A Layman’s PERSPECTIVE
[A Layman’s Perspective is a publication of the e.m. Group. For
additional information write: Charles Miller or Charles Vanesse
The purpose of the publication is to express our concern for doctrinal
issues confronting Christians today. We consider any hierarchical system
which separates the body of Christ into classes, to be unscriptural, and we use
the term "layman" only in reference
to what has become the generally accepted usage to differentiate between the
"clergy" and "layman" in the church. Although we are
firm in our convictions, we are not "locked-in"
to any doctrinal belief about which Christians disagree. We exhort any Christian
who disagrees with any of our views, to refute with sound doctrine anything
which they believe to be in contradiction to the teachings of the word of God.
ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM
The
views contained in this exposition are taken primarily from the writings of men
who have expounded extensively on the subject of the
Permission
is granted to reproduce this writing in full or in part without acknowledging
our authorship. If what is contained herein is of any value for the
edification and encouragement of the body of Christ, then to Him be the
glory. We only hope that, in our brevity, we have accurately conveyed
what these men have so judiciously explained in great depth.
We
will be happy to supply additional copies of this writing upon request.
Should you desire, we would also forward one or more of their books from our
limited supply, or furnish you with the book titles and publisher* from whom they
may be purchased. Like A. W. Tozer, we place no value upon books, except that they
serve as "signposts" in the pursuit
of truth, ... truth which is in Christ and in His
word.
[* Most books can be
purchased from: Schoettle Publishing Company, Inc.
No
doubt, some who read this will be provoked to anger, although that is not our
intent. One must honestly adjudge whether the provocation stems from
righteous indignation, or is caused by a
conviction of the Holy Spirit of a truth which is difficult to hear.
As
"laymen", we have been confronted
with many of the conflicting doctrines which have divided the body of Christ
for centuries. All too often, we have found that some of the reasoning of
those on both sides of these doctrinal disputes, have
been weak and unconvincing. This has placed us in a quandry
as to the meaning of those "difficult passages"
that seemed incompatible with either position.
Hopefully,
what we write here, will bring into harmony with all of Scripture, those
passages which may have also troubled you, be you "layman" or "clergy."
We
urge you, like the Bereans, to examine the scriptures
to see if these things are so (Acts 17: 11),
and refute with sound doctrine, anything which is not in accordance with the
teaching of Christ (Titus 1: 9).
May
you be edified, sobered and encouraged by what we have to share, and may it
lead you to a closer relationship to our precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ.
WILL EVERY CHRISTIAN INHERIT THE [MILLENNIAL] KINGDOM?
"We wish to place on
record our solemn conviction that not all who are Christians or think
themselves to be such, will attain to that resurrection of which St. Paul
speaks in Phil. 3: 12." -
This
is quite a startling statement coming from a man who is widely regarded as one
of the greatest evangelists who ever trod the missionary fields. But, we
believe it’s truth can hardly be refuted upon careful
examination of the scriptures. Ministers and ministries have for
centuries perpetuated the doctrine - that all Christians will be in the kingdom
- that all will rule and reign with Christ - that all
will be a part of the bride of Christ - and that there are no after-death
consequences to a careless Christian life.
Calvinists and Arminians have fostered their
own versions of this teaching in their unresolved debate which has led to divisions and sub-divisions in the body of Christ
which are an abomination to the Lord, and a source of mockery for unbelievers.
Scandals,
doctrinal disputes, and political agendas in the body of Christ have shifted
the attention of believers and unbelievers away from the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ and have raised a near insurmountable barrier to the message of
hope to a dying world. Our cry of "Repent!"
to that dying world is so tainted with our own sins, that they mock the
hypocrisy of the messengers and disregard the message. We are told that
we are not even to try to remove the speck from our brother’s eye, without
first removing the log from our own (Matt. 6: 5).
So, how can we point the finger of accusation at the unbeliever, while
wallowing in our own sins? At times, we seem to take more delight in
"rescuing" an unborn baby into
a corrupt and sinful world than we do of rescuing a hopeless sinner out
of that world.
It
is time that the message to the church should be, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is
at hand!", for there are scriptural warnings to Christians
of the dire consequences of unrepented sins in our lives, and of slothful
service in the stewardship assigned to us. To deny, or subvert those
warnings is to allow the church to disregard the very truth which is given to
deliver it from the perils.
[ETERNAL]* SALVATION IS A
FREE GIFT
[* Scripture speaks of more than one
type of “salvation” hence the need to identify
it. See Jude 3.]
Nothing
can rob us of the joy and wonder of the grace of God, through which we gained
reconciliation with our heavenly Father through His Son, "for by grace you
have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God; not as a result of works, that no one should
boast." (Eph. 2: 8, 9). There
is no saving merit in works, and without the recognition of the hopelessness of
depending upon our works for our justification, there is no [eternal]
salvation. But when, is that hopelessness, we acknowledge our need for a
Saviour, then He who worked for our redemption, imputed His own righteousness
to us, by grace through faith in Him.
