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Biola V BROADCASTER
Monthly Publication of the BIOLA FELLOWSHIP Vol. 6 No. 7 JULY, 1966 STAFF President ___________ i . H. SUTHERLAND Editor ....... ..................... ...... -AL SANDERS Production _____ __ ___ .VIRGINIA LUBER Photography __________ __ BIL EHMANN Printing ................... - ........ .CHURCH PRESS Published monthly by the Radio Department BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES S5I So. Hope St., Les Angeles, Calif. 90017 Controlled circulation postage paid
CONTENTS ARE YOU UNHAPPY? ............... 3 ARE YOU UNCLEAN ? ............. 5 ARE YOU UNLOVED? ............. 7 THE NEW MORALITY ......... 9, 11 THEY THAT W A IT ................. 14 THE PLACE OF FATHER .......... 16 PARABLES AN D PEARLS ..........21 PANEL DISCUSSIONS ............... 24 THE BOOK OF DAN IEL ............. 30
COVER: Mt. Rushmore Memorial, So. Dakota.
at Los Angeles. California. lO U R CHK1ST1AN W ILL
Didyou know that there is a way to invest in Biola for the training of students while saving cosily estate taxes! Ultimately you may be able to leave more money for your loved ones. . » As a Fellowship member you are under no obligation when you write for information or counsel. BIOLA STEWARDSH IP DEPARTMENT T H E B I B L E CA LIFO RN IA Arroyo Grande-San Luis Obispo San Francisco KFAX
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Bakersfield-Wasco KAFY Chico-Marysville KHSL Fresno-Dinuba KRDU Lodi-Stockton KCVR Los Angeles KBBI KWSO
KCEY KHOM
550 1050 1290 1130 1570
93.1 (FM)
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Albany-Eugene KWIL KWIL A shland-M edford KRVC Coquille-Coos Bay KWRO
790 790
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107.5 (FM)
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KTYM 1460 Los Angeles-Long Beach KGER 1390 KGER 1390 Oxnard-Ventura-Santa Barbara KOXR Redding-Red Bluff
Portland KPDQ KPDQ
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910 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 1400 8:00 A.M. MTWTF 1570 9:30 A.M.MTWTF
B1 aine-Vancouv« Seattle-Tacoma KARI KGDN Spokane KCFA KTEL Yakima KBBO Walla Walla
KOMS KACE
San Bernardino-Riverside
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KFXM 590 7:30 A.M. Sun.
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Santa Cruz KSCO San Diego KSCO
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FEATURED JUNE R A D IO MESSAGES
are you unhappy?
by D r. John Hunter Torcbbearer’s Fellowship, England
H ave you ever stopped to think about how many unhappy people there are in the world today? Not too long ago I had a glorious week speaking to the youth of vari ous Lutheran churches in Hamburg, Germany. In one new church we had evening discussions around a large table with 60 or 70 university stu dents participating. The room was beautifully furnished. As I was speaking in this informal session, one of the young men on the other side of the table leaned over and asked, “Mr. Hunter, can Jesus Christ do anything for me today?” There was a pause. Then a beautiful Ger man girl from the other side spoke up, “Yes, that’s what I’d like to know.” Several others re-echoed these senti ments so that there was a binding to gether of spiritual hunger in the lives of these young people. Someone had just clarified their need. This first lad continued, “I’m a member of this church and I know I’m a Christian. But my problem is going
through life day by day. There seems to be so many difficulties, tempta tions, and failures. Why do I get so unhappy? Can Jesus Christ do any thing for me todayV' That is a wonderful question. If Jesus Christ can’t do something for you then He isn’t the Saviour. But if He can, and we know this is true, then how tragic to miss all that He can do for you today. All of us have our problems be they health, financial, social, domestic, or spiritual. But the proof of the Lord’s wonderful power is illustrated in Ro mans 5:8, “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” As be lievers we are very conscious of the Lord’s atonement on the cross to save us from our sins. There is a past tense to our salvation. Pity the pov erty stricken souls who only know that. How tragic to go no further in the faith. In verse 9 we read, “Much more then, being now justified by his S
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” How we need to know this “much more.” This means that when we are “in Christ” there is no coming judgment. Our security is eternal and is safe in the hands of Jesus Christ. So, salvation has a future tense since there is no wrath to come upon us. Some Christians, however, go no further than this. But yet there is the present, or as these German youth wanted to know, “What about today?” If we are going to be honest with ourselves, that is also our biggest problem as Chris tians. It isn’t a question whether your sins have been forgiven or that you will escape the judgment to come. The wonderful thing about the Bible is what we can see in the next verse, “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” How would you answer the question, “How were you saved?” You might say “By Christ’s death.” But this verse says, “by His life.” Now this doesn’t mean by copying Him and trying to live up to His standard. That is not possible, of course. In the Amplified New Testa ment, we have, “Much more being reconciled, we shall be daily deliv ered from sin’s dominion by His res urrection life.” You see, this puts it in the correct tense, “daily delivered.” If you are a child of God, then Jesus Christ lives in you through the per son of His Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 declares, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, then he is none of his.” This divine abode is primarily for one purpose, and that is that you might be daily delivered from sin’s dominion. Do you recognize this fact? If only you will, then you can say, “Lord Jesus, this is so wonderful, You live in my heart, not just to be a pass ing experience, not just to be a badge on my coat, or a motto on the wall of my house, but to be my life day by day.” How wonderful to say, “Lord Jesus, this is the situation, or the fear. I can’t meet it, but I know that
