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BUSINESS
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Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W. Orr, D.D.
Editor in Chief
Associate Editor
Copyright, I960, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may he reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. Vol. 41 December, 1950 No. 12 CHRISTMAS NUMBER Editorially Speaking ............................................................................. 4 Dr. Talbot’s Question B o x ................................................................... 6 Christ’s Own Christmas Message, Donald Grey Bamhouse .............. 7 Christmas Matin Hymn, Poem, C. I. B la ck ........................................ 8 When God Visited Earth, Edward B. Hart ......................................... 9 Even Unto Bethlehem, Marshall Shallis ............................................. 11 The Nations Marshalling for Armageddon, Louis S. Bauman ........ 13 The Baby’s Face, Bartlett L. H e s s ....................................................... 16 The Bible in the News, Wm. W. O r r .................................... .......... 18 Biola Family C ir cle ................................................................................ 20 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker: Reggie’s Christmas Gift, Emily J. Alexander ............................................... 21 Miscellanea .............................................................................................. 22 Biola Faculty Increased ......................................................................... 31 Another Forward Step, S. H. Sutherland .......................................... 31 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. W ilson ........................................... 33 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison Arrowood ............ 38 Object Lessons, Elmer L. W ilder ....................................... Picture Credits: Cover, Philip Gendreau, New York City, N.Y.; p. 7, American Engraving & Electrotype Co., Los Angeles, Calif.; p. 9, Gedge Harmon, Moores Hill, Ind.; p. 11, Matson Photo Service, Glen dale, Calif. ; p. 12, Philip Gendreau, New York City, N. Y. ; p. 13, Key stone Pictures, Inc., New York City, N. Y. ; pp. 14, 15, Department of Defense, Washington, D. C. ; p. 16, Kenneth Esselstrom, La Crescenta, Calif.; p. 21, Adeline Gordon, Los Angeles, Calif.; pp. 37, 41, Eva Luoma, Weirton, W. Va. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION—“ The King’s Business” is published monthly; $2.00, one year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 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 snow plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING—For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, California. MANUSCRIPTS—“ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, Cali fornia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, California.
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He made the fields, and yet He lay In human weakness on the hay.
The skies He formed, but by its light A single star led kings aright.
The trees all grew by His decree But one bore Him on Calvary.
Thou who didst use such humble things, Take my poor heart, O King of kingsl — B. B.
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, 1950
D E C E M B E R
in the language of the people by Dr. Charles B. Williams, former Dean of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Williams’ work is given high endorsement by J. R. Mantey of the Northern Baptist Theological Semi nary, Chicago, 111., who states: . . . “We became convinced that Williams’ translation, considering all the fac tors, is the most accurate and illumi nating translation in the English lan- quage. Having this conviction, I have no hesitancy in commending it to all who desire to penetrate into the depths of the riches of the glorious revelation in the New Testament.” Without making an exception of the entire translation, we were immedi ately struck by the force of Williams’ translation of Matthew 16:17-19: “ Then Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for it is not man that made this known to you, but my Father in heaven. And I, yes I, tell you, your name from now on is to be Peter, Rock, and on a mas sive rock like you I will build my church, and the powers of the under world shall never overthrow it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you forbid on earth must be what is already for bidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth must be what is al ready permitted in heaven.’ ” This adds real illumination to the meaning of the perfect passive par ticiple which, while difficult to trans late, contains the kernels of truth nec essary for the understanding of this passage. Another confessedly difficult pas sage is that of First John 3:8,9 which Dr. Williams translates by use of the present of habitual action. “ Everyone who commits sin commits lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared to take our sins away, and that there is no sin in Him. No one who continues to live in union with Him practices sin. No one who practices sin has ever seen Him or come to know Him. Dear children, avoid letting anyone lead you astray. Whoever practices doing right is up right, just as He is upright. Whoever practices sin belongs to the devil, be cause the devil has practiced sin from the beginning. This is why the Son of God appeared, to undo the devil’s works.” Dr. Williams’ translation is pub lished by the Moody Press in regu lation book form with large type and 575 pages. By all indications this should be a real addition for the Bible student’s library. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
that it was the pre-incarnate Word that became flesh. This One who, in the beginning, was face to face with God; this One of whom it is clearly said, both in a positive and negative way, that “ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Some have wondered why, in John’s powerful Gospel, the story of the birth of Christ should be omitted. Surely, they have argued, with the beloved John becoming the foster son of Mary, the mother of Christ, he would be in possession of a vast amount of mate rial relating to the mysterious yet beautiful events surrounding the birth of Christ. But we must understand that John wrote not according to his natural inclination, but under the di rection of the Holy Spirit. Apparently He ordained that the Gospel which was to come from John’s pen should place its emphasis upon the perfect deity and sovereignty of God’s Son rather than on the less important, if that could be, details of the physical birth. So John takes his pen and with masterful sweeps declares that the Word, God’s Word, God who is the Word, was made flesh, or became flesh, not in the sense of an ordinary com ing into the world but by His own choice of assuming, by His innate power, a place in humanity. All of this was attested to by the fact of His being full of grace and truth and by many witnesses who beheld His glory. May it be the joy of Christians at this gladsome season to obtain a full- orbed view of the magnificence of Christ who was, and is, and is to come. A New Translation T ODAY seems to be the day of many new translations of the Word of God. Some of these have come from the pens of conservative scholars. One of the latest to appear is a translation of the New Testament
