The Gospel Day Part 10

6. _Have life._ "Verily, verily, I 6. _Have abundant life._ "The thief say unto you, He that heareth my cometh not, but for to steal and to word, and believeth on him that kill and to destroy: I am come that sent me, hath everlasting life, and they might have life, and that they shall not come into condemnation; might have it more abundantly."

but is pa.s.sed from death unto John 10:10.

life." John 5:24.

7. _Have faith._ "For ye are all 7. _Full of faith._ "For he was a the children of G.o.d by faith in good man and full of the Holy Ghost Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:26. and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord." Acts 11:24.

8. _Love G.o.d._ "Peter was grieved 8. _Perfect in love._ "Herein is because he said unto him the third our love made perfect, that we may time, Lovest thou me? And he said have boldness in the day of unto him, Lord, thou knowest all judgment: because as he is, so are things; thou knowest that I love we in this world." 1 John 4:17.

thee." John 21:17.

9. _Babes in Christ._ "And I, 9. _Men in Christ._ "Till we all brethren, could not speak unto you come in the unity of the faith, and as unto spiritual, but as unto of the knowledge of the Son of G.o.d, carnal, even as unto babes in unto a perfect man, unto the Christ." 1 Cor. 3:1. measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Eph. 4:13.

G.o.d's Will To The Sinner. G.o.d's Will To The Justified.

_Repentance._ "The Lord is ... not _Sanctification._ "For this is the willing that any should perish, but will of G.o.d, even your that all should come to sanctification." 1 Thes. 4:3.

repentance." 2 Pet. 3:9.

_Called to repentance._ "I am not _Called to sanctification._ "For come to call the righteous, but G.o.d hath not called us unto sinners to repentance." Mat. 9:13. uncleanness, but unto holiness." 1 Thes. 4:7.

_Commands repentance._ "And the _Commands sanctification._ "Having times of this ignorance G.o.d winked therefore these promises, dearly at; but now commandeth all men beloved, let us cleanse ourselves everywhere to repent." Acts 17:30. from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of G.o.d." 2 Cor. 7:1.

_The reason for repentance._ "I _The reason for sanctification._ tell you, Nay: but, except ye "Follow peace with all men, and repent, ye shall all likewise holiness, without which no man perish." Luke 13:3. shall see the Lord." Heb. 12:14.

Provisions Made For The Provisions Made For The Justification Of The Sinner. Sanctification Of The Believer.

1. _The Word._ "For I am not 1. _The Word._ "Sanctify them ashamed of the gospel of Christ: through thy truth: thy word is for it is the power of G.o.d unto truth." John 17:17 salvation to every one that believeth." Rom. 1:16.

2. _The Spirit._ "Jesus answered 2. _The Spirit._ "That I should be Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the minister of Jesus Christ to the Except a man be born of water and Gentiles, ministering the gospel of of the Spirit, he can not enter G.o.d, that the offering up of the into the kingdom of G.o.d." John 3:5. Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost." Rom.

15:16.

3. _The Blood._ "Unto him that 3. _The Blood._ "Wherefore Jesus loved us, and washed us from our also, that he might sanctify the sins in his own blood." Rev. 1:5. people with his own blood, suffered without the gate." Heb. 13:12.

4. _Jesus._ "And he is the 4. _Jesus._ "And inheritance among propitiation for our sins: and not them which are sanctified by faith for ours only, but also for the that is in me [Jesus]." Acts 26:18.

sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2.

5. _G.o.d._ "Which were born, not of 5. _G.o.d._ "And the very G.o.d of blood, nor of the will of the peace sanctify you wholly; ...

flesh, nor of the will of man, but faithful is he that calleth you, of G.o.d." John 1:13. who also will do it." 1 Thes. 5:23, 24.

Being Like Jesus.

Holiness is the image of G.o.d. A holy seer, in a vision, saw the Lord and his high throne. He saw the angels hovering over and heard one shouting, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." Isa. 6:1-3. Nothing in earth or in heaven is so beautiful as holiness. The Scriptures are sublime in their description of the loveliness of the celestial world. Poets have sung of the exquisite delights of that better land. The crowning feature of attractiveness is holiness. Should the despiser of holiness be permitted to stroll through the fields of heaven he would find no object of beauty there. The rose of Sharon would be but a faded flower, "no beauty that we should desire him."

Isa. 53:2.

The one object and desire in the life of the sweet singer David, a holiness admirer, was to dwell in the house of the Lord all his days to "behold the beauty of the Lord." Psa. 27:4. The beautiful holy image of G.o.d was seen upon man in his creation. He manifested the holy character of his Creator. He was in nature like G.o.d. The Almighty in looking over the works of creation saw that everything he had made, man included, was very good (Gen. 1:31); therefore we can rightly conclude that as he looked upon man he looked upon a creature as pure and holy and faultless as an angel in heaven, else he would not have p.r.o.nounced him very good. Such without controversy was the state of man by creation: as holy and as pure in his nature as his Maker. But a sorrowful change came to man. He transgressed the law of his G.o.d, and as a result the holy image of the Creator was supplanted by the hideous deformity of sin.

After the transgression, G.o.d again looked upon man and "saw that his wickedness was very great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Gen. 6:5. This grieved him at his heart, and he repented of having made man. However he purposes that man shall yet enjoy the blessing of a holy state. Accordingly he sent his Son to this world to redeem him. This Son was in the image of the Father "in whom the G.o.d of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of G.o.d, should s.h.i.+ne unto them." 2 Cor. 4:4. "Who is the image of the invisible G.o.d, the first-born of every creature." Col. 1:15.

The Father has ordained that man in the Son should be made holy or in his original purity. "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." Eph. 1:4. "In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life." Luke 1:75.