You can. I rest my soul in You.” Jesus Christ can do something won derful for you today. If you are in fear over an oppressing problem, let Jesus Christ help you. If you have never trusted Him as your Saviour do so now. If you have been saved, but the pressures are driving you down, remember He can deliver you day by day and moment by moment. This can be your joyous experience today. Why not come to the Saviour who handles the present as well as the past and the future. ENCIRCLING TRIALS Beekeepers in the Orient have no fear in handling bees. With practically no protection, such as veils and gloves , they go right into the hives, while avoiding being stung. Most of us have a very healthy respect for these little winged creatures and we are satisfied to keep our distance. The orientals, however, seem to have a special touch. They can be surrounded by clouds of angry bees and still escape harm. The reason given is that they are particularly passive in their attitudes and extremely deliber ate in their movements. Even though a bee comes right at them, they make no effort to protect themselves. As a result they avoid being hit with a stinger. The bee does’t hurt them any more than it would attempt to sting a log or a flower. Our problem is that when we’re ap proached by a bee we get quite nervous and combative. Instead of being quiet we move about rapidly maybe even run ning and screaming. This infuriates the bee and responding with his defense mechanism he heads for certain and painful destruction. Have you ever felt that the many trials and problems of life have sur rounded you like a swarm of angry bees? Troubles seldom come singly. They seem to descend upon us when we least expect them and hit at our most vulnerable spots. I f we fret and fume, rebelling against the circumstances, in stead of calmly trusting the Lord, we will no doubt feel the painful sting. The Bible reminds us, “In quietness and con fidence is our strength." You see, the sure cure for depression is praise. So, “Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.” 4
by Dr. John Hunter
ARE YOU UNCLEAN?
H ave you ever felt the more you have read Scripture and the clos er you have gotten to the Lord in fel lowship with Him, “I am so unworthy and unclean?” At a recent Bible conference in England I was speaking with an 18- year-old teenager who seemed to be a very fine Christian youth. He told me that he had a longing to be a mis sionary. Looking very wistful he ex plained sadly, “It’s no good for me. I can’t do it. You probably wouldn’t understand, but some time ago I did something which I can’t get out of my mind. It makes me so ashamed. I was away from the Lord at the time and I got myself tied up in things I shouldn’t have done. Every time I think of what I would like to do for the Lord, these thoughts come into my mind again, ‘What? You? After what you’ve done?’ So I reckon God only has special people as missionaries. I’m no good.” It wasn’t hard to see that here was a boy who had a great sense of vi sion and purpose. He had a deep love for those without Christ. His problem was in being crippled by something in his past. How frequently I have coun selled with older people who have spoken about how their Christian service had been crippled because of things they had done as believers. Great shame and remorse was their lot. Maybe you are longing to go as a missionary, or perhaps you just de sire to be used in the church in some small way. I told this young man a story about Martin Luther who was similarly tempted. He was having a dream one night which was very vivid. The devil came to him and craftily reasoned, “You are a servant of God. Yet look at this list on which are written all the sins you have committed. How can you ever
hope to serve God with such sins in your life?” In response Luther asked, “Devil, are those all the sins? Can’t you think of some others?” And sure enough the devil could. Finally, when the lists were exhausted and satan could recall no more sins, this great man of God declared, “Pick up your pen and write across that sheet, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’ ” This is the message of such verses as I John 1:9 as well as the entire truth of Scripture. I had this youth read the verse aloud, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But having done so he turned to me and stated, “I’ve confessed my sin to the Lord, and He’s forgiven me. It isn’t that. It’s just me. I feel so miserable and so unworthy inside.” In response I suggested he look at the verse again for it says if we do just one thing, God does two things. If we confess our sins, God is both faithful and He is just. He forgives our sins and then He cleanses us from all unrighteous ness. This young man was only dwelling on the first part. Our sins will be forgiven through the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ. When you confess your sin it is immediately blotted out and forgiven in heaven before Almighty God. But the Lord does not stop there. He goes on to cleanse us, and oh, how we need this so desperately. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see any sign of your sin, for you are clean. The enemy of your soul is the devil who wants to keep you from God’s appointed task. If he can hold you from the mission field, from the pulpit, from the Sunday school class, or wherever it may be, he has won a tremendous victory. He does this by lying for he is the father of lies. We seem to fail to remember that when 5
God forgives, He forgets. There is no more record of your sin in heav en. The Lord can only see you clothed in the righteousness of Christ. The devil is the only one who seeks to bring your past record to you after your sins have been con fessed. Have you had similar problems in your life? Is the devil having a great game with you ? Has it left you with a real sense of guilt? You can be sure that God doesn’t do that. Satan seeks to use your memory to his own selfish, mean, despicable purposes. See that which separates you from your possible service for God. What is keeping you away is only make-be lieve. Realize the two things the Saviour can do for you and say, “Thank You, Lord Jesus. Not only am I forgiven, but I am cleansed.” God bless you as you turn away from your past and step out into all that God can do for you and through you. If you are not receiving copies of the BROADCASTER monthly, you may have them come to your home or office automatically by being a member of the Biola Fellowship. This is a group of faithful donors who invest monthly in the distinctive ministries of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Inc. Specific monthly amounts are not set; this is a matter between you and the Lord. In maintaining this 58 year old work for the Saviour, we have found that faithfulness on the part of God’s stewards is the important thing. You are invited to become co-laborers with us in this vital testimony. The invest ment you make will bring you this publication monthly, hereafter, without your request. If you are already a member of the Fellowship and have received an extra Name