He Became Flesh B OTH the Gospel of Matthew and that of Luke give many tender and wonderful details of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew tells of the visit of the wise men and Luke speaks of the coming of the shepherds. Both furnish strong evidence to the fact of the virgin birth. On the other hand, the Gospel by John sets forth the great truths of the incarnation in a single verse: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only be gotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” This verse is a tremendous one, linking the truth of what has gone before, namely, the pre-incarnate life of the Son of God with what is to follow after, His earthly life and ministry. But there is real need for Christian people to look as it were both ways, when considering the birth of Christ. A great deal of attention is naturally focused on the incidents of the birth itself. These are a bless ing and a satisfaction to the earnest seeking soul of any worshiper. In addition, of course, emphasis is laid upon the man Christ Jesus, His mir acles, His deeds, His teaching, His death, His resurrection and ascension. What needs to be understood in or der to complete the picture is a look back into the eternal past and an understanding of the fact that the birth of Christ was the taking on of fleshly humanity by a great Personage who not only had lived throughout the past eternities but, being God, the Second Person o f the Godhead, never had a beginning. Quite in line with the intention of the Apostle John to present Jesus of Nazareth as King is this verse which links the Babe of Bethlehem to the magnificence of the Logos of God. No one will ever have a true picture of the Prophet of Galilee, nor the Man of Calvary until he sees quite clearly faga Four
must be perdition. It is hardly necessary to point out that this idea has no basis whatever in Scripture. Rather than one judgment, the Scrip tures set forth no less than seven, each one with different issues, principles and destinies. These include the judg ment of the believer which was placed on Christ at the time of His death on Calvary; the self-judgment of the be liever’s .life which should be going on daily; the judgment of the believer’s works at the Judgment Seat of Christ, following the Rapture; the judgment of the nations at the Second Coming of Christ; the judgment of the Jew ish nations concerning their fitness to enter the Kingdom; the judgment of the fallen angels set forth in Jude 6; and finally, the Great White Throne Judgment. Some of the questions have been occasioned by failure to understand that the Great White Throne Judg ment of Revelation 20 is to include only the wicked dead. These unsaved dead are to stand before God, not for adjudication of their works, but rather to receive their sentence. The wicked dead, at the instant of death, go into a place which is called in the Hebrew, Sheol and in the Greek, Hades. This is a place of punishment and torment, but not the final place of anguish. Rather, it corresponds somewhat to the lake of fire as a city jail would to a Federal penitentiary. As far as can be determined, no one leaves the Great White Throne Judgment to inherit life, but all are sentenced to eternal death. This death does not mean an nihilation, but rather, the conscious exclusion of the soul from light, life, love, and even from fellow-prisoners. It has been suggested that the sub ject of the judgments is one that should be more earnestly stressed by the teacher and from the pulpit be cause of the natural tendency of men to put off consideration of that very day. Perhaps with more preaching on the judgments there would be the de lightful result of men and women turning to Christ and finding in Him a perfect refuge from all judgment. Bible Feast T HIS coming January 14th to 21st will bring another feast of good things from the Word of God in our Sixteenth Annual Torrey Memorial Bible Conference sponsored by. the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and held in the auditorium of the Church of the Open Door. The theme of this year’s Conference will be, “ Behold, I come quickly.” Speakers will include: Dr. Louis
S. Bauman, Pastor First Brethren Church, Washington, D. C.; Dr. Paul R. Bauman of Grace Theological Sem inary, Winona Lake, Indiana; Dr. E. B. Jones, Religion Analysis Serv ice Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minne sota ; Dr. Harry Rimmer, Los Angeles, California; Dr. Paul S. Rees, Pastor, First Covenant Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dr. John F. Walvoord, Dañas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas. In addition to the services held at the Church of the Open Door, there will also be sessions of the Conference in the Lincoln Avenue Presbyterian Church, Pasadena; First Brethren Church, Long Beach, Dr. Charles W. Mayes, Pastor; and the First Baptist Church, Montebello, Dr. Woodrow Rood, Pastor. Descriptive folder listing the meet ings and subjects will be gladly mailed upon request. Signs in Heaven T HE Word of God predicted long ago that the coming of Christ would be preceded by stellar and at mospheric phenomena along with other signs relating to the Lord’s return such as the increase o f iniquity and the return of the Jews to their home land. The matter of the flying saucers, which has been both believed and ridiculed, still mystifies many. Reports of other stellar mysteries continue to infiltrate the press. For instance, a brilliant blue meteor is supposed to have zoomed its way across an eve ning Dixie sky, vanishing in Ken tucky. Then again, British scientists ad mit, in an Associated Press dispatch, that they are quite plainly puzzled by mysterious radio signals that come from outer space. One scientist admits that the problem is mystifying be cause the signals are received from a part of the sky where no large bodies are known to be. We may safely predict, on the au thority of the Word of God, that if this is God’s time for the return of His Son, increasing stellar activity will be seen. All of these signs may have a satisfactory explanation by the scientists, but this will not detract from the fact that these signs are a part of God’s warning to the world that an event of outstanding impor tance is impending. Let Christians take courage, however, for every ad ditional sign shortens the time be tween the perilous days in which we live and the catching away of God’s own to be with Him forever and for ever.
