"UN TO THEE, O GOD, DO WE GIVE THANKS, UNTO THEE DO WE G I V E THANKS: FOR TH A T THY N A M E IS N E A R T H Y W O N DROUS W O R K S DE CLARE” — PSALM 75:1
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PERSONAL CONTACT
A P U a é e . &l Buda S tu d e n t Jttlffi
Some of the experiences long to be remembered are the heart-to-heart talks between the students and the godly men and women who compose our faculty.
THE B I BL E I N S T I T U T E O F L O S A N G E L E S is the Missionary and Evangelistic Training Center of the West
# We have now enrolled the largest student body in our history. # Our students are trained without any cost to them for tuition. We look to God and God’s people for our support.
You can “sponsor” a stu dent for a year with the gift of $125.00. Send for folder describing our plan.
558 S. HOPE ST., LOS ANGELES 13, CALIF. Gentlemen: Please send me the folder on “ personal sponsorship’* of students. Address .............................. ......i hiame City and State.a............
ACROSS THE DESK of the Associate Editor
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Published Monthly by and Representing The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
QJIÑCERE congratulations to several ^ hew religious magazines which are doihg an excellent job presenting truth in up-to-the-minute journalistic dress. However, there may be a dan ger in a too intense desire for modern acceptance which inevitably calls for sortie form of sensationalism, jf The printing industry has certainly im proved its technique in the last gen eration. Some of the color work ap pearing on today’s magazines is sim ply superb. We wish that it were possible for us to compete with such expensive photography, Many let ters cross the desk from elderly peo ple who listen to the radio ministry. They thank God for the privilege of hearing the riches of the Word of God taufeht even when they are unable to attend church services. This is an- othér worthy by-product of Gospel broadcasting. There seems to be an untisually high percentage of those who write in with real problems in their lives. Those who edit maga zines, and who plan radio programs ought to keep this in mind. Other letters come to the desk revealing great confusion about simple Bible truths. One of the weapons of Satan’s present-day strategy is to confuse men and women by preaching things that are similar to the truth, but do not contain the genuine and the whole truth. This behooves us to be very simple and clear in our presentation of the Word of Life. j[ I am told, and I believe it to be true, that there is a dearth of writers with real ability today. Many manuscripts which are presented exhibit little or none of the basic elements of successful journal ism, Perhaps the lack of time that is needed for good writing is the cause of this. But there is definitely a wide field here, Among numerous appli- catibns received at Biola from re- turried G.I.’s, many have been accept ed as students. The percentage of these who are dead in earnest about absorbing the truth of the Scriptures is high. Another ten years may see these same veterans graduated and established in service, making a real impression on the Christian world. The fortnighter, Protestant Voice, seertis to be doing well reporting the religious news. Some of its readers, we hote from the letters’ column, wish that it would “protest" a bit more. Have you noticed in Protestant jour nals the rising tide of opposition to Roman Catholic politics? Surely this is a healthful sign. Glad to note some definite figures from official circles in Argentina, revealing the facts about the Catholic population (See current editorial on this subject.)
Ransom D. Marvin John Bazart Illustrators
Louis T. Talbot, D.D. Editor in Chief
William W . Orr, D.D. Associate Editor
Betty Bruechert, Managing Editor
Copyright 1946, The King’s Business, all rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission.
Vol. 37
November 1946
No. 11
CONTENTS
C O V E R : “ Thanks be to God,” Ransom D . Marvin. Photographs by George R . King. Editorially Speaking............................................................... 2 El Shaddai, Louis T . Talbot .... .....................................„ .......................... 4 The Gospel of the Second Chance, J. C. Macaulay ....................... ........ 6 Hymn of Thanksgiving............................................ ....... ....... ............... 9 Genesis and Evolution, Arthur I . Brown ................................ ................. 10 The Bible Book of the Month, John A . Hubbard. ................................. 12 The Divine Blood Donor, Herbert Lockyer .......................... ,______„....13 The Bible Institute on the A ir................................................. i ...............15 Devotional Readings, Lillian C. Curtis ................................ ............... „.16 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker ...... ....................................... 19 The Bible in the News.... ................. ....................................................... 21 Biola Family Circle................ 22 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box.................................................... 27 Sunday School Lessons........................................... ......... ..... ..................30 Object Lessons, Elmer L . W ilder .................................. ................. ...... 38 Young People’s Topics, Walter L . Wilson ...... ........................................40 SUBSCRIPTION .INFORMATION— "The Kina’« Business” is published monthly; $2.00, one yr.; $1.00, six months: 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of tiiree or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 26 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES—Payable In advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money .order payable to "The King's Business.” Date of expiration Will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING—For Information, address the Advertising Manager, 66$ South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, California. MANUSCRIPTS—‘"The King’s Business" cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent in for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3. 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28. 1926. embodied in paragraph 4, section 638, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King's Business, 668 So. Hope St.. Los Angeles 18, Calif.