H IS W ILL, N O T M IN E M y heart's desire would lead me far From the upward paths of right, To follow a futile, wandering star That soon burns out its light. M y heart's desire would lead me down Where the broad ways long have glowed; W ith the glitter and shine of pleasure- town, Along a dead-end road. But If I choose God's path Instead, I never can miss the mark, For the gleam of heaven shines ahead. Though I sometimes walk in the dark, All of the perilous way He knows. And His hand will never tire; He gives the best that He has to those Who follow His heart's desire. — Ruth Gibbs Zwall copy of this publication, please pass it along to a friend so that he may also enroll in the Plan and receive these helpful monthly features from the broadcasts. Since all materials from the Biola radio programs are included in the BROADCASTER, publication is gen erally completed near the end of the specific month. Your patience is greatly appreciated. □ I would like to become a member of the Biola Fellowship. Biola Fellowship Members receive a packet of envelopes (24 to expire in two years for monthly contributions). I am enclosing $.................. this month, and would like to send $.................. monthly for the ministries of Biola.
(Remove from magazine and mail to Biola.) The Biola Fellowship Plan
Address ......... City and State
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by Dr. John Hunter
ARE YOU UNLOVED?
T here is a great deal of discussion today concerning the subject of love. But this topic generally carries an earthly, sensual or immoral conno tation. Let me tell you about a woman I met at a Bible conference some three years ago. She came to me with so much sorrow in her heart. She was an attractive woman with three lovely children, but her husband had been re peatedly unfaithful. Finally he had left her and had gone to Hawaii. Here was a woman with deep emo tional conflicts and one who now felt very much unloved. Although the man had treated her in this manner, she still loved him. Now, sometime later, I have had the opportunity of meeting this woman again. It was im mediately obvious that she was exceed ingly happy in a very radiant man ner. Her children seemed especially joyful, too. I assumed that the wan dering mate had returned, however, she informed me that he was carrying on just the same. He had been with many women in the 36 intervening months. She declared, “But I have real peace and joy. God has wonder fully blessed our home and made up for the hollow emptiness. My oldest boy is 15 and as a teenager he loves the Lord. He says he wants to be a missionary when he grows up. What greater blessing could I ask?” This woman had learned to apply the truths of Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit to her spiritual life. The other children were also converted and were growing in the Lord. I asked her, “How about your husband?” She declared, “I would have him back tomorrow if he would come with repentance and with a de sire to join us in learning about the Lord Jesus.” What a beautiful.spirit of forgiveness she revealed. Her faith had gloriously and wonderfully triumphed over the circumstances of a broken life.
Paul rightly declared, “For I know whom I have believed and am per suaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” To think that He is able to keep all that which we commit unto Him. There are no strings attached to this or to any of God’s promises. This woman, in blind child-like faith, had taken God at His word. She was quietly expect ing the Lord to take care of the situa tion. The fact that her husband was still behaving immorally wasn’t caus ing her renewed heartache. She testi fied,“! know God is working in his life. He writes to me occasionally to tell me how miserable he is, and how he’s so sick of the kind of life he lives. Yes, I can see the hand of God working. I’m still unloved and I’m still lonely, but I’m rejoicing because God is working. I believe He is going to save my husband, bring him back to me, and make him a real man of God.” Here was a woman of great jfaith! This woman had literally risen
Twotalented Biola students, Dennis Plies (at the marimba), and Norman Parr, were recently fea tured in a special concert in the College recital hall.
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and grown spiritually into a glorious maturity through this experience. She had moved into a place of victory. The joy which had filled her heart was being seen through the lives of her children. They, too, were praying for their father. Today, you may be unloved and in the midst of circumstances which cause you sorrow and distress. You may be a woman with a broken heart. You may be a man with sheer despera tion written across the face of life itself. Standing above all else is the truth that God is able. Take God at His Word. You don’t try to under stand it, or to reason it, or to work it out. How many of us are carrying bur dens which are needless for us to shou ld e r? We w o rry our way through a situation knowing that our worry has absolutely no value to the real problem. It really makes it hard er for us. Still most of us follow the same old pattern of worry, frustra tion, and distress. Why not give God an opportunity to do something mi raculous in and through us? Why not come to the position that this woman did and say, “Heavenly Father, I can’t understand it, and yet, I want to take You at Your word. Here it is, now you work it out. It may be a broken home or a coming operation for a health problem. It could be financial disaster, trouble with a teen age son or daughter, or one of many things which we face. When we com mit these things to God then we go forward expecting Him to do some thing. Are you unloved amid sorrow and distress? Why don’t you come to Him? Walk right into the problem, right into the difficulty, trusting Him in child-like faith, to answer the deep est needs of your longing heart. Where you go hereafter largely depends on what you go after here. * * * You will never learn to pray fervently until you have learned to pray frequently. . . .
