th a t is really o u r o p p o rtun ity to w it ness to them o f ou r Saviour. FIRST PROMISE OF THE CROSS? Q. Does Genesis 3 :1 5 re fe r to C h ris t’s com ing as a Saviour? Does it describe th e c o n flic t between the devil and God? A. Yes, to both questions. God spoke to the serpent, pronouncing upon him the curse, o f which a pa rt was th is : “ I w ill put enm ity between thee and th e w om an ." Now, o f course, the serpent was bu t a tool o f Satan. It was the devil who was speaking. Satan is the enemy o f C h ris t and o f every C h ris tian ; he is called “ o u r adversary, th e d e v il” (I Peter 5 :8 ). He is ever seeking to tu rn man from th e w o r sh ip o f God to h im se lf. Even the beast, who was used by Satan, is hostile to man, h issing a t him and b itin g him and c ru sh ing him when possible. No one likes snakes. But the real hatred discussed in Gene sis is th a t between “ th a t old ser pent, the d e v il” (Rev. 2 0 :2 ), and C h rist and His servant, man. Note th e words: “ And between th y seed and her seed ." Here the seed o f the woman is none other than o u r Lord Jesus C h rist. This is the very fir s t prophecy o f His v ir gin b irth . In many passages He is called “ th e seed,” meaning the prom ised Son o f Man. Jesus C h rist was in very tru th “ the seed o f the w om an ," not o f man; fo r He had no human fa the r. Now Satan hates Christ, seeks in every way to thw a rt His great purpose fo r man, sought to tu rn the w o rship o f C h ris t to him se lf, b u t fa iled to obtain it. In every p a rtic u la r the re is enm ity be tween ou r sinless Saviour and the arch-enemy o f our souls. Ephesians 6 :1 2 describes th e kingdom o f Satan and his demons who w ith stand th e C h ristian and in th a t chap te r ou r a rm o r aga inst him is delineated. T h is we m ust put on daily. G e n e s is 3 :1 5 s t a t e s : “ He [C h ris t] shall bruise th y head [God here was speaking to the ser p en t] and thou sha lt bruise his [C h ris t's ] hee l.” The head is the seat o f government. Po ten tially TH E K ING ’S BUSINESS
Ephesians 2 :8 -9 states: “ For by grace are ye saved th rough fa ith ; and th a t not o f yourselves; it is the g ift o f God; Not o f works, lest any man should boa st.” Read very care fu lly Romans, th e 10th chapter, and note p a rtic u la rly verse 4 : “ For C h rist is the end o f the law fo r righteousness to everyone th a t be- lie ve th .” When we are saved by fa ith in th e Son o f God, tu rn ou r lives over to Him, re lying upon Him com plete ly fo r salvation, we are born again; we become new crea tu re s in C h rist, and by the Holy S p irit are able to fu lfill the law, in fact, go fa r beyond it, fo r we then live by the S p irit o f life in Ch rist Jesus. COMPLETE SEPARATION POSSIBLE? Q. Please explain I C o rinth ians 5:9, 10, especially the last clause which is puzzling to me. It sounds as if com plete separation from the world was not possible fo r the Ch ristian. A. It does not teach any th ing o f the kind. The Word o f God is fu ll o f commands to separate ourselves from the sins o f th e world and its way o f life. Take I John 2 :15, fo r instance: “ Love not the wo rld, ne i th e r th e th in g s th a t are in the world. If any man love the world, th e love o f the Father is •not in h im .” In th is le tte r to the C o rin th i ans, Paul is exho rting C h ristians to live separated from the world but he is very practical. He makes it plain they are not to engage in the evils o f the wo rld; to be in tim a te w ith fo rn ica to rs , covetous, ex to r tione rs, idolaters, etc. Especially does he deal w ith professing C h ris tian s who live evil lives and states th a t the believer m ust not “ keep company” w ith them . But the clause you refe rred to makes it pos sible fo r C h ristians to ca rry on business dealings w ith unsaved people; otherw ise he says tru ly “ fo r then [ i f you do n o t] m ust ye needs go out o f the w o rld ." We do not re fuse to buy bread and meat, o r go to doctors o r den tists, who are not saved, although we would p re fe r to ; da ily we deal w ith th e unsaved and
DR m m o l ’s
Q U E S T IO N B O X
BELIEVING AND DOING Q. How do you harmonize the fa c t th a t we can do no th ing to be saved w ith Romans 2 :13 : “ Not the hear ers o f the law are ju s t before God, but the doers o f the law shall be ju s tifie d ” ? A. When Paul w rote these words, under th e guidance o f the Holy S p irit, he was addressing people who appa ren tly believed as you do. They were tru s tin g in th e law fo r th e ir salvation. They gloried in the fa c t th a t it was given to them . Yet the very law condemned everyone o f them . They d id not— could not — keep it. Paul rem inded them th a t if they expected to be saved by the law, they had to keep it, not merely hear it, which the y were not doing. Paul makes clea r the m a tte r o f salvation in Romans 3 :19 , 20: "N ow we know th a t whatsoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under th e law: th a t every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become g u ilty before God. Therefore by th e deeds o f the law the re shall no flesh be ju s tifie d in his sight; fo r by the law is the know ledge o f s in .” All the law could do was to condemn the sinner, and d rive him to the Saviour. 8
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