In being restored to holiness man is conformed to the image of the Son.

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren."

Rom. 8:29. It is true G.o.d foreknew that some would not believe on his Son and be redeemed, and he foreknew that others would. Here we behold the wonderful mercy of G.o.d. He strives with the heart of the sinner and brings all influences possible to bear upon him to turn him from his sin, and all the time knowing he would never be saved; however he thus leaves him without excuse and makes him wholly responsible for his loss.

What is the image of the Son? He was holy, harmless, and undefiled. Heb.

7:26. He was equal with G.o.d. Phil. 2:6. He was in the glory and holiness of the Father. G.o.d after creation looked over the work of his hands and p.r.o.nounced all very good. After the "transgression" he saw that all was very wicked. Now Jesus comes and presents to the Father one who has been redeemed by the all-atoning blood, and as G.o.d views him over he stands "holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight." Halleluiah! Read Col.

1:21, 22. The redemption obtained through the blood of Jesus is perfect and complete. It makes us "complete in him." Col. 2:10. Dear reader, this moment, with open heart before the all-seeing eye of G.o.d, does the Spirit witness clearly to your soul that you are "holy and without blame before him in love?" To be like Jesus includes only his holy nature. We are not to be like him in power to forgive sins, but in a holy life. We are to be thus like him in this present life; "because as he is, so are we in this world." 1 John 4:17. In this world, we are to be like him in holiness.

"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, 'Be ye holy; for I am holy.' " 1 Pet.

1:15, 16. G.o.d predestinated that we should be like him. He is holy, therefore he calls the believer unto holiness.

When we are restored to the holy nature of G.o.d it will be our nature to be as merciful as he is merciful. "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." Luke 6:36. The mercy of G.o.d consists in showing favor unsolicited; in bestowing blessings upon the ungrateful. G.o.d in his mercy gave his Son to die for a wicked world. When we are made partakers of the divine nature, we go about showing favor and kindness to all; though men scorn us, revile us, and trample us down without mercy, we eagerly seize every opportunity to do them good.

With respect to the principles of Christianity we are, when fully redeemed, perfect as our Father in heaven. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Mat. 5:48. By reading the contexts we find he is speaking of love. When fully saved there is naught in our heart but love, loving just as G.o.d loves. Such love enables us with joy to show kindness to our enemies, to feed them when they are hungry, and give them drink when they thirst. Rom. 12:20.

When we are fully saved we are like the Lord in purity: "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." 1 John 3:3. Every crimson stain of sin is cleansed away and we are whiter than the snow. The evil nature incurred by Adam's sin is perfectly destroyed and we are made as pure as though there had never been a sin in this world.

We will be like our Creator and Redeemer in righteousness: "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." 1 John 3:7. Some do teach that we can not be righteous. The Word of G.o.d declares they are deceivers.

When we thus become of the pure, holy, righteous and merciful nature of Jesus it will of necessity separate us as far from this world and worldliness as he was separated. "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17:14. There lies a great and wide gulf between the Christian and the world. Jesus is the bridge for the sinner to cross to the Christian's land. Sin and Satan is the bridge for the return of the Christian to the world.

When the children of G.o.d are fully redeemed they are one even as the Father and the Son are one. "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." John 17:22. This means a complete annihilation of every partisan spirit, a destruction of all strife and division. Should every professed Christian get salvation to the full Bible standard there would not be a sect left upon earth.

G.o.d predestinated you to be conformed to the image of his Son; holy as he is holy; merciful as he is merciful; perfect as he is perfect; pure as he is pure; righteous as he is righteous; as far separated from the world as he is from the world, and one even as G.o.d and his Son are one. Such is the perfect redemption offered to man in this life through G.o.d's beloved Son.

What can be more beautiful upon this earth than a soul redeemed from sin and a life reflecting the holy life of the Savior. "Christ before Pilate"

is a rare and much admired work of art, but Christ in the soul and life is a work more grand and beautiful. For man to properly reflect the divine character necessitates a very close walk and deep communion with the Deity. There must be a constant feeding upon the divine life. There must be a careful watching and an effort to cultivate a deeper sense of the presence of G.o.d. Happy and blessed is the man whose heart is so filled with heavenly love and reverence to G.o.d as to cause him to give "all diligence" to develop into his own glorious image.

Chapter VII. The Church Of G.o.d.

More than one hundred times the words church and churches are used in the New Testament. It is always translated from _ekklesia_. Most translators agree that a more correct translation of this Greek word would have been congregation. "The church of G.o.d" would then have read, "Congregation of G.o.d." "The church of the first-born" would have read, "The congregation of the first-born." The church that was at Antioch would have read, "The congregation that was at Antioch," etc.

What Is The Church Or Congregation?

The word church is a much misused word. It is commonly used at the present day when speaking of the edifices erected for the purpose of the a.s.sembling of the church to wors.h.i.+p G.o.d. The quoting of a few texts will give us the Bible definition of this word.

"Likewise greet the church that is in their house." Rom. 16:5. This was the home of Priscilla and Aquila. This church was in their house. This house was not the church. The church was in their house. The command was to greet the church. This certainly begins to throw some light upon this subject. See 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Phile. 2. "And he hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."

Eph. 1:22, 23. "And he is the head of the body, the church." Col. 1:18.

See also 24th verse.

These texts plainly teach the church to be the body of Christ. What is the body of Christ? Ans.-"Now ye [Christians] are the body of Christ, and members in particular." 1 Cor. 12:27. The body of Christ is the church.

The church is Christians. This enables us to understand how the church could be in Priscilla and Aquila's house, and how we can greet the church.

This is the Bible definition of church.