NOVEMBER, 1946
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Roman Catholic hierarchy, whose rep resentatives are well entrenched in our own State Department. When ac cused of this, these religious poli ticians have explained that since South America is almost entirely Catholic and satisfied with its present religion, it does not want any prose lyting on the part of Protestants. Both missionaries and neutral states men alike admit that this is com pletely false. Recently, the Chilean government stated in the first issue of its 970-page Asuario (a sort of Chilean world almanac) that Chile was not 90 per cent Catholic as it was popularly believed to be. According to this report, the religious make-up of Chile is as follows: free thinkers, 70 per cent; Catholic, 25 per cent, and Protestant, 5 per cent. This is a far cry from the Catholic Church’s claims for this and other South American countries, and offers another chal lenge to Protestant missions to enter these lands with the real Gospel which is the only power able to change men’s lives. ★ ★ Should Atheists Broadcast? A BATTLE is being waged between Robert Harold Scott, 56-year-old army pensioner and militant atheist, and several radio stations on the Pa cific Coast. It seems that Scott has tried unsuccessfully to obtain time on certain radio stations in order to propagate his Irreligious views. His request was denied or postponed on the ground that the radio station lawyers have not had time to study his case, whereupon Scott appealed to the Federal Communications Commis sion, asking them to revoke the li censes of the stations in question. The answer of the Commission was to deny the plea for revocation, but to uphold the right of atheists to express their views over the air. While the Commission may have gone a little too far in attempting to define the various creeds, we do feel that every one should be allowed the freedom of the air. In fact, we know this is one of the ways in which the absurdity of atheism can be clearly shown. Nothing will prove to the rank and file of T H E K I N G ' S BUS I NESS
“ Thanks a Billion ” A RECENT radio news item states that the 1946 fall wheat yield of the United States w ill be over one billion bushels. This is seen as some what of a phenomenon, in view of the ever-increasingly bountiful har vests that were produced during the war years. As a general rule, the earth yields an abundant harvest for a few years, and then a lean year follows. We all know full well the tremendous need of this year’s har vest. To a great extent, the entire world is depending upon what the United States can produce. We are thankful that the officials in our gov ernment have taken from our stores and have shipped thousands of tons of foodstuffs across the sea. Then, again, we must remind our selves that superabundant harvests do not just happen. There are many fac tors, like drouth or storms, which could materially affect our harvests, and we are well aware that it is God Himself who has brought about this plentiful production. If ever a country upon the face of the earth has been signally blessed by God, it is our land. Not only during the last few years, but our entire history gives evidence of His unmistakable guidance. We have been blessed with rich stores of natural resources. We have been blessed with a hardy stock of men and women, unafraid to work. We have been blessed with freedom from quarrelsome neighbors. On the whole, our citizens are thankful to Almighty God for His blessings. At this partic ular time in the world’s history when God has once more unmistakably bared His hand to do us good, we ought to bow low in our worship and heart-gratitude to the Giver of all good gifts. Without doubt, God has approved the generosity of the Amer- .ican people to needy countries and since this is true, our course in the days that lie ahead ought to be charted in similar paths of benevo lence and charity toward the less fortunate. Surely, with the coming of Thanksgiving Day, 1946, there is over whelming cause for us to stop and give thanks to God for the billion- bushel harvest.
Thanksgiving and Growth rpHE CHRISTIAN being a child of God bears a special relationship to his Heavenly Father. Certain things are true of him which do not apply to the unsaved. For instance, God guarantees all things to work to gether for the Christian’s good, and that His benevolence will be un changing. Because of this, the Chris tian’s thanksgiving should be contin uous as well, and his heart should be a fountain of praise ever express ing thanks for God’s blessing. In a very real way, the Christian’s growth is dependent upon his atti tude of thankfulness. For example, in Philippians 4:6 and 7, where the child of God is encouraged to lay every thing in petition before his Heavenly Father, an expression of gratitude is shown to be an integral part of his requests. In other words, thanksgiving is one of the factors of genuine prayer. It can never be said that there is no cause for such thankfulness. The blessings of God are new every morn ing, and fresh every evening. His purposes for His children are loving and constant. Therefore, it is always right and proper to offer our gratitude to Him. I wonder if failure in this exercise is the reason why some Christian lives fall short of their ap pointed purpose, and if the remedy for this lack lies in a consideration of God’s manifold favors. It is true that the most spiritual peopie whom we have ever known have been those whose hearts and lips have expressed a paean of praise to their Heavenly Father. ★ ★ Truth About South America TOURING the last year or two, there has been considerable political intrigue involved in the issuance of passports to missionaries on their way to Latin America. Many have been denied passports and others have been held up without any satisfac tory explanation. It has been revealed that behind the scenes is a policy which, while supposedly representing the governments of South American countries, really emanates from the
