contrasts the status of the Israelite under the law in the days of the Old Covenant, with the status of the believer in our Lord Jesus Christ in this age of grace. He illustrates this by a custom with which they were familiar. A growing boy would be put into the care of a guardian, usually a trusted household servant, who would be responsible to care for him, taking him safely to and from school and teaching him proper conduct. Under this restraint the boy’s status would differ little from that of a servant though he was heir to his father’s estate. This would continue till he reached maturity, when at the time appointed by his father, he would have conferred upon him the dignity and privileges belonging to sonship. The law was like that guardian, and Israel was like the youth, guarded and restrained by the law until Christ came. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under that guardian, for as Paul says, "Ye are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal.3:26 R.V.). This position of sonship does not depend on the spiritual maturity of the individual , but it is the present possession of every believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, young and old alike. To enable us to live in a way worthy of such an honour, Paul goes on to say, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant but a son;" (Gal.4:6,7.). The title given to the Holy Spirit here is remarkable. It directs our thoughts to our Lord Jesus, the unique and perfect Son of God. As the disciples became acquainted with Him, they were impressed with the personal glory that was His, which John described as "a glory as of an only begotten with a father" (John 1:14 J.N.D.). It was the glory of a Divine and perfect intimacy between the Father and the Son, that was unmarred by any impediment. The Father said from the open heavens, "This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased" (Matt.3:17). The Lord Jesus said, "The Father hath not left Me alone, for I do always the things that please Him" (John 8:29). His service here for His Father from beginning to end was done in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:1,14; Acts 1:2), and it is this same Spirit that has been given into our hearts to give us the capacity to enjoy the love of our Heavenly Father, and to act as intelligent and responsible sons. The chief feature of this sonship is liberty. Those who served under the law were in bondage which Peter describes as "a yoke, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear" (Acts 15:10). But with the Spirit of His Son in the heart, the believer in the Lord Jesus today has been set free from the bondage of ordinances such as "touch not, taste not, handle not" (Col.2:21). "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal.5:l). But freedom always brings responsibility. So we read in verse 12, "Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty, only use not this liberty for an occasion for the flesh". The works of the flesh are listed in verse 19 and it is obvious that these are foreign to the new nature of the sons of God, and are contrary to the indwelling Spirit of God (Gal.5:17). In fact, the Lord Jesus says in Mark 7:23 that these defile the man. As well as this, life is continually presenting us with choices in things that are not sinful in themselves. While we rejoice in our freedom, our heavenly Father desires us to be sons that He can trust, who will not use their liberty in ways that will hinder His purposes or bring shame to His Name. Paul writes of the proper use of this liberty in his first epistle to the Corinthians, saying in chapter 6:12 "All things are lawful unto me", adding immediately, "But all things are not expedient", This is repeated in chapter 10:23, and in the intervening chapters, Paul raises some issues that we do well to keep in mind. Let us consider the following questions. 1. Will it become my master? Paul said, "But I will not be brought under the power of any" (ch.6:12). There are actions that appear to be harmless and yet they can become enslaving habits, and there are appetites that seem to be legitimate and yet they can become addictions that hold complete mastery over their victims. All too often it is not until there is a desire to cease, that one becomes aware of the full strength of the addiction. Let us follow Paul’s example as he determined to remain the Lord’s free man. 2. Have I time? In the midst of the sensitive issues he deals with in chapter 7 Paul says, "Time is short" (ch.7:29). He mentions the common things of life - some that bring us great joy, as well as those that bring the tears - all undoubtedly legitimate in their place. But we can become too absorbed with them. Let us remember that time is short. 3. Will It stumble my brother? "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak" (ch.8:9). The power of example is real. One may be at liberty to choose a course of action and be immune to temptations associated with it. Another, following that example may be overcome by those temptations. Let us be sure that it is safe for others to follow our example. 