Our [eternal]
salvation, founded on God’s mercy, was
totally unmerited.
Everything that is written here is
predicted on that unchangeable truth.
GOD'S REWARDS ARE EARNED
"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His
angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his
work" - Matthew 16: 27.
Most
assuredly, God gives [eternal] salvation as a free gift, totally unmerited, but,
His praise, blessings, and rewards are never unmerited.
The
grace of God and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, far from making us
immune from responsibility, instead, deepen our responsibility to live a life
of obedience and righteousness in Christ.
"For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the
body according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Cor. 5; 10).
Eternal life is by grace through faith. Rewards are the recompense for
deeds, good or bad, done after saving faith. "And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with Me to give to every man according to his work".
(Rev. 22: 12).
Some
will protest, "It is wrong to be motivated by
rewards; our motivation should only be our love for Him". And
we know that Jesus said, "If you love me you
will keep my commandments" (John
14: 15). There can be no greater or purer stimulus. But so
long as we have the flesh to contend with, fear of punishment, and hope for
reward can be an effective provocation to good deeds. Indeed, these
stimuli - hope and fear - are totally consistent with God’s nature.
Most
assuredly, there is no profit in good deeds emanating from wrong motivation,
for they are no more than wood, hay, and straw, and shall be burned up (1 Cor. 3: 12, 15).
Compliance with religious rules which are imposed upon us,
may well produce only an appearance of spirituality without substance - the Pharisaism and the hypocrisy which Jesus abhorred.
But self discipline can be profitable
for godliness (1 Tim. 4: 7-8) when our
purpose is to better know and please the Lord.
To
disdain the seeking of rewards as an incentive for service, rather than being
motivated only by our love for Christ, is to reject the very incentive
that He has placed before us at His own pleasure. If our loving Father
chooses to offer us rewards, dare we reckon them with anything but the highest
regard?
For reward is merely the
tangible expression of the approval of God, and we may no more deny Him the
pleasure of expressing that approval than we need adjure it for ourselves.
He who despises a throne despises Him who confers the throne. It was
one of our Lord’s rebukes of the Pharisees, - "The
glory that cometh from the only God ye seek not" (John
5: 44) [Panton]
God
is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11: 6)
and no contradiction exists in the acknowledgment that He rewards good works -
provided we understand that only those who have obtained eternal life
gratuitously, qualify for those rewards
Grace is unmerited
favour;
Rewards are always
merited.
Grace is a free gift;
Rewards are wages.
Grace is without
money and without price;
Rewards look to the
believer’s faithfulness.
Grace places us on
the race course;
Rewards lure us to
"so run."
Grace introduces us
to the games;
Rewards urge us to
"so fight."
Grace says, "Not by deeds of righteousness
which we have done"; Reward says,
"Well done thou good and faithful servant ..."
- R. E. Neighbour
GOD IS A PUNISHER
Perhaps,
it would sound less abrasive to say that God is a "chastener", but it well be that the word "punisher" has a shock value that is needed today
to awaken us from our lethargy.
Who
among us has not read Leviticus 26: 14-39 without
being awed by the severity of the punishment God promised to bring upon the
nation of
If
God rewards good works, then what is
there in His nature and attributes which would cause us to view it as
inconsistent or unfair for Him to recompense his children by punishment for our
unrepented bad deeds, or slothful service?
"For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the
wrong which he has done, and that without partiality" (Col. 3: 24-25). The attempts to mollify the
text of some of its weight by suggesting that the consequences are accounted in
this life only, satisfies neither the substance, nor the intent of it, "for there is nothing in the text or context to lead the
reader to think other than that while the sowing is here, the reaping is
hereafter" [Panton]. That this
is evident is substantiated by the verses which immediately precede it, "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord
rather than men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the
inheritance. It is the
Lord Christ whom you serve" (Col. 3: 23-24).
Notwithstanding the fact that there is, in this life, a discipline to which the
Lord subjects His children (Heb. 12: 7), it
does not negate the future consequences, good or bad, which shall accure to us, contingent upon our response to that discipline.
There is a future reward to be attained;
there is a future punishment to be avoided.
Consider
the warning in the parable of the two debtors in Matthew
18: 21-35. Of the one who had been forgiven his debt by his
master, but who refused to forgive the debt of his fellow slave, Jesus said,
"And his lord, moved with anger, handed him
over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him." Then He follows with these shocking and
solemn words. "So shall My
heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother
from his heart." (Matt. 18: 34-35).
It
is obvious that the Lord severely punishes the unforgiving saint - but when and
where? In this life? Most certainly, for He tells us, that He
disciplines those whom He loves (Hebrews 12: 5-8).