Five Years After AT the time of this writing, the / l f i f t h anniversary of the birth of the United Nations has just been ob served. On October 24, 1945, in the city of San Francisco, the charter was signed by interested nations and over the years, while there has been some blundering and some ineffectivness, there has been some concrete action and at least one demonstration of the solidarity of the member nations. How long such union can be preserved, the world statesmen hesitate to venture. Yet, if this be the time referred to in Scripture, we may confidently expect to see three things. One, the withdrawal of the Russian nations along with their satellites, to form a world group of its own, per haps including communist China, com munist India, and possibly communist Japan. Second, the strengthening of the bonds of union by the remaining mem bers of the United Nations, hastened and encouraged by the threat of the new Russian group. Third, the sudden emergence of two world figures on the respective stages of these two confederacies. On the Russian stage it will be a person who will be in every sense a complete dic tator; on the stage of the western nations, a man with unusual wisdom, political sagacity and unlimited ambi tion. This sinister figure, by a few bold strokes, will captivate the imag ination of the world and with political moves dictated by what some will call superhuman wisdom, he will swiftly bring the world to his feet. What remains ere these things can transpire? Only one great event and that is the return of Christ to the air for those who are His and the trans lation and transformation of the saints to be with Christ. With this accom plished, the entire chain of events must swiftly pass in review. These are great days in which to be living if you are a child of God. How Many Judgments? O NE of the most unscriptural no tions in the mind of the average man or woman concerns the matter of future judgment. It is presumed that if a poll were taken of general thoughts on this subject, by far the greatest majority would set forth something like this: At the end of time all men will stand before God who will open the books o f their lives, weighing carefully their evil deeds against their good works. If the good outweighs the evil, the destiny will be Heaven. If, on the other hand, the evil over-balances the good, their fate
Books which the Protestants do not con sider inspired by God, and therefore do not include in their Bible. The Catholic Bible was translated into English from the Latin Vulgate, a ver sion which greatly influenced Biblical translation for about 1,000 years. The Latin Vulgate was also one of the main sources of the King James Version which we still use today. The Catholic Bible is, in the main, much like our own Prot estant translations, varying only in dif ferent words used by the translators to convey the same meaning. It is -called the Douay Version because it was pub lished in France in 1609. When it comes to a matter of interpre tation of the Scriptures, there is a real difference between Catholics and Protes tants on certain fundamental issues. For instance, the word repent in our Protes tant Bible is sometimes' translated da penance in the Catholic Bible, However, the great doctrine of justification by faith is set forth in the Douay Version. If Catholics would only read their own Bible, they would see the" fallacy of the teaching of this system concerning sal vation through penance, ordinances and the mass. They would also see the Nm- ,scriptural interpretation of a host of other things that belong to Roman Ca tholicism. I always recommend to Roman Catho lics that (¿hey read Paul’s Epistle to the Romans in their own Bible. Many Cath-'' olics have come to a knowledge of the truth of justification by faith through a reading of this epistle in the Douay Version. ’ - At least two thoughts have been sug gested: (1) That this was the occasion of His public anointing by the Holy Spirit in His earthly ministry •—thus proving to all the world that He was “the beloved Son of the Father” in Heaven; and (2) that in this act He identified Himself with sinners, in or der to fulfill “all righteousness.” The Jordan River represents death, and His going down into it was a pic ture of His approaching sacrifice on the cross. Our Lord came into the world to die on behalf of sinners. Here at the beginning of His ministry He identified Himself with sinners who were being baptized by John; and by so doing, He foreshadowed the purpose of His com ing into the world. At Calvary He went into death on behalf of transgressors. He “who knew no sin” was made “sin for us.” It was at the cross that all righteousness was fulfilled. Christ’s bap tism was a picture of all this. It is noteworthy that in this event we have the Father’s voice from Heaven, the presence of the Son in His human body, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, descending “as a dove” upon the sinless Son of God. Here we have a beautiful lesson in the doctrine of the Trinity. Since Christ was sinless, why was He baptized?