RESURRECTION VICTO RY There is a fascinating story from his tory which tells of a little town in Aus tria which awakened one Sunday morn ing with the word that it was sur rounded by 18,000 men from Napoleon’s army. Before dawn, leaders of the com munity were summoned together for an emergency meeting. Upon hearing the report some felt that a delegation should be made up with several men going out to surrender to the enemy. Others sug gested the people should fight to the last to save their country, although knowing the impending doom they faced. A faith ful pastor stood up and suggested, “We can’t count on our own strength to win, that’s for sure. Remember, however, the day that’s dawning is the Lord’s day. Why not ring the bells and have church services just as usual. I am convinced that God will take care of us." Ad monished for their fear, the people agreed to try it. From the towers of the four commu nity churches the familiar pealing rang forth. Before long, the streets were filled with people hurrying on their way to church, most of them unaware of the impending danger. When Napoleon’s general, viewing the scene from the high overlooking mountain, saw all the people in the streets, and heard the bells, he got the idea that the Austrian army had arrived during the night and that they were ready to fight for the town. He gave the orders to retreat. Before the bells had stopped sounding the enemy was gone. That was certainly a great victory for the people of the little town. More than this, however, it re minded the residents of the town of the victory the Lord Jesus Christ won for us when He died on Calvary’s cross and rose again triumphant from the dead. His power defeats death, the devil, and sin. What does th is overcoming truth mean to you? How often do you thank the Lord for His care and concern? Re member this glorious promise of assur ance, for Christ rightly declared, “Be cause I live, ye shall live also.” * The only fully satisfied person in the world is thefull consecratedperson. * * * He whomoves God,must first be moved by God. * *
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by Dr. Richard Chase
THE NEW MORALITY
W E heak much about morality to day but it is a timeless subject and worthy of frequent consideration. The Christian should always be alert to subtle changes in attitude, either on his part or on the part of society, that could cause him to deviate from principles of conduct that are found in the Word of God. The new morality is a radical de parture from the traditional concepts of Biblical morality with which most Christians are familiar. It has little to do with specific standards of con duct or basic sets of rules, standing in opposition to the strict standards of morality that are commonly identi fied with Christianity. Adultery in the new morality is not necessarily wrong, neither are stealing or lying. There are times, so its advocates say, when such conduct is acceptable. Strange as this may seem, the great tragedy is that this new morality has received, and is receiving, the support of many religious leaders. Perhaps the new morality may be best considered by setting it beside what we may call the “old” morality. In the past, Christians have been taught to evaluate their actions in the light of the principles of conduct laid down in the Word of God. The Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, and the qualities of character that the Epistles urge upon Christians all contribute to the Biblical standard of conduct with which we are famil iar. Although it is not difficult to cre ate situations or think of acts that are not specifically embraced in the Biblical code of morality, the Bible does contain a broad firm base that forms a challenging standard for the best of men. Undoubtedly, we do an injustice to the Word of God when we dogmatically state that it is sin ful to engage in activities that are not clearly embraced by Biblical standards. But we are certainly un
wise to turn our back on Biblical in junctions simply because some actions are not commented on in the Bible. Paul’s injunction in Galatians 5 that we walk in the Spirit rather than the flesh is an excellent example. Although it doesn’t contain all the “do’s” and “don’ts” found on many a contempor ary list, it serves quite well as a starter! If we could merely abstain from fornication and idolatry and ex ercise self-control (a fruit of the spir it) we would be living a far more com mendable life than most of our con temporaries. The standards of conduct demanded by the law were not abolished when Christ was crucified. Through Christ we are free (as Christ declares in John 8, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free in deed.”) But by this He does not mean to imply that we are free to trans gress the moral standards given to Moses on the mountain and later un dergirded by Christ in His Sermon on the Mount. Sin is falling short of the glory of God. The New Testament word for sin leaves no room for toler ance where each man can do as he sees fit. We are not talking about
Three Biota alumni gather during a recent mis sionary meeting on the Campus. Fromleft to right are Frank Dunn, in charge of Indian work for Practical Missionary Training, KenBemis, director of P.M.T., and Bil Eitzen, Alumni executive secre tary. Through the years, a number of Biola students have had the opportunity of working with P.M.T.
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what causes men to sin, Let me illus trate: some men, who desperately need money, may steal from their em ployers when they find themselves in a tempting situation. Other men, how ever, could face the same circum stances without stealing. You see, there is a variable here. But the fact remains, stealing is sinful even though the circumstances that cause men to steal may vary. In our confusion to day we often think of sin itself as OUR M ISSIO NARIES' NEEDS Do you hear them pleading, pleading Not for money, comfort, power, But that you, O Christian worker, Will but set aside an hour Wherein they will be remembered Daily at the Throne of Grace, That the work which they are doing In your life may have a place? Do you know that they are longing For the sympathetic touch That is theirs when friends are pray ing In the. homeland very much, That our God will bless the efforts They are making in His Name, And that souls for whom they're work ing, With His love may be aflame? Do you see them seeking, seeking For the gift of priceless worth That they count of more importance Than all other gifts on earth? Not the gold from rich men's coffers, Nor the relief from any care— 'Tis a gift that you can give them— 'Tis the Christian's daily prayer. being relative, instead of merely that which may cause us to sin. With this false notion, one might readily expect the New Testament to use such a standard Greek word for sin as the one meaning we have failed to live up to the standards expected of men by society. When we say that adultery was wrong in Christ’s day but per missible today we are making sin rel ative. The New Testament, however, used a word with a more rigid con notation s ig n ify in g “to miss the mark.” “The mark” can be nothing less than “the glory of God” (Romans
3:23). Although the elements that tempt men to “miss the mark” may vary from person to person, we be lieve the standard is clear and the conclusion is obvious — all have in deed sinned. The epistles are filled with exhortations to holy living that are of the highest and strictest na ture. The message of the New Testa ment is not one of tolerance for sin; it is the message of provision for cleansing and forgiveness when we fail to hit the mark. Biblical morality and the best of Western culture’ have long gone hand in hand. Although the contributions of moral philosophy hardly compare with either the quality or quantity to those of the Word of God, they are still of importance to us today. We need to realize that when we turn our back on Biblical morality, we also turn our back upon the moral founda tions of Western civilization. Men can not depreciate Christianity and dis regard Biblical morality without also under-cutting the moral fibre, actually the very foundation of our country. God help us to see that we will be a nation of value to God only if we recognize sin for what it is. And only if we humble ourselves before His Son for cleansing.
At Biola College, students have the opportunity of developing the talents which the Lordhas given fyem. At the piano is Sharon Weathers accompany ing Kathy Underwood, soloist, in a special sacred music recital.
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P erhaps the best way to discuss the new morality is to divide it into the area of theory and the area of conduct. This is a necessary dis tinction, for it is one thing to discuss the philosophy of morals and quite another to note the present-day con duct of people. Many people today, as in former generations, are merely fol lowing their desires and the path of least resistance, even though their conduct may parallel that of some who are following the principles of the new morality. The basic theme of the new moral ity may be summarized in two words, “situational” and “love.” The propo nents of this new philosophy believe that each situation is unique and that we must make up our minds whether or not to commit adultery, whether or not to be honest, or whether or not to humble ourselves before God in the light of the specific situation. Let me illustrate. Perhaps you have had the temptation to go through a traffic signal late at night when you are positive there was no one ap proaching the signal. You thought that since no possible harm could come to you or others that it would be per fectly all right. If you decided that the situation was right for violating a traffic law, you would be putting into effect a philosophy that is fundamen tal to the new morality. One of the strongest advocates of the new morality is Dr. Joseph Fletch er who, in an address at Harvard in 1959, stated that “decision ought to be made situationally, not prescrip- tively.” He further states that right and wrong depend upon the situation alone. Later, in an address to a group of young people at Elmhurst College, Professor Fletcher is reported to have stated that “neither rape, nor incest, nor any other sexual act, nor indeed the denial of one’s Lord or the viola tion of the First Commandment by
having another god, is necessarily and always wrong.” He urged that when the situation is right, any of these is acceptable. Bishop Kobinson, in his book Honest to God, writes, “Nothing can of itself always be labelled as ‘wrong.’ One cannot, for instance, start from the position ‘sex relations before m a rriag e ’ or ‘divorce’ are wrong or sinful in themselves. They may be in 99 cases or even 100 cases out of 100, but they are not intrinsi cally so, for the only intrinsic evil is lack of love.” To some of you, this may sound like the old philosophy, “the end justifies the means.” This is precisely what it means. With such a philosophy it is not hard to see how readily any act that is Biblically immoral could be quickly justified. The teenage girl may argue that her boyfriend is more like ly to continue dating her if she yields to his advances. The employee may argue that his sick child is more de serving of the medical care that could be provided from the cash register than his healthy and wealthy boss. The “means” then of the girl yielding is justified by the “end” of continued dating, and the “means” of taking money is justified by the “end” of medical care for a sick child. Men freq u en tly argue for this “situational” approach on the grounds that it alone provides a method of handling the difficult choices in life. What do you do, for example, when your neighbor excitedly asks you what you think of the new paint job on his house, and you honestly don’t like it? Do you lie (just a little), or do you offend him by telling the truth and, thus, deflate his enthusiasm? No mat ter how sharp you are in dreaming up answers, such situations are certainly uncomfortable. On rare occasions, we may indeed find ourselves in a bind where no matter which way we turn we will be guilty of doing wrong. Such
tion in your vocation, etc. would also come into play. This may sound com plicated, but is it hardly so. Most of us have numerous commitments and goals, but we have them pretty well arranged so that major goals domi nate. When faced with a difficult de cision, we almost automatically con clude that a proposed act easily passes muster on most counts—at least the THOU PASSETH THROUGH When thou passest through the waters Deep the waves may be and cold, But Jehovah is our refuge And His promise is our hold; For the Lord Himself hath said it, He, the faithful God and true; When thou comest to the waters Thou shalt not go down, But THROUGH. Seas of sorrow, seas of trial, Bitterest anguish, fiercest pain, Rolling surges of temptation Sweeping over heart and brain. They shall never overflow us For we know His Word is true; All His waves and all His billows He will lead us safely through. Threat'ning breakers of destruction, Doubts insidious undertows. Shall not sink us, shall not drag us Out to ocean depths of woe; For His promise shall sustain us, Praise the Lord, whose Word is true! • We shall not go down, or under, For He saith, "Thou passest THROUGH." — Annie Johnson Flint major ones—or that it clearly violates a basic commitment. The key question, of course, is, “How strong is our commitment to Christ and the com mandments of His Word?” If the commitment is weak or missing it will hardly influence our decisions. The new morality can be counteracted only by committing one’s life to the Lord Jesus Christ and by honoring the Word of God as our rule of faith and practice.
occasions hardly justify over-throw ing Biblical standards of conduct for a “situational” or “end justifies the means” approach. A Christian may, on occasion, find himself in a difficult situation where he honestly believes that no matter what course of action he takes he will have to sin. To my way of thinking, it’s much wiser for an individual to appropriate God’s provision through Christ and ask forgiveness rather than to rationalize the act by saying that it was good and hence imply that the Biblical standards of conduct is really not binding. Once you open the door to the idea that what is Biblical ly wrong (lying, for example, may actually be morally right) you are on the road to a situational morality that knows no Biblical code of standards. Sad to say, Christians do commit wrong, sometimes by choice, but once the Christian rationalizes himself in to thinking that it really wasn’t wrong after all, he has moved from violat ing God’s Word to denying it. That is a significant and tragic switch! It is my conviction that the men of the new morality are asking us to do something that will ultimately shake the very foundations upon which our society is based. Legally, they are asking us to return to a day that parallels Greece before the rise of democracy. Spiritually, they are set ting the stage for a re-enactment of the book of Judges where it is re corded several times that “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” We would dare hope that Chris tians would turn their back upon this situational morality that asks a man to judge everything simply in the light of what pleasure or good it might ultimately bring him. The combined goals (or ends) a man adheres to should justify or qualify any act (or means). For ex ample, if you believe in obedience to God’s Word, then that is a goal or end that should claim consideration in every difficult decision (the minor de cisions are usually automatic). In ad dition, such goals (as ends) or basic honesty, patriotism, thrift, satisfac
W H Y C A N 'T YOU? You can talk about the weather, If it's wet, or dry, or hot, Will it snow, or will the sun shine, should you take a coat, or not? You. can talk about TV stars, what they do, or say; You can tell the punch line of each joke and the plot of every play. Why can't you talk about Christ? You can talk about the ball game, will the home team lose or win? Will the batter hit a homer, or maybe bat one in? You can tell about your new car, the color and its power. You can rave about its beauty or its mileage by the hour Why can't you talk about Christ? You can talk about your neighbor, how he treats his wife and child; If he does the things that please you, or he lets his boy run wild. You can talk about your government and talk of politics. You can tell your friends for whom to vote to weed out all the hicks. Why can't you talk about Christ? You can talk about your children, your wife, and family; You can talk about the church, the school, and community. You can talk about the prices of food, and gas, and clothes; You can talk about most anything as anybody knows. Why can't you talk about Christ? Why can't you tell about Him and of His lowly birth? Why can't you tell the reason that He came down to earth? Why can't you tell about the love that suffered Him to die? Why can't you tell about the cross against a darkened sky? Why can't you talk about Christ? Why can't you walk up to your friend or even a relation, Why can't you tell him of Christ's love that promises salvation? Why can't you tell him ho^ Christ's blood was shed to set man free?
How it can wash away his sin for all eternity? Why can't you talk about Christ? Why can't you tell him he is lost for now and evermore, Unless he takes Christ in his heart when He knocks on the door? Why can't you tell him that his sin he need no longer carry, That God has promised in His Word, in the deepest sea to bury? Why can't you talk about Christ? — Doris Gainder GIVE ME A PASSION Did you ever win a soul to Christ? If so, how long ago? Has it been a week, a month, a year Since God used you to show The blessed way of the cross to a weary soul, Weighted down with his sin, Since you felt the joyous thrill that comes As you see one enter in? Perhaps you recall it was your word That led some soul to Him Months or years ago, but now The memory's growing dim; But what of the days or weeks since then, What of this very day? Have you held forth the Word of Life To a lost soul today? Has your love for Him grown colder With every passing week? Has your ardor cooled till you seldom dare Of your Saviour dear to speak? Do you often a heavy-burdened heart Lift to the Lord in prayer For those without the Heavenly fold, Plead their salvation there? O Lord, convict each child of Thine Who does not heed Thy Word To spread the Gospel everywhere To those who have not heard. Convict of sin— for such it is— And give new love for Thee And for lost souls, that we may heed Thy words to us, "Go ye!"