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in morals and religion must begin in the pre-school ages. Those who rely upon schools, and even Sunday schools, to inculcate into their chil dren principles of right and wrong, are waiting too long. The greatest uni versity in the world is the home, and the greatest teachers, the parents. The amazing fact is that when a child has reached the age of seven, he has re ceived three-quarters of his education. This is a plea for the return of the old-fashioned home and a guarantee that if such a return were possible, the problem of juvenile delinquency would be thereby conquered. This is also a prediction that without the re turn of such homes, there will be no lessening of this deadly tendency to crime. The Christian must enlarge his influence to touch other lives and other homes for God. W E OFTEN wonder if radio entertain- ’ ’ ers remember that through the miracle of broadcasting, they are al lowed to enter the sanctity of private homes—homes where the parents are respectable, high-thinking people, and where the children are impression able. Does it seem right that such pro grams should include suggestive and questionable material? Is it right for a guest to enter a decent home with “off-color” jokes? Is it right to treat drunkenness, and brutality, and mur der in a casual way? Surely there is some reason why both broadcasters and sponsors countenance such a travesty on courtesy and right living. The other evening simultaneously on three or four major networks there was a murder story. Grotesque scenes were described, but the treatment of them was most matter-of-fact. If one from another world were suddenly plunged into our sphere, by listening to these air shows, he would imme diately conclude that murder was the most common everyday occurrence in the United States. It is. not necessary to resort to filth or horror for success on the air. The program which heads the.radio pa rade for popularity has one cardinal rule: that every show must be clean. It is regrettable that so tremendous a force as radio seems to have made a misstep here. There is one hopeful sign, however, and that is the attitude of the Federal Communications Com mission on this point We believe, too, that the broadcasting chains have taken cognizance of this abuse and are planning steps to eliminate it. As eternal vigilance is ever the price for anything worth-while, the right- thinking citizens in our land must stand together to protect the Amer ican home and to safeguard its sanc tity. ★ ★ Radio Trash
people the. emptiness of a denial of God more effectively than by at tempting an elucidation of the tenets of atheism. It has been argued that there has never been a genuine atheist. Individuals from time tp time have proclaimed their disbelief in anything supernatural, but their ac tions have been extremely inconsist ent with this assertion. Stories from the deathbeds of most blatant athe ists indicate that at the end of their lives they called upon a God whom they had always denied. Surely there would be the same re sult from an allocation of time to an atheistic program. It would soon be laughed off the air, and rightly so, whereas if denied this right, the atheist Scott and others like him will soon have hundreds flocking to their support as martyrs to the cause of freedom of religion and speech. ★ ★ Crime*» Answer R ECENTLY a full page in the Chi cago Sun was devoted to the des perate problem of juvenile delinquen cy. The writer pointed out the well- known fact that an astounding per centage of crime is committed by our teen-agers. He then stated that the situation seems to be growing worse each year, and that there appears to be no unified approach or concen trated attack on this problem. It is a bad situation, to be sure, and the un deniable fact that young people, hav ing once begun a life of crime often continue in it, makes the problem one of greatest magnitude. This newspaper columnist in the Chicago Bun outlined a remedy for this need, consisting mainly of more intelligent probation, continued re search, revision of the criminal code and extended psychiatric treatment. Now, all of these things may be good, and may have some benefit, but we are sure that they will prove to be but straws in the way of this over whelming tide of juvenile lawlessness. It would not be proper to speak slightingly of the best reasoning of our educators, if we could not offer something; but we are sure that the cause of juvenile delinquency is not different from that of other criminal tendencies. Wrongdoing springs from a nature that of itself delights in sin. The- heart of man is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," and there would be a far greater de gree of crime if all restraint and fear of punishment were removed. The reason for this present increase of crime is not hard to visualize. Good citizens are produced by good homes, and good homes are those in which there is a stabilizing influence of godly people who believe in the truths of the Word of God. Training NOVEMBER, 1946
Visit A RECENT visitor to the Soviet Re- public was Louie De Votie Newton, president of the Southern Baptist Con vention. His visit was made by gov ernment invitation to investigate the status of some 2,000,000 Baptists in Russia. For some inexplicable reason, Mr. Newton was practically given the keys to the country, allowed to say what he pleased, and taken to see whatever his f a n c y dictated. Mr. Newton’s conclusion m a y surprise most churchmen and meet with in credulity. He declares that the reli gious conditions are as bright in Russia as anywhere in the world and that "religiously, we should regard Russia as our great ally." It is not only present-day skepticism which leads us to cast some doubt upon the findings of Mr. Newton, but a certain knowledge of the part Russia is to play in end-time events. However, we must not go to the other extreme and fail to pray for Russia or to exert our best efforts towards its evangeliza tion. ★ ★ Growing "DEPORTS of the Youth for Christ movement show that there has been more growth in this organization in more places in the last three months than in the previous nine months of 1945-1946. The second annual inter national convention held July 22-29 elected Torrey M. Johnson as leader for another year, a p p o i n t e d five teams for foreign lands, and adopted a world-wide missionary policy. There seems to be no slackening of interest and result in this present-day spec tacular movement. There is a growing tendency within it to fortify the ap peal by a strong missionary back ground. Here is another way in which the alarming problem of juvenile delinquency can be adequately and permanently dealt with. ★ ★ LeTourneau Tech rpHE NEWEST venture of energetic “God Runs My Business" R. G. Le Tourneau, is the opening of a new plant in East Texas, and in connec tion with it the establishment of the LeTourneau Technical Institute of Texas. Students who attend the In stitute will support themselves by working eight hours daily in the plant. Of course, as we would ex pect, this school will not neglect the most important phase of education which is a study of the Word of God. There w ill also be chapel services in which evangelistic messages will be preached, and the students w ill be encouraged to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. 3
The God
Who Is Enough
JCouU * 1 . ^lalbo-t, jb.jb.