But suppose the Lord’s child does not profit from His Father’s discipline? Suppose he continues in His evil way?
Then he shall be chastened in the life
beyond. "For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in
the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad." (2 Cor. 5: 10), and thus
speaking to the saints in
What
"fear of the Lord" has the average
Christian who has been taught that every
believer shall inherit a crown and rule with Him in His Kingdom? Pastors who are perplexed and frustrated by the apathy and
complacency of their congregation, need to examine their own teaching.
What
dangerous folly, to assign to
A
striking analogy may be seen in the exodus of the Israelites from
Were not all of
In
like manner, we are all condemned to death until we have been covered by the
blood of the unblemished Lamb of God. And "in that moment, ...when Christ’s blood rises up
between my soul and Jehovah, ... it is regeneration,
the beginning of a new and divine life, ... in
that moment, when I have consciously appropriated
The
analogy does not end there. They were told to eat of the flesh of the
lamb (Ex. 12: 8) just as we are told to eat
of the flesh of the Son of Man (John 6: 53).
Then the Lord commanded them to remove the leaven from their houses (Ex. 12: 15) after the blood was
applied, after they had partaken of the lamb. In like
manner, after we have put on the blood, after we
have partaken of Christ, we are commanded to "Clean out the old leaven, ... For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed" (1 Cor. 5: 7). For
who, but the one who has been regenerated,
partaken of Christ , and received the Spirit of God, has the power to overcome sin in his life?
However,
God’s promise to the Israelites did not terminate with their deliverance from
Can
Christians, in like manner, forfeit God’s intended inheritance and
rewards? Govett believed so, writing, "The disobedient saint will lose the future reality as surely
as
That
the analogy DOES exist is clearly shown by the apostle in his
first epistle to the Corinthians:
"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye
should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in
the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same
spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and
that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well
pleased: for they were overthrown in the
wilderness.
Now these things were our examples, to the intent we
should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as
were some of them; as it is written, The people sat
down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit
fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty
thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some
of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of
them also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come." -1 Cor. 10: 1-11.
Let
us pay careful attention to the point that Paul is making to believers, "All were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
and were all baptized unto Moses; and did all eat the same
spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink"
... "but with many of them, God was not
well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness."
Are
we to believe that "all of the numbered men from
twenty years old and upward" (Num. 14:
29) who died in the wilderness were all unsaved? Had they not died
on the right side of the blood? We see from Psalm
106 - He saved
them (verse 8) - He led them (verse
9) - He redeemed
them (verse
10) - they believed
Him (verse
12). Yet, they were denied entrance into the land because
they forgot Him (verse 21) - they did
not listen (verse 25) - they
provoked Him to anger with their deeds (verse 29) - they became
unclean in their practices (verse 39).
They
lost their privilege of ruling and reigning in the land, under God, because of
their deeds and practices. We believe that Christians are also in
danger of losing their privilege of ruling and reigning with Christ in His
[* Compare the 40 days which Jesus spent (after His resurrection), testifying to His disciples relative to the "Kingdom of God," (Acts 1: 3); with the report of the twelve spies after exploring for 40 days their inheritance in the land of Canaan, (Num. 14: 34).]
PUNISHMENT FOR SLOTHFULNESS
"And that servant, which knew his Lord’s will, and
prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be
beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of
stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him
shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will
ask the more." -Luke 12: 47-48.
Those
who would propose that believers shall not incur any punishment - rather, only
affectionate discipline for their training and correction, should take careful
heed to the gravity of our Lord’s declarations in Luke
12. It is not the possession of the talents that
determined the reward or punishment of the servants,
it is their use of them. A believer who stands before the
judgment seat of Christ with no more than what he had at conversion can expect
to receive a like recompense.
Some
will argue, "Surely, ‘that servant’ who beat the
slaves, was an unbeliever", though no such suggestion is implied by
the parable. Far from being a comparison
of two different servants, what is portrayed, is a change
of mind in the same servant, showing the recompense of either
good or bad stewardship. If the third servant were an unsaved individual,
his works could in no way, and on no ground, be even considered for acceptance.
When
Jesus said, "You too, be ready, for the Son of Man
is coming at an hour that you do not expect", Peter asked, "Lord, are you
addressing this parable to us, or to every one else as well?"
That Jesus’ statement implied both a
general warning to all believers, and a specific warning to the apostles, is
confirmed in His answer in verses 47 and 48. The apostles, having received much,
would have greater responsibility and accountability, while he who did not know
the master’s will and committed deeds worthy of few stripes, will receive a
few. It is not uncommon that many who teach on
these parables, do so with the presupposition that the references to punishment
are references to eternal damnation.
They
then conclude that the unfaithful servant must, therefore, have been an unbeliever.
