is the author of man’s destruction, and that the people have no choice in the matter; that their unbelief was abso lutely necessary in order that this prophecy might be fulfilled, and that God ordained that it should be so. Can you enlighten me? These verses do not teach either fatal ism nor extreme predestination. Let us read them thoughtfully: “ Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.” God foreknew that Israel would not believe, and therefore Isaiah spake these words. But long before the Lord spake these words through Isaiah, the Jewish people had deliberately hardened their hearts and turned away from God. The Lord Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. He wept over the nation of Israel. He said “How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 23:37-39). We must all remember that God is sovereign in punishing and may mete out judgment as He pleases. Some He cuts off suddenly, the moment they sin. Others He gives over to judicial blind ness, and ceases to strive with their consciences. Something like this will come upon professing Christendom after the true church is translated. Then Second Thessalonians 2:1-12 will be ful filled. The antichrist will be revealed to the world, and will deceive those who have rejected the truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus, “because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be judged (R. V.) who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteous ness.” This will be judicial blindness. This is a solemn and awful subject, and should awaken those who know the truth and have light, yet, are rejecting the same. Was the Roman Catholic Church the first Christian church? We call to your attention, first, that if you will turn to Acts 2:5,10, you will find there recorded that “ there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout
men, out of every nation under heaven” and there were “ strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes.” Again in Paul’s Epistle to the Romans we read these words: “ Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me” (Rom. 16:7). Here we learn that there were some believers in Rome who were “ in Christ” before Paul was saved. Thus we know there was a church in Rome some years before Paul wrote his Epis tle to the Romans. There was also an assembly in the city of Jerusalem, land one in Samaria before there was an assembly of New Testament saints in Rome. In this sense, therefore, the church at Rome was not the first New Testament church. In Hebrews 10:26, I read: “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there re- maineth no more sacrifice for sins." It appears to me this destroys all hope for the restoration of the backslider. What is your opinion? In this verse the Apostle Paul is ad dressing Hebrews, and the warning is based upon the perfection of the one sacrifice of Christ as the context clearly shows. The “ sinning wilfully” here is the definite turning away from, or the refusal of, that one perfect sacrifice__ the finished work of Christ. To do so means eternal ruin, because there is no other sacrifice that can meet the sin question. The Holy Spirit is here speaking of the wilful, definite rejection of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Plainly speaking He is saying that if, after examining what the Old Testament Scriptures teach con cerning Christ and His work; if, after comparing these prophecies with the New Testament presentation of Christ, thus obtaining a knowledge of the truth; if, in the light of all this knowl edge, one deliberately and permanently rejects Christ, then God has nothing more to say to him, except to mete out judgment. You may ask, why? Because in the Lord Jesus Christ the Triune God has offered the onty way of salvation. Christ crucified is “the wisdom of God.” That is the only way the wisdom of God has devised. The backslider is not in view in this text at all. It is the man who has “ trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the cov enant an unholy thing,” who is under consideration here. (Read Heb. 10:29.) THE K I N G ' S B U S I N if SS
Who will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and is there ever a visible sign accompanying this baptism? Every Christian is baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment he is born again, for it is the quickening power of the Holy Spirit which regenerates the soul. In the present age there is no visible sign accompanying this baptism of the Holy Spirit; there is a change of one’s life and testimony, but there is no visible sign such as accompanied the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and in the house of Cor nelius as recorded in the book of Acts. How may we, of today, know “ the fellowship of His suffering" spoken of by Paul? This was the prayer of Paul, the Apostle—that he might know the fellow ship of His suffering. And Paul did prove that God’s grace was sufficient for every trial! (Read Phil. 3:10; 2 Cor. 12:9). Moreover he learned that God’s “strength is made perfect in weak ness.” Therefore, Paul could rejoice in trials. They made him know Christ bet ter by throwing him back on faith, and Paul was willing to pay the price. Tribulation teaches the Christian to set his affection on things above, “where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col. 3 :1,2). It teaches him also that “here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to .come . . . a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 13:14; 11:10). Many other Scriptures might be quoted, but these are some of the precious lessons to be learned through the furnace of affliction. Let us not for get our Lord’s parting word to His disciples: “ In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). It seems to me that the statement in John 12:39,40 teaches fatalism. These verses seem possibly to indicate that God
Page Six
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker