January 1929
62
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
J anuary 30,-1929
the whole. One crack in a bell makes a broken bell. The curse of the law is upon all who break it. It is evident that hope of salvation is not in the law. What is the way out? “The just shall live by faith.” Salvation is by trusting, not trying. “Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Text: Gal. 4:4-5
INCARNATION
The apostle takes up the story of how we were delivered from the bondage of the law. “In the fulness of time God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” For ages the world had been put through a course of preparation. When Jesus was born it was God’s full time. The world was strangely prepared. There was a common language for the first time in history;—the Greek. There was a common government— the Roman. All religious experiments had failed. Judaism had become empty form. Heathen religions were hopelessly corrupt. The world as never before realized it needed a deliverer. There was at that very time wide-spread expectancy of the advent of some great world leader. Heathen astrologers were predicting it and carefully watching the skies, when they suddenly saw “His star.” It was “the fulness of time.” God’s Son took human form. As the Representative Man, He kept the law for us and exhausted for us the full penalty of a broken law. Redeemed by the precious blood, accepted because of our faith in Jesus, we became children of God possessed of sure cre dentials. God sends forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts crying “Abba, Father.” The attainment of sonship is a con scious reality. A regenerated person is not a “guess-so Chris tian.” His sonship is made evident by the witness of the Holy Spirit within (cf. Rom. 8:9). We take up a heavenly language. It begins with the first word of a baby’s vocabulary—“Abba, Father.” Abba is the word framed by the feeble lips of an infant and expresses simple, unreasoning trust. In our language it is “pa-pa.” It is an Aramaic word, while the word following it, translated “Father,” is a Greek word expressing maturity. It suggests a relationship intelligently realized. When one is saved, there is a sense of relationship and nearness to God never before experienced. As Paul had preached the Gospel to the Galatians, he had been a sufferer in his body. Infirm flesh indicates poor health. Elsewhere he speaks of his .thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-9). It evidently affected his personal appearance (2 Cor. 10:10). He felt it was a corrective against a tendency to spiritual pride (2 Cor. 12:7). The reference to his eyes in v. 15 of our chap ter may indicate the seat of his trouble, possibly inflammation or a growth. With an afflicted body he had preached to them, and though naturally it would have repelled men, his hearers were so moved by the wonder of his message that they could not get enough. Where could we find better proof that it is not always God’s will to heal our infirmities, and that the right course is to commit ourselves to Him and do what work for Him is within our power? SONSHIP J anuary 31, 1929 Text : Gal. 4 :6 INFIRMITY F ebruary 1, 1929 Text : Gal. 4:13-14
Save in the death of Christ, my God, All the vain things that charm me most— I sacrifice them to His blood.”
J anuary 27, 1929
REDEEMED
Text: Gal. 3:12-13
We have seen that one who seeks salvation through his own merits marches through self-righteousness and walks right into a curse. What, then, is the solution? “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse, being made a curse for us” ; therefore, by faith, we march through God’s righteousness and walk right into eternal blessing. “The law is not of faith.” The law-keeper may be able to say, “I thank Thee that I am not as other men," but he cannot say “I have positive assurance that I am eternally saved.” Christ has been “made sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21) ; therefore, the curse is vanished for every man who will accept Him. “There is life for a look at the Crucified One, There is life at this moment for thee. Then look, only look unto Him and be saved, Unto Him who was nailed to the tree.”
J anuary 28, 1929
Text: Gal. 3:21-24
SCHOOLMASTER
The law demanded what it could not provide. Its promise, however, pointed to a Saviour, a perfect Substitute, who should come in the fulness of time and open the way for all believers into the holy of holies. The law was, therefore, not against the promise of God (v. 21), for what the law demanded, the promise provided. The law shut the door in the sinner’s face (Rom. 3:23), but through Christ it is opened wide (Jn. 1:12). The Scriptures,, therefore, “conclude all under sin that the promise of faith might be given to them who believe.” What, then, was the purpose of the law? “To shut men up unto faith” (v. 23). It acted as a detour sign upon the highway of life. It said, “You are a sinner—the road of human merit is closed—take the way of the cross.”- “Wherefore the law was a schoolmaster [child-leader] to bring us unto Christ” (v. 24). The law shows sinners their lost condition and their need of the shed blood to cover their sins.
J a n u a r y 29, 1929
Text: Gal. 3:28-29
ONENESS
F ebruary 2, 1929
Christ’s sheep are gathered from many folds and united in one flock over which He is the Shepherd (Jn. 10:16). “We are all one in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, we cannot have God for our Father without having all saved men and women for our brothers and sisters. In Him national distinctions do not obtain— “there is neither Jew nor Greek.” In Him social distinctions do not hold—“there is neither bond nor free.” In Him even difference of sex makes no difference with Christian privileges— “there is neither male nor female.” If we are united to Christ, then, as true believers, whether Jew or Gentile, W e are Abraham’s seed and heirs of the spiritual promises made in the Old Testament. Thus, in Christ, a new and universal humanity comes into existence, formed of those who, by faith, have been .¡made partakers of the divine nature, “In Him,” says Dr. Findlay, “we hold in fee the ages past and to corne. The sons of God are heirs of the universe.”
Text: Gal. 4:19-20
FRUITAGE
Paul stood in doubt of some of the Galatian church mem bers. The Gospel is something that is bound to affect character and conduct, and some of them seemed to give little evidence of a real transformation. He wanted to see frurit in their lives, then he would know they had life. As a minister Paul longed, as every true minister must, to have satisfying evidences to confirm his confidence that God Himself had really begun a work in souls, for he knew that when God started a work, He always completed it (Phil. 1:6). Therefore, he wanted to see Christ formed in them. That is something more than an intellec tual grasp of the truth. It is a life imparted. Until this becomes manifest, men have reason to be in doubt as to the ultimate issue of our salvation.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker