11 showing that God chastens us now in order that we may not be con demned by the world. God wants the church clean and to conform fully with His will. This portion does not mean eternal judgment but that the Lord wants His own house clean for eternal habitation. How much more does He want that all others who obey not the Gospel should know Him! Q . Ashland, Oregon — “What is the meaning o f Romans 9:3 that says, ‘I could wish that myself were ac cursed from Christ fo r my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh ’ ?” A. Again, to understand this properly we need to see the context in the first two verses. This unusual statement simply reveals the tremendous love and concern Paul had for his Jewish brethren. So great was his burden for the lost that he himself was willing to give up eternal life to save others. This, of course, he knew was not hu manly or spiritually possible. What a beautiful pattern for us to consider in seeing his consuming passion. It would be wonderful if this same zeal were experienced by us today. The only way a person can be saved, how ever, is through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Q . Long Beach, Calif. — “I would like help on Ezekiel 33:18. Is this only fo r people under the law?” A. The children of Israel were com plaining of the way the Lord handled things. They did not feel that He was being fair. We hear people criticize God for things today. While these verses are directed to the Jews the words are couched in such a way that we can see the application. We see underscored what the New Testa ment positively teaches us concerning the perseverence, or preservation, of the saints (I Pet. 1 :5 ). One who is merely outwardly righteous, but yet does all manner of iniquity, reveals that his was an empty profession of Christ, not a real possession of eter nal life. The Bible never teaches, how ever, that one can be saved and then
lost. John 10:28-30 gives us a clear picture of this. We might even put it in a still clearer light. It is not a question' of the perseverance of the saints, but rather the reality of the perseverence of the Saviour. Q . Ashland, Ore. — “In Luke 18:19 the Lord Jesus said, ‘Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.’ This sounds as though Christ does not admit that He is very God.” A. Because of the difficulty in trans lating from Greek to English some times such erroneous assumptions are made. This particular ruler came and glibly asked, “Good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” The Lord stopped him abruptly because of his using the important word “good.” Christ pointed out that it wasn’t just another salutation or a way of beginning a conversation. He was saying “God alone is good. Are you prepared to call Me God? Will you accord Me the same title and own Me as Lord?” Our Saviour never denied that He was deity. While Jesus rightly claimed to be God He desired this man to realize how much was involved in the salutation, “Good Teacher.” Yes, Christ was very God of very God! Dr. and Mrs. James 0. Henry are two faithful members of the Biola family. Dr. Henry has served on the faculty for a number of years and is chairman of the social sciences division. He is a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves.
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