However, even a cursory study of God’s dealings with His people, will
prove this to be unwarranted assumption. God does punish His people.
Others
will contend that the parable shows that the unfaithful servant was a believer
who lost his salvation. But that would make our [eternal] salvation contingent upon service, and deny the
completed work of Christ on the cross.
Perhaps,
an even more graphic analogy is drawn by the Lord in the parable of Luke 19.
For here, He says; "A certain nobleman went
to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself
and then return". Then, after
relating the tasks which the nobleman assigned to his slaves, He continues:
"But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation
after him saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’".
The distinction between the "slaves" [regenerate believers] and
the "citizens" [the unregenerate], in this
parable, is clear. The slaves were rewarded or punished for their degree
of service. The citizens who rejected the nobleman were brought to him,
and slain in his presence.
The
difficulties which the parable presents to both the Calvinist and the Arminian theologies are resolved only by trying to force
the scriptures to say something they do not.
To
assume that the absence of [good] works is evidence of an unregenerate spirit, is to negate the warnings to Christians
concerning the consequences of our disobedience to the commands of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
To
assume that it is our eternal life which is at risk, for failing
to attain to the holiness which Christ desires of every believer, is to add to
the gospel of grace, the necessity of our works. "If the security of the saved depends on service, what limit
of toil is necessary to preserve it? If a serving believer must serve to
be saved, how much must he serve? Can service save one who is already
saved? God places salvation before, and not after
"good works". [R.
E. Neighbour]
The misconception that works, or a holy life, are the
necessary or inevitable result of justification, gives rise to the probability
of making judgments or comparisons. The danger of making such judgments or comparisons
is that it tends to elevate God’s standard for others, while lowering it for
ourselves.
For
example, we are offended by the immoral conduct of Christians, particularly
when such conduct is exposed by unbelievers and flaunted as an indictment
against Christianity. And so, we "defend the
faith" by saying to non-Christians, and even to ourselves, "Surely, he/she is no Christian." "No Christian", we adamantly protest, "could do such a thing."
But
how often have the accusers looked at a woman/man to lust after her/him in
their heart. And thus, according to Jesus, committed adultery
with her/him in their heart (Matt. 5: 27)?
Do
they, therefore, ponder in their heart, "Surely,
I am no Christian, for no Christian would do such a thing"?
No, instead we compare our self with the immortal person and not with the
standard of Christ.
And
what guarantee has the Christian that he
too will not fall into such a conduct tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or
next year?
Our
justification [by faith]
is not preceded by, nor dependent upon, works as a
determinant of justification. This is the Scriptural denial of the
doctrine that eternal salvation depends in part upon outward sanctification, so
that no one can be assured of [that] salvation until he has persevered in holiness to
the end of life. [Lang]
We
are, most assuredly, told to judge those in the church, but it is
not their salvation that we are judging; it is their conduct.
And Jesus said that the church’s decision to expel one from fellowship is bound
in heaven as well as upon earth (Matt. 18: 17, 18).
And so, the sinner who is justifiably cast out of the church, and
remains unrepentant, will also be excluded from the fellowship
of overcomers in the
THE KINGDOM - PRESENT OR FUTURE?
The
Some
will use this verse to confirm their assertion that "salvation", "eternal
life", and "the kingdom"
are synonymous - that we appropriate the kingdom when we receive Christ -
therefore, the kingdom is present. And we would agree that
when we receive Christ, we receive the King, therefore, in a spiritual
sense, we do have the kingdom "within
us". However, it must be observed that Jesus
statement was made in response to a question put to Him by the Pharisees as to
when the kingdom was coming. Like every Jew they were awaiting the
fulfilment of the prophecies of Daniel, Isaiah, and Ezekiel,
concerning that kingdom. But, certainly, Jesus was not telling these
Pharisees that the
But
perhaps, the passage is better understood in the context of Robert Govett’s
explanation: "In the above words, our Lord refers
to the necessary internal preparation of the soul, without which, inquiry
into the outward and future kingdom was but curious folly. But
this was a reply only to the cavalier and ungodly, not to His believing
people. To them, in the next verses, He proceeds to speak of it as
future and visible, declaring that at His return He would blaze forth in
majesty filling from end to end the sky, like the lightning."
Another
writer states:
"For the
We must, therefore, adopt the marginal rendering, ‘among you,’ or, ‘in the midst of you,’ which will be an
expression analogous to ‘There standeth One among you’ (John 1: 26).”
“Aided by this correction, we shall quickly perceive the
meaning which the Lord’s answer is intended to convey. Do you, He says,
inquire concerning the
Only
those whose hearts are fixed on Christ have the ability to understand, for
Jesus said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the
kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them" (Matt. 13: 11). It behoves us to seek
to understand these mysteries and, not lapse into the Pharisaical
attitude that every Christian is going to inherit that kingdom.
Scripture is replete with the announcements of a coming kingdom.
Daniel fore told of it - "until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in
favour of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they
possessed the kingdom" ... "Then the sovereignty, power and
greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed
over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His
kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and
obey Him." Daniel 7: 22, 27.
Isaiah - "And
the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne
of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of
hosts will perform this." Isaiah 9: 7.
John - "and
I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
Revelation 20: 4.
The
apostles asked Jesus, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to
"The
kingdom asserts itself on earth in two chief stages; the
present, a spiritual, in Christ obtaining His lordship in
the hearts of men by their free and saving consent; the other
future, when He shall come in power and great glory; but it is one
kingdom." [Lang]
DISQUALIFICATION
Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a
way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest
possibly after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified. 1Corinthians
9: 26, 27.
What
was it that the apostle Paul was so intent upon keeping, while acknowledging
that it could be lost? His salvation? No, not his eternal life,
but rather those "things that accompany
salvation" (Heb. 6: 9);
his rewards, his crown. Only at the
end of his life did Paul express his assurance by stating: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord will award me on that day;
and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Tim. 4: 7, 8).
A
crown is a symbol of rulership, and as a faithful servant
of the gospel, Paul earned his crown and the privilege of
ruling and reigning with Christ. "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him"
(2 Tim. 2: 12). A crown, not imputed, but
"earned". It is an "award". "Now
to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt"
(
Just
as man is not coerced into redemption by grace, neither is he compelled to
obedience and faithfulness by it. The believer’s justification by faith
places him in the family of God. Yet, this conversion is by no means
a guarantee of future faithfulness, although it is indicative of his
ability to now be faithful. He can run the race. And, if he runs according
to the rules, he can win. He can win the prize, the
crown, the rewards. The
believer’s conversion experience simply enters him into the race; a race
in which losing is not only a possibility, but is, without a concerted effort
on his part, a tragic possibility. We must run the race in such a
way as to win. We must, like Paul, "press on
toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 3: 14).
THE OUT-RESURRECTION
"That I may know Him, and the
power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed
to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the
dead. Not that I have
already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may
lay hold of that for which I was also laid hold of by Christ Jesus." - Philippians
3: 10-12.
That
there is a resurrection from the dead is a basic tenet of Christian
theology. "I
am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me
shall live even if he dies, and every one who lives and believes in Me shall
never die. Do you believe this?"
(John 11: 25, 26). But this resurrection, of which Jesus here
speaks, is not one to be "attained to",
for this is a resurrection already laid hold of by every one who has
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ for his/her [eternal] salvation. For Paul, and for every
believer, that is a certainty. That Paul would have any doubts of this
resurrection is absurd.
But
what is the resurrection to which Paul "pressed on"
to attain? It is a repetition of the words of the Lord in Luke 20: 35, "they are
accounted worthy to attain to that age, and the resurrection from among
the dead." Is it possible for a Christian not to
attain it? Evidently Paul believed so, and it was this resurrection of
which Hudson Taylor wrote, "We wish to place on record our solemn conviction that not
all who are Christians or think themselves to be such, will attain to that
resurrection of which St. Paul speaks in Phil.
3: 11."
Resurrection
[anastasis] from out of the dead [ek nekron] was the
assurance of every believer (1 Cor.
15: 20-23) *. But, here, Paul is
talking about an "out resurrection" [ek-anastasis] from out of the dead [ek-nekron], a resurrection he sought after with a
zealous fervor expressed in his words:
[* Resurrection [anastasis]
from the dead is the assurance of every believer (Matt. 22: 31; Acts17: 32; 23: 6, 15, 21; 1Cor. 15: 12,
13, 21, 42; Heb. 6: 2). None of the these have the prefix "ek" ("out")
attached.]
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for
Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all
things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do
count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know
him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings,
being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto
the resurrection of the dead." [Greek,
"If (somehow) I may attain to the out-resurrection (ek-anastasis) out from the dead (ek-nekron)."] "Not as though I
had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that
I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing
I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." - Philippians
3: 7-14.
Nowhere
else in scripture is our resurrection from the dead viewed as a reward to be
achieved.* And nowhere else in scripture is the word "anastasis" [resurrection] used with the prefix
"ek" [out of].* The apostle Paul definitely speaks of the
"out" resurrection as a prize, and not
as a gift.
For
Paul, there was some things to be accomplished in his
life in order to attain to that resurrection. It was not just "receiving" Christ, it was "being found in Him", it was "knowing Him and the power of His resurrection";
it was "knowing the fellowship of His sufferings";
it was "being conformed to His death".
These are the things which Paul counted as his only gain. These things he did in order to attain
that "out-resurrection".
OVERCOMERS
In
chapters 2 and 3
of the book of Revelation, there are seven
promises "to him that overcometh".
1.
