AUGUST +1952 The Migrants Dorothy Clark Haskin Jesus Christ is God Oswald J. Smith, Litt.D.
Attention Christians There is an urgent need for prayerful and financial help to build Evangelical Methodist Churches in the Columbia Basin, Washington State. W rite COLUMBIA BASIN MISSIONS BOX 1143 MOSES LAKE, WASHINGTON
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"JOHN DEWEY'S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY has done more harm to A m e r ic a n y o u n g people than even John Bar leycorn,” says a public school teacher ofyearsof experience. Are you equipped to refute the fallacies o f this subtle atheistic influence? Read Dr. Buswell’s book ex posing Deweyism. Give copies to your friends, especially the teachers o f your children. Order direct from the author - T H E PHILOSOPHIES OF F. R. TENNANT and JOHN DEWEY, o v e r fiv e h u n d r e d pages, $6.00, postage prepaid if cash accompanies order. J. OLIVER BUSWELL, Jr. President Shelton fflolle c t f t N P A R D O F F E R S FOR OCTOBER QUARTER REVISED 3-YR. PRIMARY GRADED Even better than the very successful Year 1 course intro duced last year. An ideal fol low - up fo r those who used F e a t u r e s newly designed and simplified activity hooks; full of hand work material for young child. T f e i n Proptocq lo r Christians who wish to have All inside pages 2-color; many new illustrations. Lesson story paper “Primary Child” adapted individ ually to each of 3 classes; now a big 8 Yzx 11-inch size, in color; picture- strip Bible story for first 2 years. Memory-verse poem, pictures to color, story, puzzles, etc. Ready for October. Teacher’s quarterly is 45c; pupil’s activity book and Primary Child are each 25c. FREE PROSPECTUS on either or both of above graded courses. Clip and Mail Coupon Today! Check for samples of other Standard true-to-the-Bible literature youmay wish to examine. Year 1 course; excellent for others as well. True to the Bible; practical as everyday life; full of week-long in spiration. Quarterly titles are “Rules of the Road,” “Wayside Trails,” “Men Who Traveled This Way Be fore,” and "Companions on My Journey.” Teenage Teacher’s Manual offers 6 pages of help for each lesson in the quarter; contains Scripture reference, printed text, lesson aim, illustrations, e tc . ________________________________ 4Sc. Pupil’s Leaflet, one each week; fas cinating workbook style in two colors. Price per set per quarter ____ Only 30c. “ understanding of the times” Annual Bible Conference on Prophecyand theJew Dr. Wm. Ward Ayer, Dr. Hyman J. Appel- man, Dr. Paul Bau man, Dr. John Brad- bu ry, Herman B. Centz, Max Cohn, Dr. Peter Hoogendam, Dr. Fred Mitchell, Dr. Palmer Muntz, Dr. Alva J. M cClain, A. B. Machlin, Dr. Oswald Smith, Na than Stone, Hugo Spitzer, Chester E. Julga, Gerald Stover. THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION Aug. 25 to Sept. 1 at lovely WINONA LAKE, INDIANA PLAN NOW TO ATTEND! For Full Information write: ■*1 FOR JEWISH EVANGELISM Winona Lake, Indiana Dept. * Name . . Address City____ State.. Church. LESSONS PAPERS Uni- form Closely Graded Nursery Beginners □ For Primary Classes □ □ SACRED PIANO SOLOS “ There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” “ Blessed Be the Fountain” “ Safe in the Arms of Jesus” Classical arrangements. Original introductions. Rich harmonies. Brilliant cadenzas. Modulations, Chimes, suitable for radio performances. Each 35c, ALL THREE $1.00 postpaid. Order from GORDON E. HOOKER 558 S. Hope Street Los Angeles 17, Calif. Page Two □ Junior Life (Zone) n Straight □ □ Primary [“ I Junior □ The Lookout □ □ □ Teen-age □ Young People □ Adult □ Christian Home Life Magazine □ Catalog TH E STANDARD PUBLISHING COMP; My Position. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S BUSINESS ¡lea d er ¡Reaction Sharing with Others We thank you heartily for sending us the blessed paper. We read it with great interest and profit. It is like good news from home to us who are proud and grateful we belong to BIOLA Family. And then we share it with others and finally it goes to an Armenian pastor who thinks that it is the finest paper in the world. Lastly it is sent to the politi cal prisoners, among whom are many highly educated people with a knowledge of English, and there among men con demned to forced labor for life God is doing His wonder work and taking glory to His Name. T ordis C hristoffersen 91 Boul, Gambetta, 91 Nice, France Appreciation from Africa We do not want to miss out on a sin gle copy of The King’s Business. May the Lord continue to bless your maga zine in its wide ministry, as well as every one of you who has a part in its production, printing, mailing, etc. “Your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” R ev . R. F. P ierson Africa Inland Mission Asa Station Ango-Uele, Congo Beige, Africa One o f Three We subscribe to only three magazines in our home; one a farm magazine, one the Reader’s Digest, and the other The King’s Business. If we could have only one, we feel it would be yours. We read everything in it, and want you to know what a blessing it is to us. We are thankful for a magazine so faithful to the Word in these days of liberalism and doubt. May God continue to bless and use you, everyone. M r . and M rs . J ohn E. N orrbom Yucaipa, Calif. Kind Words from Northwestern I want to congratulate you on a beau tiful format and content matter of the June issue. I have been reading this paper since high school days and believe I can honestly say that it is more im pressive now than I have ever seen it. Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated Louis T. Talbot, D.D. Betty Bruechert Managing Editor William W. Orr, D.D Editor In Chief Associate Editor No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission All Rights Reserved Voi. 43 August, 1952 No. 8 Reader Reaction ................................................................................................ 3 Editorially Speaking ....................................................................................... 4 The Work and the Workers, William W. O rr .................. - ................... 5 Dr. Talbot's Question B o x .............................................................................. 6 Jesus Christ Is God, Oswald J. Smith ...................................................... 7 The Security o f the Believer, Part Two, Douglas C. Hartley ......... 9 Can Prayer Meeting Be Popular?, Mildred M. Cook ........................... 11 Biola Family C ircle............................................................................................. 12 Junior K ing’s Business; Joy Through Tragedy, Carol T erry ........................................................ 13 The Migrants, Dorothy Clark Haskin ...................................................... 14 The Old Scout Motto and the Mission Field, Elisabeth F letcher ......... 16 Poem, My Advocate, Martha Snell N icholson. . ; ....................................18 Testimony to Israel, Anne Hazelton ............................................................ 19 The Bible in the News, William W. O rr ................................................. 20 Book Reviews, Donald G. Davis. .................................................................. 22 Young People’s Topics, Chester J. Padgett ............................................ 23 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A . Kent, Allison Arrowood ............. 27 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder .................................................................. 33 Cover: A Typical Migrant Camp Scene, photographed by Ralph E. Blakeman, D irector o f Mission to the Migrants, Los Angeles, Calif. ; p. 9, Eva Luoma, Weirton, W. Va. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION—“ The King’s Business” is published monthly; *2.00, one year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES—Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside of wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING—For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, California. MANUSCRIPTS—“ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, Cali fornia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, California. D ean O. E. S anden College of Liberal Arts Northwestern Schools Minneapolis, Minn. Well Named I like The King’s Business very much; it is looking after the King’s business. W illiam H. H eppe , D.D. Denver, Colo. Page Three A U G U S T , 1 9 5 2 people to go into their own communities and speak forth the claims of Christ. Under the direction of Horace F. Dean of the Christ for America cam paigns, the plan is for the local church to inaugurate this campaign by a series of heart-searching prayer meetings dur ing the first week in October. This is to be followed by one or two weeks of intensive calling upon the community in which the church is located, followed by a series of special evangelistic meetings led by the local pastor or an exchange minister from a neighboring commu nity. Without a doubt, this Christ for Everyone Campaign is a step in the right direction pointing back to the very earliest days in the history of the Christian church where, without benefit of publicity or fanfare, men and women whose hearts had been changed by the living Christ, went forth simply to wit ness to the marvelous transformation that had taken place within their own lives. The result was that the entire inhabited world was thoroughly evan gelized. If there is something needed today above all else in Christian circles, it is a renewed realization on the part of the laity that they are capable, un der the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in the power of the risen Christ, to talk to men, women, boys and girls, con vincing them of their need of Christ and leading them into a simple accept ance of His sacrificial atonement. Too long has the matter of simple salvation been wrapped up in professional effort. Too long has the rank and file Christian been saying in his heart that the mat ter of reaching others for Christ was something which required special train ing or unusual ability. We pray God that this campaign may be eminently successful not only in actual results at tained but in the beginning of a new movement on the part of the average Christian to let his light so shine day by day that through him there will be a constant stream of converts coming to know Christ whom to know in a scriptural way is life everlasting. Don’ t Give Cheap Tracts T HE GREATEST message