President of the Bible Institute ■ of Los Angeles
If your heart is full of fear in these “trou blous days." you will be renewed in faith and reassured in mind by this helpful mes sage.
Sequoia, Tosemite National Park, Calif. Photo by George R. King
"And when Abram has ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect ”— Genesis 17:1. T HERE are many names in the Scriptures given to and length, and breadth, and height in it as this Hebrew word, “El Shaddai,” which means “The God who is enough.” The Lord came to Abraham with this revela tion of Himself after he had been out of communion for thirteen years. He got out of fellowship with God when he fell from the platform of simple faith in God, con cerning the birth of the promised son, to the lower level of human experience. We learn from the preceding chapters that Sarah
indulged hopes that a little lad might gladden the home, but after a while hope deferred gave birth to despair and she suggested that Hagar might be taken to wife. From that evil day, trouble hung like a cloud over the patriarchal home, communion with God ceased, and for thirteen years Abraham wandered from place to place, a disappointed, dissatisfied, and despairing man. Then God appeared to him once again when he was ninety- nine years old, with this healing, heartening, and restor ing message, "Abraham, you have been unduly influ enced by the unbelief of your home; but I am El Shad dai—the God who is enough—and once you get that down into your heart, you will get your eye off circum- T H E K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS
God, each of them with a different shade of mean ing, but I question whether any one of them is freighted with quite as much meaning or has such depth,
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stances and you will have faith enough to believe the staggering promise that I now renew: that Isaac shall yet be born to thee in thine old age.” God was anxious that Abraham should know Him as ‘‘The Enough God” and He has the same concern for every discontented, dis satisfied, and despairing soul today. Oh, that every one might be able to sing a chorus familiar to the Salvation Army lassies all over the world! They gather on the street corners in Australia, and this is their testimony in song: “Thou art enough for me, Thou art enough for me, Thou living, loving, mighty God, Yes, Thou art enough for me.” The writer of that chorus has reached the heart of the text. Let us think for a while on “The Enough God." We need to remember that the God of nature is the God of grace. The God of grace is the God of nature. All of nature speaks of the prodigality of God. I was told of a poor old woman who had never seen the ocean until she was taken there by a friend. After she had been a. while on the shore, her friend saw tears streaming down her cheeks, as she looked over the deep. “What do you think of it?” he asked. “ It is the first thing I have ever seen of which there seems to be enough,” was her reply. Some of us who have been on long voyages, after weeks at sea, know something of the enoughness of God’s nature. Have you ever thought what an inconceivably small fraction of the sunshine ever reaches our little world? What do you suppose the fraction is? You would have to divide one millionth part by 273, and then you would find the infinitesimal fraction that comes to this little world of ours. Where does all the rest go? It streams out into space. God certainly is not hard up for sun shine. Oh, men and women, think of the prodigality of the God of nature! * How marvelous is the God before whom we bow, the El Shaddai, “The Enough God” ! But the God of nature is the God of grace, and if the pro visions of nature are abundant, the provisions of grace are equally magnificent He Is Enough for Our Salvation Surely the atoning work of our glorious Redeemer is enough. Do you ever wonder whether the work of Calvary is really adequate to lean upon? Believe me, the God of nature is the God of grace, the God of the open hand who sent His only begotten Son to suffer and to die, and to all eternity, that grace should be our theme. Whatever grace may mean, God has an abundance of it, for He speaks of the “unsearchable riches of His grace.” Learn to say: “Upon a life I did not live, Upon a death I did not die, Another’s life, Another’s death, I stake my whole eternity.” He Is Enough for Our Satisfaction We have recently seen in magazines and newspapers the pathetic pictures revealing the tragedy of long lines of little children, half clothed, almost starving, waiting for hours with little tin cups in their hands to be filled with soup, their daily ration: Every day and every hour getting more emaciated and more starved, they have less of life, are less satisfied physically. There is something more tragic and pathetic than that, for there is something far higher in the human life than the physical. There are millions of souls trying to satisfy the deepest desires of the human soul with the tin cup of weak philosophy, or some man-made useless help for the soul’s life. How can a man with a great heart and an immortal NOVEMBER, 1946
soul find afty satisfaction whatever in the things of this world? He was made for God. He was made for eter nity. Therefore, there is no satisfaction for that im mortal nature outside of a vital, personal experience with God—the God who is enough for our satisfaction. The tragedy of it all is that men have'never discovered the secret that God is their satisfaction, and that there is no other way to get it. The Lord Jesus, the El Shad dai in human flesh, talked to the woman at the well about this. She had tried everything. She had tried some things she certainly ought not to have tried. She had gone the limit to get satisfaction in what this world could give. This woman talked to Him, and He discov ered her secrets and immediately she saw that He was different from other people. What did Jesus tell her? “You are in the world where you are all the time getting thirsty. The more you drink, the more you want, but if you will drink of the water that I will give you, you will never thirst again.” What a message for those of us Christians who are half in the Church and half in the world. I am