4. Will It hinder the Gospel? Paul was willing to forgo a right that was indisputably his as an apostle, lest he should hinder the Gospel (ch.9: 12). As those who bear the Name of Christ, we must remember that our attitude and conduct toward others will affect their response to His Gospel whether they be neighbour or acquaintance, employer or employee. In Titus 2:10 Paul exhorts employees to be obedient, reliable and honest, so that "they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things", and this has its voice to us all. 5. Will it edify myself and others? In ch.10:23 Paul says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not". To edify is to build up. In the process of building we look for stability and progress, and this is so in our Christian lives. Let us seek grace from the Lord to make choices that will promote stability and progress in our own lives, and in the lives of others. May the Lord enlarge our hearts to appreciate more fully the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and as we allow these considerations to control our conduct, we will grow in likeness to the Son of God, and become considerate and responsible sons who will be His willing servants bringing honour to the Name of our heavenly Father. - R.M. Goatley. THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST After the believers of this Church Age have been caught up to heaven, and before they return with Christ in glory, there will be a time set apart for the review and reward of their service here. This tribunal, or "Judgment Seat of Christ", is spoken of in many parts of the inspired Word, and its character and results are there foretold. In view of the many traditional theories respecting this judgment, which have held the field for centuries, by which this great and blessed subject has been obscured, it is needful to distinguish between "things that differ". There are various judgments spoken of in the Word, differing in character and time. There will be a judgment of the living nations at the beginning of the Millennial reign of Christ (Matt.25:31), and there will be a judgment of the dead at its close (Rev.20: 11). We must not confuse these with the judgment seat of Christ. In both of these judgments some go from judgment to punishment. But there is no such portion awaiting the saints of God. Their judgment as sinners is past at the Cross; there they died judicially, and in virtue of that they come no more into judgment (John 5:24 R.V.). As children their judgment is in this present time. They are the subjects of the Father’s discipline and rule (Heb.12:6-9). As servants, their judgment is future, at the judgment seat of Christ. They stand there in resurrection glory, within the heavens, to have their service reviewed and rewarded by their Lord and Master, and their places in His kingdom determined. In order to apprehend the full meaning of all this, it is needful to remember that the saints of God, are also servants of God -"Bondservants of Jesus Christ" (Phil.1:l). They have been entrusted with their Master’s goods during His absence (Matt.25:14). They are runners in the race (l Cor.9:24-27), and wrestlers in the fight (2 Tim.2:3,4). At the judgment seat they will be gathered before their Master to hear His estimate of their earthly work. All that has been done will be "manifested before the judgment seat" (2 Cor.5:10 R.V.). The "Bema", or judgment seat, was an elevated place on which the umpire of the Grecian games stood, watching the performance of the competitors. When all was over, the runners and wrestlers assembled before the "Bema" to receive the "corruptible crown" of laurel or parsley from his hand. Some had no reward: they lost the "Victor’s crown", Such is the imagery used by the apostle in pointing us onward to the judgment of our service here. In the midst of the glory within the heavens, surrounded by heavenly hosts of wondering beings, the judgment seat will be set. The servants of Christ, all glorified, will be gathered there. From every corner of the earth, from various paths of toil and warfare, some unknown, others well known, all will be there. Hidden ones, whose days on earth were spent in lone corners, appointed there by the Lord of the harvest. Great ones who stood before the world on the pinnacle of fame! All will be gathered there to hear from their Heavenly Master’s lips, what value He has put upon their earthly service. The ways (Rev.2:2), The works (1 Cor.3:14), The motives (l Cor.4:5), and the manner of their service (2 Tim.4:5-8) will be reviewed then. He will publicly avow His approval of all that has been pleasing to Him and the rest will be burned up (l Cor.3:13), and for that the servant will suffer loss. Much, that in "man’s day" was accounted great, will appear as "hay and stubble". Much that passes now as "faithfulness" and "zeal" will in that day - when the hidden springs are disclosed - be seen to be but self and sin. Deeds that were blazed through church and world will be of little value there, and much that has been of no esteem in the eyes of men will receive the Master’s "well done". Deeds of merit as we thought them, The servants, all possessed of their Master’s mind, able in His light to see clearly, will say "Amen" to His verdict, and thus they will pass on to other scenes of glory with wondering gratitude and praise. The "Victor’s Crown" - for such is the meaning of the word used by the Spirit in describing them - which will be given to the faithful servants, will be according to their service here. The Victor’s Crown of life (Rev.2:10), of righteousness (2 Tim.4:8), and of glory (1 Pet.5:4), all speak of recompense and reward, and point to places of honour in the kingdom and glory to come. - John Ritchie. My safety lies in Christ’s work for me, my assurance upon God’s word to me, my enjoyment upon my not grieving the Holy Spirit within me. - Quote. THE WILL OF GOD This is a subject that should be of deepest interest to every believer. Our first parents were beguiled by Satan into acting independently of their Creator. But the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus has delivered us from that fallen condition to acknowledge our utter dependence on Him, even for the very breath we breathe. Christians now living out of conformity to the will of God not only dishonour their Lord, but rob themselves of that rest of soul, peace of mind, and fruitfulness He has purposed should be theirs. Ephesians 1:10 reveals that God’s ultimate purpose for the universe is to head up (margin) all things in Christ. Every knee will yet bow to Him; each created intelligence, and every part of creation will yet be brought into absolute subjection to Him who humbled Himself to become obedient unto the death of the Cross. His descent into the lower parts of the earth was to the intent that He might fill all things (Eph.4:9, 10). God is slowly but surely ordering everything for the accomplishment of this end. The knowledge of this should delight the heart of every redeemed soul; but to know that God has a part for each one of His own to play in this vast plan, should lead to an earnest desire to know that part, and that it be fulfilled. The tragedy of purposeless lives, especially of young saints, is appalling. Assured of their sins forgiven, and of a place in "our gathering together unto Him" when the promise of John 14:3 is fulfilled, many lack the devotion to Him who loved them unto death that leads to the renunciation of the self-life, and into conformity to "that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God". Epaphras in Rome fulfilled a most valuable service for the Colossian saints as he laboured fervently in prayer for them that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (Col.4:12). The powers of darkness are always active to mar the plan He has for each life. Indeed, it is unthinkable that we should be found fulfilling God’s will here in alien territory without meeting the determined opposition of the "Prince of this world". But it should be of great encouragement to every saint to know that it is in the pathway of His will that all His power becomes available to us. To refuse to venture fully upon the will of God, then, is largely to exclude ourselves from the spiritual warfare for which the armour of Eph.6 is provided, and thereby to exclude ourselves from the experimental knowledge of the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. Lack of that knowledge will always be a spiritual handicap. We may obtain Bible knowledge to a degree, but service that has not the background of an experimental knowledge of God and the working of His mighty power will never impress believer or unbeliever. It is impossible to know the things of God apart from an adjusted will. Our Lord taught this when He said, "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know (John 7:17, R.V.). In Rom.12:l,2 there are three conditions specially related to knowing the will of God for the individual life. The presentation of the body, the unreserved and complete surrender of ourselves to be used of Him just as, and where He would have us, is the first condition, and an absolute essential to our proving what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. The second condition demands that we be not conformed to this age. In Gal. 1:4 we learn that the purpose of the Lord Jesus Christ in giving Himself for our sins was to deliver us from this present evil age. To remain conformed to its ways, its fashions and its religion must grieve the Holy Spirit, and render Him silent to us, so that the understanding of God’s will becomes an impossibility. The third condition is transformation. The command is actually to be transfigured by the renewing of our minds. The secret of this change is found in 2 Cor.3:18, where it is seen to be the outcome of beholding as in a mirror (the word of God) the glory of the Lord. This renewal of the mind by constant meditation on the Word of God is indispensable to proving what is the will of God for our lives. The lack of deep spiritual character, purposeful and persevering service, and distinctive gift for it, so apparent today is, we believe, largely attributable to failure to know the will of God. "Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lordis" (Eph.5:17). - Reprint O.B. Wyllie.