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of
life, which is in the paradise of God - Rev.
2: 7.
2.
He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second
death. - Rev. 2: 11.
3.
He that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna,
and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no
man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. Rev.
2: 17.
4.
He that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end,
to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of
iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I
received of my Father. -Rev. 2: 26, 27.
5.
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 before his angels. -Rev. 3: 5.
6.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple
of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of
my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is the new Jerusalem, which
cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
-Rev. 3: 12.
7.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in
my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. -Rev. 3: 21.
That such glorious promises have been made to Christians,
should stir the heart of every believer and cause us to diligently strive
to appropriate these promises. Some will contend that all
Christians are overcomers: "For whatever is born
of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world
- our faith" (1 John 5: 4);
and that no conditions are indicated, except our
faith.
It
is indeed, reprehensible for us to place conditions on God’s promises, when He
Himself places none. But it is equally blameworthy and untenable to
ignore those conditions where they do exist. A careful
examination of the passages will confirm that there are prerequisites
to receiving the blessings proffered "to him
that overcometh".
1. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent,
and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. - Rev. 2: 5.
2.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:
behold the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and
ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown if life. -Rev.
2: 10.
3.
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them
with the sword of my mouth. - Rev. 2:
16.
4.
But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. -Rev. 2: 25.
5.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things
which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works
perfect before God. - Rev. 3: 2.
6.
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou
hast, that no man take thy crown. - Rev. 3: 11.
7. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous
therefore, and repent. - Rev. 3: 19.
The
Lord Jesus Christ has offered to us, an incredible opportunity to sit with Him
on His throne, to have authority over the nations, and to rule them with an
iron septre. But, in order to do so, we must respond to the warning
"to repent", "to be watchful", "to
hold fast" ... "that no man take thy crown."
The
church today is basking in the illusion that "being
born again" is the ultimate goal of the preaching of the
gospel. But a thorough investigation of the ministry of Jesus, and of the
apostles, clearly shows that regeneration is simply the prelude to the intimate
relationship He desires to have with us. But, it is a relationship we
must seek.
Faith
in Christ imputes righteousness and son-ship. However, such a position
does not foreordain an overcoming earthly pilgrimage. "Peter concluding his ministry, addressed those who had
obtained a like precious faith with himself in the righteousness of our God and
Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1: 1-11); to whom had been granted the precious and exceeding great
promises of God, with the view that they might not only have the life
of God (which every believer has immediately upon faith in Christ), but also might
become partakers of the divine nature." [Lang]
But
in order for this to become fact, we are told to apply diligence to our faith
and supply moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness,
brotherly kindness and love (2 Peter 1: 5-7)
in order that we may not stumble and forfeit our entrance into that
kingdom. And by availing ourselves of His grace, we
can attain and increase in these qualities, making certain about His calling
and choosing us (2 Peter 1: 10) for
the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4: 8).
Some
have contended that by Peter’s exhortation to gain "abundant entrance into the kingdom", he is
admonishing unbeliever’s to obtain eternal life. But this is easily
disproved.
"No true preacher of the gospel would say to unregenerate
men, "if ye do these things, you will secure eternal
life,’ for that is the "free gift of God" (Rom. 6: 23), "a
righteousness of God apart from the law" (Rom. 3: 21). But addressing believers, as above
noted, and referring to the matter of their calling to glory,
Peter distinctly puts the issue upon the ground of works,
saying, "If ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: for thus will
entrance into the eternal ['age-lasting'] kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be abundantly supplied
to you." [Lang]
Believers must apply all diligence to their faith in order to
enter the [millennial] kingdom.
The reformation brought to light the dogma of
salvation by grace through faith, not as a result of works (Eph. 2: 8, 9) and as a consequence, the
encouragement of "works" in the life
of a believer has been almost held in disdain by some proponents of that basis
tenet of Christianity. And faith is on a sort of sacred aura which
demands nothing of us except to simply "rest"
in it.
This
erroneous attitude towards works is aptly expressed by Robert Govett who stated: "The fear of being led into Romish
error has too much kept Christ’s ministers from proclaiming the duty of
good works; and from enforcing them with the motives which God has attached to
the duty. Put good works as the way of justification, and the
means of earning eternal life, and ‘tis deadly doctrine. But speak of
them as God’s demand from those already justified, and possessors of
eternal life; and there is no danger. Nay, it is necessary that they
should be enforced.” [Govett]
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHURCH LEADERS
"According to the grace of God which is given
unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another
buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth
thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay than tha
is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made
manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any
man’s work abide which he hath built
thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any
man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." - 1 Corinthians 3; 10-15.
Those who preach and teach will be
held accountable for how they build on the foundation. That foundation, which is
Christ, is laid in the great fundamental tenent of
justification. But the apostle Paul’s caution,
"take heed", is described, not
to that foundational truth, about which, all Christians agree, but rather, to the
subordinate doctrines of the faith.
James
reiterates that warning, "Let not many of you
become teachers, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment"
(James 3: 1), for if ministers teach others to think wrongly and act wrongly, what will
be the magnitude of the consequences of such teaching?
That
such a danger exists, is evidenced by the fact that godly, sincere men have
arrived at diverse and directly opposing viewpoints, accompanied by their
assurance that, "the scriptures are my only
source of truth", and that "I have
prayerfully labored long and hard in arriving at my
doctrinal beliefs". But assertions of diligence and sincerity
are no guarantee of truth, for not all doctrines preached by converted
and conscientious men are true. And the judgment incurred by
those who teach will be based on the inexorable test of the One who searches
the heart and mind without prejudice. Then, "the vain arguments by which he sought to justify
his doctrine in his own mind and to others, will be dissipated in a
moment. Nothing but the Lord’s truth will stand the day of the Lord."
[Govett]
Hear
and consider the words of one minister of the gospel, who recognized and
acknowledged the danger of erroneous teaching.
"Some do not "rightly
divide" the word of truth and have taken
it for granted, that whatever professors of divinity taught, and your
denomination holds, must needs be true. Have we tested, by scripture, the
doctrine of which our structure is composed? Or have we received them in
the lump, by tradition? Such being the responsibility of those who minister
the gospel, how diligently, my fellow ministers, should we scrutinize our
doctrine?
The real causes of most, or of all false doctrine, are
sinful. The eye of the teacher is not single. He will rather teach what is for his present interests, than that which
is well pleasing to God. Some are deterred from examining the Word of
God by sloth; some, by fear of censure,
are kept back from proclaiming what they see on its pages; some by the
perception, that to preach the doctrines
there set forth would lead to loss of worldly standing, or of money; some
are guided wholly by human authority;
neglecting the divine. But are not these, and similar reasons, worthy
of rebuke.” [Govett]
A
well known radio evangelist recently said, "One
of the greatest marks of maturity in the Christian life is the ability to agree
to disagree." Such a noble sounding statement is consistent
with the instruction of Romans 14, if stated
with respect to our diverse preferences concerning issues such as
- how often we break bread - whether to use wine or juice at communion -
whether or not we use musical instruments. But, apply it to church
doctrine, and it is blatantly unscriptural, for it justifies the disunity
which the apostle Paul so strongly forbids.
Paul
said, "Now I exhort you brethren, by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you,
but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment"
(1 Cor. 1: 10).
No
such command of scripture is ever given arbitrarily. In the same letter,
Paul wrote, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or
spiritual, let him recognize that the
things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment" (1 Cor. 14: 37).
Truth,
not tolerance, is the bond of unity.
Denominational and non-denominational divisions are expressly forbidden by the
word of God and those who perpetuate them should take heed to the Saviour’s
warning: "Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My
Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:
21).
If
it is the Father’s will that there be no divisions among us, dare we suggest,
"Let there be divisions among us"?
"Take heed what you build!"
HINDRANCES TO THE TRUTH
To
deny the possibility of all Christians being of the same mind and same judgment
on doctrinal issues, is to deny the power of
enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of God, to accomplish in us,
what we cannot accomplish in ourselves. All of the exhortations of
ministers for us to "love one another", to "trust in
God", to "increase in faith" -
are but meaningless rhetoric in light of their own refusal to resolve their
disagreements and tenaciously cling to their divisive attitudes. Few are willing to admit the possibility of
error in their own position. Few are willing to give up a doctrine they
have once asserted. Such a confession of previous error, and the
profession of an opposite doctrine, requires a rare humility and a willingness
to submit to the possibility of loss of repute, and for some, the loss of
ministry. But all such things are better than loss before
Christ.
I
suppose that no truth is more meaningful to us, than that which is sought
after, and received in the confines of our private time with the Lord, whether
in prayer or in the study of His word. What special meaning we derive
when, in response to our prayer for wisdom and understanding, we hear His
voice, "This is the way; walk ye in it"
(Isa. 30: 21). No, not an audible voice, but that undeniable knowledge, emanating
from the Holy Spirit, and penetrating to the very depths of our heart and mind
and spirit; so that we know that we know. "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. As for you,
the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need any one
to teach you. But as His
anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not
counterfeit - just as it has taught you, remain
in Him" (1 John 2: 20-27).
God is capable of privately revealing
His truth to us.
But,
we also recognize that He "gave some as apostles,
and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of
the body of Christ" (Eph. 4: 11)
and most of our convictions are going to be based upon the teaching we receive,
and our attitude toward the teacher. However, not all who are pastors
and teachers in the church today have been given to us by God and,
unfortunately, the doctrinal beliefs of most Christians are often founded upon
their unquestioning acceptance of the opinions of their pastors and teachers,
rather than the objective study of the word of God.