constantly asked if it is wrong to go to certain places of amusement. Jesus said: “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” Thank God, we will never thirst again if we will drink of the fountain of God’s love. He Is Enough for Our Security The God of nature who binds this earth in its rela tion to the sun so that it swings around its orbit without the variation of an inch of space, or a second of time, is the El Shaddai who binds the saved sinner to Himself. If gravity, the thing that holds this earth to the sun, is wonderful, how much more wonderful and marvelous is grace, the thing that holds us to the heart of God. It is divine favor, it is God’s love and mercy, it is God’s everlasting, eternal love that binds me to the heart of the universe. Blessed be His name! I can never be separated from it, for Jesus said, “No man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand... I and my Father are one.” Does God call you to His holy service? Then He will be your sufficiency, for He has said, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” Did you ever hear that story about the young Scottish preacher who was visiting an old lady who knew her Bible pretty well? I suppose he thought it was his duty to leave a text with her, so he said, before he left the room, “What a lovely promise that is, ‘Lo, I am with you always.’ ” “Hoot, mon,” she replied, “it’s no promise; it’s just a fact.” Oh, brother, it is not “I will be with you.” That would be blessed, but it is more than that. It is “I AM with you”—the declaration of a glorious fact. If we could call the great heroes of faith to give witness, what do you think they would say in regard to the sufficiency of God? “Hudson Taylor, was God enough for you in the midst of the stress of battle, through all the years spent in China?” Can we question what would be his reply? If we could ask David Livingstone, who died on bended knee among the swamps of Bangweulu: “Living stone, amid all the loneliness and labors, your fevers and distresses, was He enough for you?” Surely his tes timony would be, “I found Him to be El Shaddai, the God who is enough.” David Brainerd, the pioneer mis sionary to the North American Indians, would surely give the same testimony. Ah, my friends, there are thousands of people who never read the Bible, but who do read us. Let them see that in all the busy circumstances of life, that you have a God who is sufficient for you, and they will say, “I would that God were my God, the Saviour my Saviour, the Spirit my Guide, and the Book my treasure.” Let us launch out upon the bountifulness of the salvation, satisfaction, security and strength of the El Shaddai. 5
Syrian Potter at his Wheel. Adelbert Bartlett, Photographer. J. G Macaulay Pastor of Wheaton Bible Church.
Jeremiah 18:1-6 S ECOND CHANCE is not a law of nature. There is something inexorable, something irretrievable, about the operation of natural law, which makes one tremble. It is this fact which makes scientists afraid of their own discovery of atomic power. Second chance is not a law of society. A man who once fails will never rise again if society has its way. If he ever does build success on the ashes of his tragedy, he will do so against terrific odds. Society never forgets. Despite all the talk of rehabilitation of criminals, a man with a criminal record starts again under a grave handi cap, however sincere his repentance, however complete his reform. A young man of my acquaintance was employed in a Federal reserve bank, hoping for a banking career. At the time of his marriage, he "borrowed,” without permis sion, a sum of money from the bank, hoping to return it before the tally was taken. Failing to do so, he was charged with embezzlement, found guilty, and committed to the penitentiary. Through the influence of some who knew the sterling qualities of the young man, his sen tence was greatly reduced. But on his release, did the bank reinstate him? Would any bank in the country have him? You know the answer. His banking career was over. He had no second chance. Christian men cared for him and gave him an opportunity which society as such denied him. In the eyes of society "once a criminal, al ways a criminal.” A failure is always a failure. Second chance is the law of grace. We see it at times in individual relationships. Where society will put a per manent stigma on an unfaithful wife, a loving husband will give her a second chanee. Where a bank, because it represents society, will not look at a man who has once
failed, an individual employer will let a chastened de faulter try again. And it is the glory of God to give com plete, hopeless failures a second chance. As the potter w ill take up a piece of clay which has the first time fallen apart in his hands, and remolded it, so God takes up broken lives and'makes them over again. That is the message of this oracle of Jeremiah’s. "The vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make i t ” The lesson was applied first To the nation Israel, but it has equal application to every sin ner, and to every sinning Christian. How God yearned over His people Israel, to make them a glory and a praise in the earth, but they, resisting His hand upon them, became a fouled, marred vessel. "Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.” The Bible is full of the mercy of God, as well as His judgments. Who ever repented and turned to the Lord for mercy, and was refused? "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” is as true in the Old Testament as in the New. It is equally true for Jew and Gentile. To my mind the story of Manasseh, King of Judah, is outstanding as an example of the second chance. For over fifty years, this wicked king multiplied iniquity and abomination in his kingdom, till chastening overtook him. Nevertheless, when he humbled himself before God and sought mercy, the sinner was reclaimed, and restored to the place of privilege, so that he belatedly sought to THE KI NG' S BUSINESS