Dr. L. T. Talbot ject to Joseph and Mary. He ate, slept, grew in wisdom and stature. We must remember that He became Man in order to die for sinners. God cannot die; but He devised a plan by which He could be, at the same time, both God and Man; and as the Son of Man, He died that sinners might live. (Read Heb. 2:14-18; 4:15.) This is our gospel message— that the Lord suffered, was tempted in all points like as we are, sin apart— He was not tempted to sin, because He was holy! But because He knew hunger and thirst and weariness- and loneliness; because He suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted. He is our sympathizing Saviour. Moreover, when He became .flesh, He laid aside His glory—not His deity. He became subject to His Father’s will—as a Man. It is a great mystery, the mys tery of godliness, that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto him self.” And what we cannot explain about the Incarnation, we leave to faith! (Read Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:14-19; 1 Tim. 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:19; John 1:1-14.) Will you please explain what is meant in Philippians 2:5-8, where we read: “Being in the form of God,” and that He “ took upon him the form of a serv ant” ? According to these texts, what was changed? Only the form. Before the In carnation He was in the form of God, but at the Incarnation He was in the form of a servant. The form, and not the personality, was changed. He was ever the eternal Son. In John 8:24 our Lord said to the Jews, “ If ye believe not that I am, [not ‘I am he’ ; for the word he is in italics in our English translation, and is therefore not in the original Greek]— if ye believe not that I am, ye shall die in your sins.” The name “I AM” was the one God gave to Moses from the burning bush, and presents God as the self-existent One. Our Lord Jesus, in taking that name, declares in unmistak able language that He and the “I AM” of the Old Testament are the same. What is the difference between the Catholic and the Protestant Bibles? The main difference is that the Cath olic Bible includes certain Apocryphal
How do you explain certain discrep ancies in the Bible? There are no discrepancies, even though man has sought to make it ap pear so. Or should I say Satan has sought to make it appear so? Once we remember that “the natural man [the unregenerated man] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:14), we have the solution to many so-called discrepancies, that are not dis crepancies at all. It is not in man to understand spiritual things; he must be taught by the Spirit of God. And the unregenerate man has not the Spirit of God. There may be faulty translations of certain words, such as world in Matthew 28:20, which should be rendered age: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end [consummation] of the age.” But such translations are of little con sequence, in so far as they touch the matter of sin, salvation, and eternal issues. Moreover, once the Spirit-taught man analyzes these passages cited by skepti cal men, he always finds that apparent variations are explained in a most plau sible way. Only man’s ignorance of what the Bible says; his repetition of hear say; and his sin-darkened mind can ac count for what man may call a discrep ancy. God does not make mistakes! And He has seen to it that His Word is inerrant! How would you explain the statement in Luke 2:52, that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” ? Luke is emphasizing the real humanity of Christ. There was a cult in the be ginning of the Christian era which de nied the reality of His human body. The exponents of this cult claimed that Jesus did not have a human body at all, and that His body was a phantom, a creation of mortal mind. This is the teaching of certain present day cults, such as Chris tian Science. The humanity of Christ is emphasized by Luke because the Spirit of God foresaw that at the end of the age there would be a denial of His hu manity, as there would be also of His deity. Accordingly, Luke tells us that Jesus developed as other boys did. He was sub-
HH O w n O liriá tm ció 1ÍÍ/ ] í eáóaae Donald Grey Barnhouse*
O H, the delights of living in a . household where a baby is learning to talk! What music there is' in all that little prattling! How the fond parents and the older children hang on the sounds that are made, imitating them, correcting them, seeking to guide the learning tongue and' impress the growing mind. The baby Jesus was born into the world nineteen centuries ago. He was different from any other baby that has ever been born before or since th#t' day. All other children, born of human father and mother, have had nothing more than the nor mal development of a child of the human race. This baby Jesus had that and more. He had the nature of mankind, yet ’ not the fallen nature of sin. He was and He was not like other men. So He was and He was not like other babies. . ih e Bible tells us that “ Jesus in creased in wisdom and- in stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). So we may conclude
subject of the incarnation of our Lord which is to be found outside of the four Gospels. Throughout the Old Testament there are prophecies which apply to His coming to earth, and in the epistles there are statements made concerning the pur pose of His coming.
that those infant lips learned the human speech of His mother. But on the other hand, we must never forget that this baby was “ the Lord from heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47). At the moment that He was super- naturally conceived in the womb of the virgin, He was none other than the Second Person of the Godhead, the Lord Jehovah of Hosts. It is, of course, utterly wrong to call Mary the mother of God. She had nothing to do with His Godhead, although she is honored among all women and de serves the highest thought and re spect from every Christian heart. It was her privilege to feed that grow ing body which lay under her heart, and her very lifeblood ran through His veins, but she was not the mother of His Godhead. She called Him her own personal Saviour from sin. “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Sav iour” (Luke 1:46, 47). Each year we read through the Christmas story and forget, at times, that there is much material on the
It is in the epistle to the Hebrews that we find recorded a tremendous event that took place at the time of the incarnation. We find the record of one of those great conversations between the Father and the Son. There are many of them to be found through out the Bible, these dialogues of God; but this one in the tenth chapter of Hebrews is of particular interest to us at this Christmas time because it records the words that the Lord Je sus Christ spoke to the Father at the time of His entrance into the world. Whether the words were spo ken at the moment when the Holy Spirit overshadowed the virgin and created that supernatural life within her, or whether these words were spoken on the day when Mary brought * Pastor of the Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pa.
"And . . . came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth."
Page Seven
D E C E M B E R , 1 95 0
perform a work in the world of ideas that the Lord of glory came forth from Heaven to take up His abode in the virgin’s womb. It was in order that He might have a body that could be pierced with a spear, hands and feet that could be nailed to the cross, a brow that might be crowned with thorns. This was the reason why there had to be a definite, physical incar nation. And the necessity of His death constitutes the third point in His Christmas teaching. He announces that the preparation of His body was in definite contrast to those bodies of animals which God had prescribed for sacrifice under the former covenant. This is to be seen in the use of the word but which separates the two thoughts. “ Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.” For Christ looked back over the years, saw all of the worship in the temple and ' tabernacle, heard every dying moan of lamb or goat or bul lock, and said to the Father, “ Sacri fice and offering thou wouldest not.” And lest there be any misunderstand ing, the thought was restated with added emphasis, “ In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.” There is no room for discussion; God did not like the of ferings that were slain upon the al tars of Israel. Yet, mark well, there is not the slightest suggestion that God had not commanded these very offerings in which He had no pleasure. He says so in no uncertain terms. In the tenth of Hebrews we read, “ It is not pos sible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” “Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain, Could give the guilty conscience peace, Or wash away the stain.” Why then, did God command them? The whole context of our Lord’s mes sage to the Father assumes that the Old Testament offerings were indeed commanded by God. The reason given is that men had to be taught the sinfulness of sin; and required some object lesson that could teach them the holiness of God; remind them that He hated sin, that sin was more repugnant, even, than the horror of the spilled blood. If, indeed, we are disgusted with the sight of the blood sacrifice, God must turn away, with infinitely greater horror, from the stench of our unclean hearts. Even “ our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” in His sight (Isa 64:6). Every (Continued on Page 28) T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
decreed and promised in the eternal councils of the Godhead was now come to pass. What joy it must have been to the Lord Jesus Christ to know that the first step was taken on the actual road to redemption! And this is the Scripture passage which contains Christ’s own Christ mas message. “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the vol ume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, 0 God’’ (Heb 10:5-7). To this the Holy Spirit adds in the record, “When he said, Sacrifice and offering . . . for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein ; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, 0 God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all” (Heb. 10:8-10). It is our studied opinion that if those six verses were thoroughly un derstood. there could be no difficulties within the heart of Christendom. If the Christmas message of the Lord Jesus Christ were properly under stood, there could be no such thing as the differences which lie between Catholicism and Protestantism. Such a work as that of Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy would not exist. There would be no such a thing as Unitarianism. Jewry would have lost all raison d’etre. In fact, the whole of the great Christian message is contained in this statement which the Lord Jesus Christ made upon coming into this world in such a way that, were it understood and believed, Christians would be at one on the underlying facts of the Person and work of our Lord. First of a’l. this passage teaches the pre-existence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unless He had existed eter nally as the Second Person of the Godhead. He con’d not thus have spoken when He came into the world. This word is, then, another great claim to deity. Secondly, we find the definite teach ing of a material incarnation. When He came into the world He said, “ A body hast thou prepared me.” It is necessary to emphasize this fact to day. There are those who deny the fact that Jesus Christ had a mate rial body. To this Jesus Christ re sponds categorically, “ A body hast thou prepared me.” It was not to
Cïjrtsitmag Jfflatm Upmn
By C . I. Black ♦ t WAS in the morning cold, when earth Was desolate and wild, That angels welcomed at His birth The everlasting Child. From realms of ever-brightening day And from His throne above He came, with humankind to stay All lowliness and love. T HEN in the manger the poor beast Was present with his Lord; Then swains and pilgrims from the east Saw, wondered, and adored. And I this morn would come with them This blessed sight to see And to the Babe of Bethlehem Bend low the reverent knee. B UT I have not— it makes me sigh— One offering in my power; 'Tis winter all with me, and I Have neither fruit nor flower. O God, O Saviour, let me give My worthless self to Thee; And that the years which I may live May pure and spotless be; G RANT me Thyself, O Saviour kind, Thy Spirit undefiled, That I may be in heart and mind As gentle as a child; That I may tread life's arduous ways, As Thou Thyself hast trod, And in the might of prayer and praise Keep ever close to God. forth her first-born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, laying Him in the manger, we do not know, and we cannot know. But the fact remains that the divine record states definitely that these words were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ at the time of His entry into the world. The baby lips were undoubtedly still, but within His be ing there was the eternal Son who exulted with glory and praise that at last the long-awaited day of re demption was beginning to run its actual course. That which had been
Page Eight
When God
Visited Earth
Edward B. Hart, D.D.
Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, Pasadena, California
A S we approach this Christmas season, I invite you to consider with me the Virgin Birth o f Christ. To some it may seem proper for discussion only in a seminary classroom. Yet the average man on life’s highway who thinks of Bethlehem with any sort of serious contempla tion is asking: Is it necessary to believe the Virgin Birth of Christ to be;a Christian? In other words: Can we take belief in the Virgin Birth of Christ out of Christian teaching and faith, and keep Christianity intact? Does it matter whether Christ was, in fact, “ God with us,” or only the best man who ever lived? Is there any essential difference for us whether Christ is the most “ godlike” man, or actually, “God mani fest in the flesh” ? If Christ is truly God, then He can do for us what only God can do. If He is only man, then He can do for us only what the best man can do. If Christ was begotten of a natural father, he is a natural human being, and not God. If He is not God, He cannot forgive our sins. Christ’s claim to authority to forgive sins was met by skeptics of His day with the pointed question, “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” (Mark 2 :7 ). Do we question today Christ’s power to forgive sins? If Christ was only a natural human being, He is not the Second Person of the Trinity, as the New Testament so often affirms, and there is no Trinity. If there be no Trinity, we have only Unitarianism with its sterile record of lifeless intellectualism, with no missionary passion, no rescue missions to lift from the dregs of life the human derelicts o f sin, with no power to set the prisoner free. We have only Christ’s “way of life” for our imitation. I F we try to explain the Virgin Birth of Christ as Roman Catholics do by postulating an Immaculate Conception in which Mary is Seclared to be sinless, we assume the real miracle of the Virgin Birth by presupposing another mir acle, the sinlessness of Mary. The decree of Pope Piux IX, in 1854, affirming the Immaculate Conception, opened the way for the worship of Mary. Her sinlessness, only by papal decree, has earned for her the title “ mother of God” and entitled her to worship. Mariolatry is not warranted by the New Testament record. Mary made no such claim to sinlessness, but declared, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46, 47). We underscore her words my Saviour as indicating her own acknowledged need of salvation.
If we deny the fact of the Virgin Birth of Christ, how shall we explain the unique life of Christ—without parallel in all human experience? Can we account for it on any natural basis? This may seem to be “ begging the ques tion” but it is far from it. We are faced with the facts of His sinless life, the manifestation of divine power in His miraculous works, and with the supreme credential of His resurrection from the dead. His life after death requires, nay demands, adequate cause and explanation no less than His life before death. The only rational way to delete the Virgin Birth of Christ is to discard all evidences of the supernatural in Christ. These evidences are, in toto, either fable or fact. The supernatural events in the complete life of Christ stand or fall together. We cannot retain some of the evidences of the supernatural in Christ, and reject other proofs. B EFORE examining the evidence of the New Testa ment, let us face a very practical question: Is it necessary to believe in the Virgin Birth of Christ to be a Christian? The answer, we believe, is twofold. Many peo ple, adults as well as children, receive Christ as their per sonal Saviour without knowing anything of the problems involved in the Virgin Birth of Christ. They believe Him to be the Son of God, the Saviour, and personally trust Him for their salvation from the guilt of sin. In this faith- experience is involved the trustworthiness of both Christ and the Scriptures. There is a foundation beneath such faith unto salvation of which many believers are often unaware. It is quite another matter, however, when the facts underlying the Virgin Birth are deliberately denied. It is my thesis that one who knowingly rejects the New Testa ment evidence of the Virgin Birth o f Christ cannot trust himself to Christ for salvation; he cannot savingly trust. The' liberalism of our day i& of so many varied shades and classifications of unbelief that it is difficult to identify each variety, but the direction o f liberalism is unquestion ably toward denial of all the supernatural elements of Christianity. One fatal weakness in “ religion” today is that it offers to sin-bound humanity a Christ of little or no divine power. There is actually nothing to trust if Christ be naturally born, if He is only the best person or the most “ godlike” man who ever lived. Divest Christ, in your thinking, of the supernatural credentials with which He came into the stream of life, and you aré bound to offer Him only as a martyr to the world. You cannot Page Nine