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byD. Stewart Briscoe
THEY THAT WAIT
O NE OF THE MOST WONDERFUL prom ises of Scripture is found in Isa. 40:31, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” The Lord intends that His promises should be thoroughly enjoyed by His people. All too often, however, we never seem to fully appropriate them. It may be that we don’t understand that they are to be claimed with those condi tions fulfilled which are always at tached to them. The first promise is that we can re new our strength. The word “renew” means to “exchange.” We can trade our weak strength for the power the Lord desires to give us. Examine your own heart to see if you have claimed this promise of God. Are you living in the conscious enjoyment of this realization? Here is a promise of new vigor. If there is one thing we des perately need in our lives as well as in the church it is this. Christ tells us to be strong and of a good courage. We are urged not to be afraid. The reason these exhortations are made is because the Lord knows that of our selves, these are the things we aren’t. If you go about it God’s way you will be able to exchange all your fear, weakness, and d e fe a t for His strength, thereby asserting a new vigor. The second promise is that we can “mount up with wings as eagles.” Re cently, while down in Jamaica, I found the weather so tremendously hot that some people took pity on me. I was invited to their beautiful home located on the hillside overlooking the harbor of Kingston. The cool breezes were blowing and for an Englishman, not used to the heat, it was delightful. While there in the mountains I no ticed a bird soaring to great heights
above. While we had a magnificent view this winged creature could see much more. It was gliding along with the currents just resting on the aero dynamics provided by God in His matchless creation. The Lord tells us that if we will only claim His promises He will do the same for us. We will not be earth- bound anymore, limited to our own narrow vision. To be liberated from a materialistic approach we need a vis ion enabling us to mount up and see things as God does. Remember, where there is no vision, the people perish. There is a dreadful lack of vision concerning the need of the world all around us. Too many can see no fur ther than “the end of their nose.” Ask the Lord for a new vision and be as sured that He will give it to you. The third consideration given to us in this portion is, “They shall run and not be weary.” This is quite a para dox, for even among young people who are quite healthy and verile, run ning causes tiredness. God, you see, is promising a new kind of vitality. This is the opportunity to come up against hard situations and to run straight
Ground is broken for the new Marshburn Hall, missions-alutnni building. From left to right is Rev. Harry Bascom, Alumni president, Dr.Ray A. Myers, Biola Board chairman, Mr. Sylvester Marshburn, and Rev.Harold Dunning, Biola Mis ions director.
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through them. It is the ability to be consistent and to keep on with a joy in your heart that is obvious, over whelming and overflowing. Do you ever get discouraged? Perhaps you are a minister and you have been preach ing for a long time. You have been running the race that was set before you but you have grown really weary. Claim God’s promise. Maybe you are a Sunday school teacher and have a group of young people who have just gotten you down. Don’t give up; the Lord wants to refresh you. The final promise is “They shall walk and not faint.” The Christian life is often described as a walk. Don’t make the fatal error of think ing that it is merely a step. Too many only take the step of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and then that is all. We must take one step after another. As we have re ceived the Lord Jesus Christ we are to walk in Him. Since we took the first step of committing ourselves to Him we must constantly draw upon all that he has available for us. Here is a promise of victory over defeat. Have you ever felt that every step was like quick sand? The more you struggled the deeper down you sank. Tell the Saviour, “Lord, You prom ised that You would make it Your personal responsibility that those who wait upon You should walk and not faint. I want Your promised victory.”
Remember this, however, it isn’t enough merely to claim the promises. We must also fulfill the conditions. Simply stated, it is to wait upon the Lord. We must be prepared to make Christ Lord of our lives without any reserve. It doesn’t mean that we are to hang around waiting for something to come “out of the blue.” We are rather to depend implicitly upon the Lord, expecting Him to work out each problem in and through us. THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD Let me behold the beauty of thy face, Dear Son of God — my soul has need of this. Let me look long, until Thy match less grace Shall overflow, and Thy great love dismiss The world from me. Too long with pettiness M y heart has swelled! Oh Christ, 1 need to view Again the beauty of Thy Holiness, And feel my spirit cleansed, my life made new. The ways we wander lead so far afield! The dreams we follow are but moths in flight. There Is no harvest that the heart can yield, Apart from Thee, that will with stand time's blight. Dear Son of God, Thy face I long to see— My lost horizons all converge in Thee. — Helen Frazee-Bower One day I waited in a church for a young lady. I wasn’t just “hanging around,” hoping she might come. I was utterly depending upon her in earnest expectation. My life was com mitted to her and hers was to me. To “wait upon the Lord” means that you simply commit all that you are to Him, expecting that He will indeed keep His promises. Why not fulfill the conditions right now? Claim that which He desires to give: vigor, vis ion, vitality, and victory. Do this and you will have a great day! 15
Work has moved ahead rapidly toward an August 15th projected completion date for Marshburn Hall. To be housed in the new facility wil be important classroom space for the growing number of stu dents who are seeking enrollment in Biola.