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reverse his former corruptions, and called his people back to God. In the sphere of the Gentiles, see how God gave that wicked city Nineveh a second chance. Jonah’s pronounce ment of judgment stirred the entire populace, from the king to the beggar, to repentance. They lay before God in sackcloth and ashes, fasting and beseeching His mercy. God saw and heard, and spared the city with its multi tudes of ignorant, untaught people. The mission o f our Lord Jesus to earth was to estab lish the blood-bought right of every man to a second chance. By the Cross of our Lord Jesus, God has com mitted Himself to grant a new start to every sinner who comes in the name of Jesus. When you see Jesus taking hold of Zacchaeus, that despised little tax-collector vfrho had bled the people to build his own fortune, and trans forming him into an honorable, generous man, prepared to make amends fourfold for ail of his oppressions, and to consecrate half of his income to beneficent purposes, you see the remaking of a marred soul. When you see Jesus taking hold of impulsive, impetuous, swearing, un stable Simon, and making him into a rock of a man, capable of strong leadership in the early church, you have a demonstration of the efficacy of the s e c o n d chance. When you go down to the Water Street Mission in New York, or the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, and see wrecks of humanity being lifted by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ until the impact of their trans formed lives is felt throughout the country, you know that God is still in the saving business and still making vessels of honor out of marred clay. You may not have plunged to such depths of iniquity as Manasseh, you may not be guilty of the abominations of the Ninevites, you may not have fallen as low in the social scale as some of the derelicts in our rescue mis sions, but if you feel about yourself as one woman who wrote: "Believe me, I do not like the kind of person I am at all,” then Jesus Christ can make you over again, not only into the kind of person with whom you yourself can live comfortably, but one in His own likeness, well pleas ing to God. I can imagine some discouraged souls saying, “That is all right for folks who can make a go of it, but if I have made a failure not being a Christian, I am afraid I would make a bigger failure of trying to be a Christian, for the Christian standards are away higher than the ordinary standards.” For the sake of those who feel that way, I want to give some words of assurance. First, see how complete is the new start which Christ gives to the sinner who comes to Him. He rids him of the •ncumbrance of the past. No one can make good with the ball and chain of past sins fastened to him. Many a man has gone to the other end of the continent, or to the other side of the globe, in an attempt to get away from his past and try a new beginning. Jesus begins by forgiving all our sins, canceling the whole score, “ blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us.” Not only so, but He starts us in the new life with the advantage of a positive righteousness which is made over to us in His name. Now indeed a man who sets out with a com plete righteousness to his account has the jump a thou sand times over the one who is laden down with all his past sin. In addition, the sinner who comes to Jesus is bom again, “not of blood, nor of the w ill of the flesh, nor of the w ill of man, but of God.” Now just as I was bom of the flesh with a nature bent to sin, so by the new birth I secome possessor of a new nature which abhors sin and turns instinctively to the things of God. While that does lot altogether negate the old, sinful nature, it sets up a nighty opposition to it, an opposition well described by lie Apostle Paul: “ For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, ind the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary lie one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that re would.” NOVEMBER, 1946
PRAYER More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend? For so the whole round earth is every way Bound by gold chains about the feet of God. —Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
That is not the end. God does not give the repentant sinner his pardon and his new nature and send him forth to do the best he can with that. Even at that, the odds against us would be too great. But God Himself Is the fashioner of the new creature. Before, the sinner resisted God; would not allow Him to be the potter. He thought he was fashioning his own life, but actually he was being molded by the sin which he chose. Now "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure,” and “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” “He cannot fail, for He is God; "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with e x c e e d i n g joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.” You can trust the Lord Jesus to do the impossible. Still I hear some Christian say: “That all sounds very wonderful and very simple; but I accepted Christ as my Saviour, and I am not satisfied with my life. I do things that make me hate myself, and I become discouraged at my failures. There are so many habits and dispositions in me that are definitely un-Christlike, and the more I struggle against them, the worse they seem to grow. What am I to do?” First of all, let me say that it is encouraging for you to speak that way. Before you knew the Lord, those tem pers and habits and manners did not trouble you. The fact that you feel bad about them now is evidence that the Holy Spirit is dealing with you. That is part of the great Potter’s work. He must reveal to you the defects, make you earnestly desire their removal, and teach you that rare combination of trust and discipline by which Christian character is fashioned. Next, let me promise you that there is recovery for defeated Christians. The Old Testament saints frequently needed the. mercy of a second chance. God met Jacob at Bethel, offering to fashion him into a prince of God, but Jacob resisted the Potter’s hand, and practiced his own cunning ways with equally cunning Laban, till God took up again the marred vessel of Peniel, and subdued Jacob became Israel. Elijah lay under the juniper tree, a broken, discouraged, marred vessel, but God took him up 7 He cannot fail, He’s pledged His word; He cannot fail, He’ll see you through; He cannot fail, He’ll answer you.”