offer Him to sinful men as Saviour! He can be your greatest example o f manhood, or character, but the motive power for righteousness under such teaching must stem from within human nature itself. How great the contrast between the Jesus proclaimed by liberalism and the Christ whom Paul preached! He wrote: “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of a.ngels, preached unto Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). It does matter whether your Christ is the figment of modern thought or the Christ of the New Testament! Take your choice! L ET u s weigh some of the evidence for belief in the j literal Virgin Birth of Christ. We will bring the witnesses, one by one, before the bar o f human judgment and conscience, and let them give their testimony. Our first witness is Moses who wrote his record a mil lennium and a half before the star hung over Bethlehem’s manger and the angels of God expressed their hallelujahs of praise on the plains of Bethlehem. Moses records the promise given to the original ethnic pair from whom have come all the races of mankind: “ I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed” (Genesis 3:15). This wee phrase, her seed, suggests a birth contrary to natural laws of biogenesis. Moses claimed to be a prophet of God. Christ, in His time, referred to Moses as a great prophet, and declared that Moses fore told Christ’s coming into the world: “ Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of [for] me” (John 5:46 cp. Deut. 18:15). How did Moses know that the Promised One was to come into the world in an unusual manner? Did God whisper that truth to him? Our next witness, David, King of Israel, lived a thou sand years before Christ. In one of the Psalms, David wrote, “ Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me” (Heb. 10:5 cp. Psa. 40:6). Old Testament sacrifices were inadequate, David affirmed, and then foretold divine activity in the preparation of a body for Him who was to become the perfect sacrifice for sin. If Christ were to come into the world by the natural laws of generation, why should David the prophet so speak? Why should the writer of the Hebrews epistle call attention to this important fulfillment of Old Testa ment prophecy concerning the body of Christ? The only reasonable explanation is that something out of the natural order was predicted concerning the body of Christ. We call yet another witness, Isaiah the prophet. In the eighth century before Christ, he wrote, “ the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). Careful study of this passage indicates that the sign was to be given not only to Ahaz, the then reigning king of Israel, but to Israel as a nation for all time. The word translated virgin is alma which some affirm is descrip tive merely of a young woman of marriageable age. Hebrew scholars tell us that this word alma is used in six other places in the Old Testament: Genesis 24:32, Exodus 2:8, Psalm 68:26, Proverbs 13:19, Song of Solomon 1:3, and 6:8. In the first passage it is very evidently used to refer to an unmarried virgin. Another word bethulah, which many translate virgin is used in Joel 1:8 to describe a bride weeping for her husband. Further, Matthew refers to this particular prophecy of Isaiah, in which the word alma is used, and writes: “all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken o f the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:22, 23). Mat thew understood Isaiah to mean virgin in the sense of un- Page Ten
married, not a young woman of marriageable age or pos sibly married. Matthew further indicates this with the word, “ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise” (Matt. 1:18). Isaiah’s testimony is convincing in its clarity. Yet one more witness of Old Testament times waits to be heard. It is Jeremiah, the prophet, who wrote, “ The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man” (Jer. 31:22). Words could not be more plain. Jeremiah was confessedly not speaking o f birth by natural laws, but of something new, something fresh from the hands of the Creator. We must therefore add the testimony of Jeremiah to the accumulating evidence that Scripture declares Christ was virgin-born. Our first New Testament witness is Matthew, whose corroboration of Isaiah’s prophecy has already been con sidered. He takes the witness stand as a man out of the business world who became a disciple of Christ. In four clear statements he declares the Virgin Birth of Christ: “now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise” (Matt. 1 :18 ); “when as his mother Mary was espoused [engaged] to Joseph” (Matt. 1 :18 ); “ before they came together, she was found with child” (Matt. 1 :18 ); “ this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child” (Matt. 1:22, 23). Matthew makes clear the distinction between betrothal and marriage under Jewish customs. Of this, Edersheim says, “ From that moment (betrothal) Mary was the be trothed wife o f Joseph; their relationship as sacred as if they had already been wedded. Any breach of it would be treated as adultery; nor could the bond be dissolved except, as after marriage, by regular divorce. Yet months might intervene between the betrothal and marriage” (Life and Times of the Messiah, Vol. I, page 150). Matthew states that before the actual marriage had been consummated, Mary was with child. We face only two alternatives: either Mary’s child was illegitimate, or virgin-born! Which do Christians believe? The testimony of a physician is always o f importance in a case such as this. Dr. Luke, the Gentile physician, has given us a very carefully detailed account o f the evidences surrounding the Virgin Birth of Christ. In five statements, he summarizes his testimony: in “ a declaration o f those things most surely believed among us” (1 :1 ); delivered “ unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses” (1 :2 ); “ having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first” (1 :3 ); “ that thou mightest know the certainty of those things” (1 :4 ). The fifth and final statement by Dr. Luke contains six historical facts which have been tested for accuracy: “ in the days of Herod” (1 :5 ); “king of Judaea” ; “ a certain priest named Zacharias” (1 :5 ); “ of the course of Abia” (1 :5 ); “ there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed” (2 :1 ); “ and this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria” (2 :2 ). Dr. Luke testifies out of personal association with the facts concerning the life of Christ, and refers further to secular and religious records to pinpoint the Lime of Christ’s birth on the chart of time. This is not the method of one who is dealing in myths! Physicians have a way of learning facts. And Dr. Luke frankly affirms the Virgin Birth of Christ in the most carefully detailed account in the New Testament. See Luke 1:25-35. At this point, we are interested in the objection so often heard today that if the Virgin Birth of Christ were factual, (Continued on Page 27) T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