Our Christianity is stillborn if it does not profoundly and continually influence our life and conduct. For Christianity is a life rather than a mere profession, a life to be lived daily in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. But if it is to really yield "the peaceable fruits of righteousness" there must be the conscious daily practise of definite acts of faith that are so needful throughout the believer’s life. Yet, consciously or unconsciously, many Christians have two Gospels; a Gospel of faith for conversion, to be followed by a Gospel of works, or of self-effort for sanctification in daily life. With some indeed, this is deliberate. They must yield, and leave the heavenly future of their souls in God’s hands when they become the children of God by faith, but they are often unwilling to render the earthly present into those same wonderful hands. To such I would solemnly say that it is terribly possible to have a saved soul, and yet have a lost, an entirely lost life. Thus, though salvation depends entirely on Christ and His finished work, our enjoyment of that salvation depends largely on our daily yielding, and appropriating His fulness. To the carnal soul who will not yield, who disdains to walk by faith, there can be no real enjoyment of Christ. But there are many who are not consciously rebellious, who pray much, but who are yet really living lives of self-effort, and are only too conscious of powerlessness and defeat. To such God’s searching question is, "having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" Theirs is literally a Gospel of works, by which men who have been justified by a definite act of faith in the Son of God, are really seeking to be sanctified by a process of their own efforts. Yet we have been warned of God, "The just shall live by faith" (not merely believe and be saved by faith). It may be humbling to the flesh, but it is one of God’s certainties, that the great wonderland of grace and of glory and of God can only be possessed by a life of faith. And a "life of faith" implies a series of conscious definite repeated daily acts of faith, by which we take God at His Word, believe His promises, claim them for our own in spite of feelings or appearances, and so prove them to be blessed present facts. So holiness by faith is the only logical sequence of justification by faith. It has been beautifully said that every true believer walks continually through life on a pathway paved with the promises of God. These promises are the most specific, comprehensive and far reaching, so that wondrous possibilities are open to each of God’s pilgrims. Now from time immemorial the human foot has been one of the most ancient and significant standards of measurement. And as we walk the Celestial Pathway today, the believer’s foot may be just as definite a measure of spiritual things. God said to Joshua, "Every place (and so every promise) that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto thee". So a human foot, measuring and taking possession of God’s promises by faith, has possibilities which are quite incalculable. Yet in spite of this, many true believers continue to be "spiritual paupers". The heart of the matter may be best explained by the illustration of walking on two feet. In all our spiritual progress there are two elements in each act of faith, first asking, then taking from God. For as God made man to walk on two feet, first the one foot, then the other, so it is in spiritual things. We must ask and then take, ask and then take, and so shall we advance joyfully in the appointed way. So we shall learn to "walk and not faint", and so shall we acquire the blessed habit of "obtaining promises". It is a habit one can humbly and thankfully recommend after some years of experience, as most practical and profitable, indeed as being often the only pathway open to the burdened believer. How very often in years past in the conflict of the mission field, spiritual defeat has only been changed into victory by a deliberate taking hold in faith, and by holding on in spite of feelings, to some such promise of God, till He has intervened and given deliverance. When a promise is so realised by an act of faith, I like to think of the joy to the blessed Master, and I seem to see Him turn His gracious face as of old to ask again, "Who touched Me?" "Somebody hath touched Me". And there is love, not censure in His look and tone; love and gladness at His child’s boldness and confidence in Him. For it is just that very tangible act, that touching in faith, that taking in confidence, that touches the Saviour’s heart, and opens His hand of bounty. May we be encouraged to put out often, even tremblingly, the hand of faith, and touch, and so take! This is the happy life of faith. As we read of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, how they obtained promises, and out of weakness were made strong, may our hearts be stirred to similar expectations, purposing to turn God’s promises into present possessions by faith. -Abridged. Dr. Northcote Deck. LITTLE THINGS The saddest failures in Christian consistency may often be traced back to what seemed to be a very small issue. There are things that we call "little sins", but the phrase is misleading. Sin is sin whether men call it great or small. The so-called "little" ones are often the most mischievous because they can be easily left to do their evil work unchecked. They are, in fact, the "little foxes that spoil the vines" (S. of S.2:15). If the "little foxes" are to be cast out of the vineyard, we must take heed to the thoughts, the tongue and the hands. The heart must be cleansed and kept by the Lord. We must be specially watchful against the beginnings of evil. - Selected.
A vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master’s use. 2Timothy 2:21. He shapeth at the potter’s wheel We dare not tell Him what to do, He riseth from the potter’s wheel, With admiration and delight ‘Tis thus that God doth work in us When in the glory of His house R.S.B. Please address Wholesome Words correspondence to: R.M. Goatley, |