again and restored him and worked over him until fye was ready for Heaven, by way of the fiery chariot of deathless translation. Peter completely broke dowp, through self-confidence and prayeriessness, till he denied his Lord with oaths and curses; but the Lord began re molding him with a look, then with a personal message, then with a private interview, then with a grilling in the presence of other disciples, till he becomes “ a vessel unto honour, sahctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.” John Mark failed miser ably in his first attempts as an apostolic helper, but the Lord took him in hand and built apostolic stuff into him till Paul, who once rejected him, wrote to Timothy, "Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” What is the reason for the failure, and.what is the cure? The reason so many Christians are defeated is sim ply because they carry over into the Christian life a rem nant of the old idea of running their own affairs. God will forgive their sins, but they must make the best shift they can at living the Christian life. In a vague way, they hope God will help them. That is not the score at all. When we come to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit of God, the Third Person of the Divine Trinity, becomes resident in us. He Is God’s hand to mold us into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is opr responsibility to give the response of complete submis sion to the fashioning hand of God, and trust Him, day by day, hour by hour, to work His good work upon us. Whenever the Holy Spirit brings certain sins to light, you may be sure the time has come to have these dealt with and subdued. Yield to Him in regard to that upon which He lays His finger. Give your full consent to any means which He may apply, obey any demands He may make, and trust Him for the issue. The outcome will not long stand in doubt. He will make yoqr life a c o n s t a n t pageant of triumphs. He will make you more and more Christlike. Michelangelo was having serious disputes with the city fathers of Florence, and they were out to prevent his advancement. He was seeking a piece of marble, and the only allowance they would make him was a block upon which another sculptor had worked and which was spoiled beyond further use. This they gave him, on condition that the work proposed would be the full height of the block. They were sure he could not meet their demands, for the stone was so spoiled that it had not the breadth to match the height. The great artist accepted their challenge. He caught the vision of the youthful David, tall and slight, and started on his precarious task. As the marble wasted, the statue grew, and under the hands of the master the irreparably spoiled work became one of the world’s mas terpieces of sculpture. That life of yours only waits for the hand of the Master, to become “a thing of beauty and a joy for ever.” Only we have a privilege and a responsibility that neither clay nor marble knows. The Master waits for our personal act of submission to His touch of power. He must be given possession, and complete control. Do not be afraid that He will cramp you, and narrow you, and diminish you. He will use all the stature you have, and out of a personality and life spoiled by sin will bring forth, not a dead image of David, t>ut a living likeness of great David’s greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Thou art the Potter, I am the cl^y. Mold me and make me after Thy will, While I am waiting, yielded and still. “Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
I must say a word about the potter’s wheel before closing. “I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.” The divine Potter also has His wheels. All the joys and sorrows, all the successes and failures, all the tasks and conflicts, all the reprov ings and commendings, all the woundings and healings, all the multiplied and varied experiences of life—-these are His wheels, upon which He molds the clay of char acter. Circumstances are a dread and a fear, a veritable monster, to the man who knows not God. They are like a potter’s wheel spinning without the firm hand of the potter to secure the clay. Men strive bravely, but so futilely against these turning wheels, pot understanding, not submitting to the hand that fain would order every revolution to a glorious end. There is little peace, little hope in the stubborn defiance which William Ernest Henley expresses in his poem, Invictus: Yet that is the highest point to which any man can rise tfho does not know God, who has not committed his life to the molding of God’s hand. How different the man whose life is in the divine keeping. What others call “circumstances,” or “ chance,” he recognizes as God’s instruments, the great Potter’s wheels. When times are most difficult, when afflictions multiply, he cries out, not a defiance in the teeth of the storm, but a song of triumph, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did fore know, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.” The wheel, then, js no purposeless thing, no rack to break and bruise and wound, but a necessary implement for realizing the predestined end. If our Lord Himself reached His present glory by the way of suffering, be not surprised if suffering be part of our preparation to share His glory. “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Divine purpose is ordering the spin of the wheel. - Need I remind you that divine wisdom also deter mines the revolutions of the wheels of life? We foolishly imagine that if all things went smoothly with us we should very quickly become like Christ and so reach our goal. But it only requires a little vexation to show up how far we are from the goal. How much would we learn to forgive if we were not sinned a g a i n s t ? How much patience would be exercised without tribulation? The great Potter knows how much of the wheel we need. Let us trust His wisdom. Not only purpose and wisdom, bqt divine love is turning the wheels. Purpose and wisdom might be a cold combination, but when these are teamed up with infinite love, we feel wonderfully safe and sure. Will you look at the foot that is on the treadle, controlling the spin of the wheel? There is a great wound in that foot. It is the wound of Calvary. The foot that is on the treadle walked the way of the Cross for me. There is loye at the controls of my life. Every revolution of the wheel spins me again into the hands of the beloved Potter. Neyer for a moment will He withdraw His hold and allow me to be hurled from the wheel, a mass of broken clay. Look at the hands that hold me: They too are wounded. They are the hands that bore the nails for me. I can trust those hands! *Copyright property Hope Publishing Company, Chicago, III. Used by permission. "In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.”