angel—but God Himself disguised in human form, has stepped into this world! “ The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” How glad we are that He did not forget to bring His testimonials from the heavenly country! By His virgin birth long foretold and literally fulfilled to the last detail; His stainless life; His miracles which even His worst con temporary enemies could not deny; His everlasting words, which, in spite of criticism, satire, burning and ban ning, abide for ever; His atoning death, the innocent for the guilty; and, above all this, His mighty resur rection, so well proven that not even the devil himself can disprove it—all show without the faintest shadow of doubt, the importance of Christmas, that Christ is none other than the Son of God. It is the fact that God was in Christ (2 Cor. 5:19) that makes Christmas so important in the first place. In the second place, the cause for which Christ came denotes the impor tance of Christmas. “ God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.” This affects you and me. God sent His Son to us that we might re ceive Him and be reconciled to Him. Our whole being is affected by Christ mas. If we believe and receive the Saviour whom God has sent, we shall be saved from our sins here and now, and spend the long years of eternity in Heaven with Christ and with those of our loved ones who have the same glorious, precious faith. If we neglect, disbelieve, refuse, ignore the Saviour God has sent, we shall remain lost, and that forever. It is bad enough to see some one who has lost an arm or leg; to meet those who have lost home, money, or loved ones, in the time of war, poverty or sickness; to behold in an asylum those whose minds are gone. What then must it be to look into hell, the prison for those who have lost their souls? Oh, the impor tance of Christmas for you and me? Be sure you receive the Saviour this day. The Challenge of Christmas I ET me ask you a simple question: j Have you been in spirit to Bethle hem to gaze upon your Saviour? The shepherds came to Jesus as soon as they knew He was there. They came with haste. How long, friend, have you known about Jesus without com ing for yourself ? I don’t mean attend ance at church or chapel. I mean, sin cerely, simply and speedily, coming to Christ to accept, adore and acclaim Him as the Son of God and your Sav iour. The shepherds came to Christ Page Eleven
“EVEN UNTO BETHLEHEM’
By Marshall Shallis, Evangelist o f
London, England
Bethlehem from the south showing belfry of the Church of the Nativity.
1 ET us now go even unto Bethle hem,” cried the startled, but be- ■“* lieving shepherds, ‘‘and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made knoum unto us. And they came with haste . . .” (L(uke 2:15, 16). The Gladness of Christmas J ESUS has come at last! After all this time, He is here! The promises of God given by His Spirit to holy men hundreds, and even thousands, of years previously, have come true, as indeed every promise of God must— for “ the scripture cannot be broken.” “ The Saviour promised long” has quietly but surely arrived. “ And sud denly there was with the angel a mul titude of the heavenly host praising God.” What a glad thing the gospel is! What happy, what blessed, what good tidings they are! Jesus is here! Jesus, the Saviour, Jesus, the Re deemer, Jesus, the Lamb of God, has come. Now there is a message to proclaim to a sin-sick, sin-spoiled, sin-ruined race. Now men can be saved, sinners can be forgiven and transformed; the weak made strong; the slave of lust set free; the selfish life emptied and refilled with the Spirit of unselfish ness, even with the Spirit of Christ D E C E M B E R , 1 95 0
Himself. Now the brokenhearted can be comforted, the lame, the maimed, the halt and the blind can be blessed. Now! Oh, how glad the Christmas tid ings are, “ For unto you is born this day . . . a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” This is for you, dear reader. You can know the power of Christ in your life this day. You can be saved, and know it, this day. Your life can be filled to overflowing this day, with the fragrance of the life of Christ. You can be set free this day from sin ful habits that bind, degrade and prove you guilty before God. You can, this day, enter into the joy of God’s salvation. Oh, the gladness of Christ mas! This day, if you are a member of the human race, no matter what your past, your fears, your doubts, your circumstances, your sorrows, your pains, your nature, your tem perament—your sins, you can this day be forgiven, freed and filled with God’s Holy Spirit—for Jesus has come—the Saviour, your Saviour, the only Saviour, the long-promised Sav iour has come, even Christ the Lord. The Importance of Christmas C HRISTMAS is important for two good reasons: First, because it is Christ Himself who has come. Not a substitute, not a delegate, not an
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