In
the early church years, when disputes arose, they would "go up to
"But, some will argue, are these not sufficient criteria to
determine whether or not we have arrived at truth?" To which
we would answer, "No, they are not." For one need only to observe that men reach diametrically opposing
viewpoints, while making identical declarations of sincerity and diligence.
It
is not this outward expression of sincerity and diligence which is evidence of
truth, "For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for
man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart"
(1Sam. 16: 7). It is with the inner
desire of a heart yielded to the Lord that a man/woman must seek God’s truth:
"And ye shall seek Me,
and find Me, when ye shall search for Me
with all your heart" (Jer. 29: 13).
Who, but one with a heart for the truth, can say:
"It matters not that I should find my convictions
to be in error and have to change them. It matters only that I may know
God’s truth and resolve to seek to follow Him with all of my heart and with all
of my soul".
But
all too often, the quest is not to seek the Lord and His truth, but
rather, to seek the interests of "my ministry",
"my church", "my denomination"; even
to the denial of the witness of the Holy Spirit to that truth.
Augustine said: "For I suppose no man who understands what is written, and
believes it to be communicated by the supreme and true God through holy men,
refuses to yield and consent to these declarations, whether he orally confesses
his consent, or is from some evil influence ashamed or afraid to do so; or
even, with an opinionativeness closely
resembling madness, makes strenuous efforts to defend what he knows and
believes to be false against what he knows and believes to be true.”
“Strong words, to be sure. But is it anything
less than madness which would compel a minister of the word of God to wilfully
deny the indisputable conviction of the Holy Spirit, and knowingly continue in
error or doubt. The cost of change can be high to one who raises
questions about the validity of his denomination’s doctrine. To those who
secretly and anxiously weigh that cost before they would objectively consider
and investigate the validity of opposing viewpoints, have no problem conjuring
up scriptural "proof" with which to refute them. But no faulty
"proof" will sustain them in their Lord’s presence. And, how much greater loss - that of losing their crown
and the privilege of ruling and reigning with Christ.
Instead of receiving that blessed benediction, "Well done, thou good and
faithful servant", they shall shrink back in shame".
Let
us pay careful attention to the exhortation, "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that
no man take thy crown" (Rev. 3:
11). Do we need some lengthy theological discourse to explain what
the Lord has said so clearly? He
is coming again to rule and reign on this earth for 1,000 years. For those who would
rule and reign with Him, there is a crown to be won. But that crown can be lost!
There is something to which we must hold fast, in order that it may not
be lost.
"It
was Philip Mauro who many years ago
said, ‘We greatly fear the consequences of the
tendency observable in certain quarters to treat the millennial kingdom of the
Son as a thing of little interest to the saints of God." The coming reign of Christ is the climatic
event of the ages pertaining to man in relation to this present earth.
All Scripture, after some fashion, moves toward this event; and to ignore
this fact can only prove detrimental to any sound method of Biblical study."
[Chitwood]
There
remains, an obvious and legitimate question to be
addressed. Do we consider ourselves, or
the men we quote, any less susceptible to error? By no
means. And what we present here is offered for your consideration
with the acknowledgment of such a possibility, and with a resolve to earnestly
consider any scriptural rebuttal. But, we too wish to go on record as
being in agreement with the statement of Hudson
Taylor, with which we began this writing, "that
not all who are Christians or think themselves to be such, will attain to that
resurrection of which St. Paul speaks in Phil.
3: 12".
It is little wonder that this doctrine hasn’t gained
popular acceptance in the church. We don’t like to hear that we are
expected to "run a race" - that we are
"to buffet our body and make it our slave" - that we may
be "weeping and gnashing our teeth" outside of the
wedding feast - that we could miss out on the first resurrection - that we
could miss out on the millennial kingdom - that only "through much tribulation" shall we enter
it.
We
would much rather hear - that we shall all be in the kingdom - all will have a
part in the first resurrection - all will have a crown - all will rule and
reign with Christ - and that there is no after-death consequences to a careless
Christian life. The apostle Paul warned,
"For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate
for themselves, teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away
their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths."
(2 Tim. 4: 3, 4).
Unfortunately,
we have become the lethargic "Laodicean"
church which says : "I am
rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing", but God
says, "You do not know that you are poor and blind
and naked" (Rev. 3: 17).
Let us be warned, and heed what the Lord is saying to us: "I advise you to buy from Me gold
refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may
clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and
eye-salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see." (Rev. 3: 18).
It
is our sincere hope and prayer, that having read and
considered what we have expressed here, your heart will be stirred to greater
obedience and service to the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will one day attain the
crown of righteousness reserved for those who have loved His appearing.
"And every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown; but we an incorruptible." 1 Corinthians 9: 2.
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