Hold o’er my being absolute sway! Fill with Thy Spirit till all shall see Christ only, always, living in me!” *
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TH E K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS
We plow the fields, and scatter the good seed on the land. But it is fed and watered by God's aliqighty hand; He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain. The breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain. He only is the Maker of all things near and far. He paints the wayside flower. He lights the evening star; The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed; Much more to us. His children. He gives our daily bread. NOVEMBER, 1946
We thank Thee, then. O Father, for all things bright and good. The seed-time and the harvest, our life, our health, our food; Accept the gifts we offer, for all Thy love imparts. And what Thou, most desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
Words by MATTHIAS CLAUDIUS, Tr. by JANE M. CAMPBELL 9
7 Ç L + J r& u
a n d £ v o lo (ttto t
Edwin Natural Bridge, Utah. Photo by George R. King.
When the critic tells us that the Genesis writing is based on the Babylonian account of creation, we turn to the latter narrative only to find it full of grotesque ab surdities, tainted with the fantastic and puerile fable altogether absent from the divine record. It is true that most nations possessed books which were held to be God- inspired, and which dealt with the principal facts outlined in Genesis. At first, we may be surprised to read certain explanations of the creation of the heavens and the earth, of man and his fall, and of the flood which swept the race of men from off the earth because of widespread sin. It is interesting to note that all nations with a litera ture have fairly complete accounts of a universal flood. The only possible explanation for this is that all of the sacred books of the nations are based upon Genesis, be tween which and its competitors for priority is fixed an immense gulf. Even a very casual and superficial com parison will convince the most skeptical of the Bible’s absolute pre-eminence over all of the writings of men. This is not very surprising. In the history of things, truth always precedes error, and eventually, among peo ples deprived of divine protection and teaching, all sorts of fanciful myths take the place of the original source, or are incorporated along with' it. For instance, the Bible teaches the truth of one God; other literatures are invari ably polytheistic, unless they have come under the influ ence of divine teaching. The critic of the Bible is fond of saying that worship of many gods came first, and then the Hebrews invented for themselves their own special God whom we find described in the Old Testament. Unfortunately for the critic, how ever, the science of archaeology has shown that undoubt edly monotheism preceded polytheism. The great truth spoken by God, at the beginning, that there was one true God, gave way in the hearts of men to the satanic idea of unlimited deities. A ll Oriental cosmologies are tainted with this false teaching, and by the uninformed, this is considered proof that polytheism was the original belief. TH E K I N G ’ S BUS I NE SS
PART I 7 HE EARLY chapters of the first book of the Bible constitute the storm-center around which rages the age-long battle between the doctrine of God’s creation and the theory of evolution. Those who believe ip an animal ancestry for mankind usually adopt a patronizing attitude toward the Biblical account of the origin of the race. We are informed that the record is not to be taken literally and is, In no sense, accounted historical or scientific. It is said that God—if we attribute this writing to Him—used myth and allegory to explain to us in general terms something about His power and might. He, of cours^, they affirm, is try ing to get across to humanity, truth; but, because of the mental limitations of those in the early days for whom this was written, they claim that lie was compelled to use a glorified fairy tale which would be more likely to find a response in their very immature minds! This view, obviously, suggest» an intimate knowledge of God’s mind and plan on the part of the evolutionists, and if one desired to be sarcastic, }t would be easy to raise some embarrassing questions at this point. Those who deny the literal meaning of these chapters must, I insist, offer something more convincing than their personal opin ion of the matter. Unless and until credible evidence to the contrary Is presented, we are justified in accepting at its face value the remarkable account of the creation in the Word of God. Especially is this the case, since all attacks from whatever source, since the beginning, have fallen harmlessly on this impregnable citadel of truth- As we read the few short verges in chapters one and two of Genesis, we stand amazed at the brevity, concise ness and comprehensiveness of the revelation; we marvel at the simplicity of the language so easily comprehended and covering so adequately, and with scientific precision and exactitude, the various point» under discussion. 10
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