THE PLACE OF FATHERS by Al Sanders T his is the time of the year when we think particularly about fa thers. Unfortunately, the importance of their place in the home has all too frequently been made light of. This is tragic, especially in view of the need to strengthen the spiritual battlements of this last bastion of defense for society.
thority in the home. It is important to note, however, that three times the husband is told to love his wife. Un fortunately, even in so-called Chris tian homes, there are too many men who insist they are the head of the household and therefore everyone is to submit to their wishes. Yet, with such demands they fail to carry out the other part of the bargain in that they are told to love their lives as their own flesh. A woman will never suffer under the headship of a man who loves her even as he does himself. The place of leadership is not a matter of setting up a president and vice-president. It is not a case of one individual being inferior and the other one superior. The reason for God’s ordained order is indicated clearly in I Peter 3:7. As we fellow ship in the things of Christ, growing together in spiritual truth, unless these two Bible principles are fol lowed our prayers will be hindered or “cut off.” In Psalm 68:6 we are told that God setteth the solitary in families. The home is a divine institution of the Lord. Its purpose is that those who are alone, each one of us, may be brought together in joyful companion ship to display His love and grace. The fact of the matter is, God gave us families not just to perpetuate the human race. If He had wanted to do that He could have selected some other means. The overriding reason for the home is that we as fathers, as par ents, might hand down to our chil dren, and then our children to their children, the divine oracles of God which are so clearly revealed to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and carefully proclaimed in the infallible Word of God. The Lord has ordained certain re sponsibilities for every father. The first area of duty is the business of supporting the family. One of the 16
In a careful consideration of this subject for believers, we need to real ize that a truly Christian home is actually really the exception and not the rule. In considering the need to strengthen the home, we must look first of all at the relationship of the father to the mother. While some women may not like to face it, yet the husband is to have the place of authority in the home. Problems can come readily if he steps over his bounds, as well as if he fails to face up to his responsibilities. What is the place of the man in the home? The word “husband” is a con traction originally meaning “house band,” or the one who actually drew the home together, banding it around, protecting and holding it securely to gether. The place of authority in the home rightly belongs to the man. If the wife takes over and he abdicates his responsibility, trouble and confusion is likely to ensue. The Bible sets forth the perfect pattern for a happy home in such passages as the fifth chapter of Ephesians. This section is certainly a classic and should be read frequently by every husband and wife, not as a ritual but as a reminder of God’s economy. In this portion the husband is told to love his wife even as he loves his own self. How many are there of us who could say, without hypocrisy, that this is the way their affection runs? It is interesting to re alize that twice in this Scripture the wife is told to be in submission to her husband. This shows his place of au
The second responsibility of a dad is to realize that he is the one who is to guide the discipline in the home. Too many are known *as the orge, al ways raining down judgment upon others. Scripturally speaking, as far as discipline is concerned, there is a vast area to consider. The unfailing and unerring Word of God, is man’s only perfect and infallible guide for life. It gives to us as fathers, every thing we need for this vital dimension of fulfilling our sacred privilege and responsibility. Herein we see the posi tive assertion that the father has the greatest opportunity f o r character molding. If he doesn’t do it, sad re sults will follow. As far as the actual administering of correction, this is not to say that it is to be the father’s exclusive pre rogative and requirement. Both par ents are to share together. It is wrong for the mother to warn the children with a reproach similar to, “You’d better straighten up or when Daddy comes home he’ll give you a spank ing.” If there is some need for chas tisement, unless it is a major issue, it should be taken care of right at the moment. The Bibles warns fathers, “Provoke not your children, to wrath.” If ever there was a needed word during these hurried and harried days it is this. Why is it that as fathers, regardless of where we work, office, shop, field, or wherever, we can go out of our way to be nice to others, but when we are at home we act like a bear with a sore paw? Some men find it very easy to be kind and gentle in the office, espe cially to those of the opposite sex, but then, with his family the same men can hardly be civil. How many sons and daughters have turned against their parents because they have only seen wrath and not love. Too often, as far as discipline is concerned, we never stop to realize the importance or to grasp the full impact of what God has called us to do. As a result, there is either too much dis cipline or else not enough. This is what can cause a son or a daughter to grow up not only hating his or her 17
most overlooked verses in the Bible, and one which should be memorized and practiced by every dad, every day of his life, is I Timothy 5 :8. Here we read, “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.” Those are very sobering and forceful words. But let not that man who regularly brings home his pay check think he has escaped the challenge of Holy Writ. The Bible is talking about far more than just providing your family with bread and butter and the other staples of household diet. This pas sage means a great deal more than merely seeing that their clothing needs are met and that there is a shelter over their heads. The real ref erence has to do with providing them yourself! Too many of us have lost sight of this important fact, even at times becoming defensive of our posi tion. There are too many selfish indul gences and family demands which have placed many fathers on the pro verbial “treadmill to oblivion.” In many instances father himself is guilty. While there are certain things he wants for himself there is also a sense of pride in achievement when he is able to get ahead. In most cases it is not the high cost of living that is breaking up homes but rather the cost of high living.
Biola College is the educational choice for grand children of Dr. Ray A. Myers, chairman of the Biola Board of Directors. Seated with him are Susan and Sharon Myers. In the back are Paul Nauman, Len Simonsen, and John Myers. Another grandchild, Raedean Nauman, attends the Arizona Bible College in Phoenix.
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