in all the world is the gospel, which simply states that while all men are sinners and all men are lost, still Christ died for all and every one may be saved by simple faith in Him. Here is a message which ought to be set forth in the very best possible man ner. It is not that God limits Himself to gifted servants only. It is not that God cannot speak from a scrap of paper, but the very excellence of the message de mands that it be presented in a dignified and reverent way. It has always been a source of deep discontent to see gospel tracts printed on newsprint. Without a doubt there is something to be said for the fact of greater distribution, but it is a sad com mentary on the giving habits of Chris tian people to so limit the distribution of Have You Ever Read the Bible Through? H ERE are statistics that are both startling and 'shameful. Those who know, believe that at least half of our Christian people today have never con secutively read through the Book which they profess to love and avowedly fol low. It is not that they fail to give the Book its proper place and not that they do not believe in its inspiration. On the other hand, they would be quite willing to do battle on the question of its au thority and authenticity, but the stark truth of the matter is that even so, they have never yet started at the beginning and consecutively read every word on its sacred pages. To those who, realizing their lack, would like a simple plan of Bible read ing, may we suggest that the consecu tive reading of three chapters daily and five chapters on the Lord’s Day will, in the course of a year, cover the entire Bible. Most readers prefer to divide the reading with two chapters in the Old Testament and one chapter in the New daily, and three chapters in the Old Testament and two chapters in the New on the Lord’s Day. There is no question whatsoever about the fact that there will be both blessing and profit from such daily readings. Surgery Wasn’t the Answer A BOUT five years ago, Millard X. Wright, a 42-year-old chronic burglar, underwent a delicate brain operation, prefrontal lobotomy, which involves cutting of nerve pathways in the forebrain in an attempt to curb his deep-seated urge to steal. Mr. Wright had spent 15 of his 38 years in jail but because of his willing ness to undergo this possible contribu tion to medical science, he drew a light prison sentence and after two and one- half years was paroled. He was subse quently married, worked as a bus washer and it was thought that the brain operation had been a success and that he would “go straight” hereafter. However, r e c e n t l y in Pittsburg, Wright was identified as the man who had passed some stolen articles and in his home police found stolen goods worth thousands of dollars. Taken back to jail, Wright confessed that the oper ation just hadn’t worked. Experts who examined Wright declared there was no reason to believe that it ever would work. The last chapter to this story was written recently as Wright took his own life after penning a note saying that he was sentencing himself to death for his own evil misdeeds. One cannot forego the sobering com ment that it is not a surgeon’s skill which can change the deceitful heart of man but only a cleansing by the pre cious blood of Christ. It is not enough to perform an operation on a thief’s brain; the operation must go deeper and change the heart. Nor is this merely theological theory. Case histories by the hundreds of thousands prove beyond the slightest doubt that when a person comes to know the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Saviour, old things do pass away and all things become new. Un righteous people are changed into ex emplary citizens. Thieves are reformed. Harlots become upright. Mouths of blas phemers become fountains of blessing. As a matter of fact, one who has been truly born-again into the family of God forsakes sin and is a different person. It is too late to do anything for Mil lard X. Wright but we are sure the number is legion of men and women and children with the same heart of deceit that characterizes every natural born son of Adam. There are evil ten dencies in every heart which, if unre strained, will break forth into crime but which can be removed by the simple act of placing faith in a crucified and risen Saviour. Then the life is saved as well as the soul. Christ for Everyone Campaign T HIS coming October worthy evan gelistic effort is to be launched in many thousands of churches across our land. This effort is known as the Christ for Everyone Campaign. The plan is not for huge evangelistic gatherings but rather for a movement in the local churches and on the part of the lay Page Four T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S The W o rk and the W o rk ers By William W. Orr, D.D. grace to use what earthly wealth we have in order to increase our deposits in heavenly treasuries! The Book of First Thessalonians H OW long is it since you have taken a real good look at this little gem tucked away in the heart of your New Testament which came from the pen of the Apostle Paul? This book, the first Pauline epistle, is notable because of its emphasis upon the second coming of Christ. There are five chapters and 89 verses. At the end of each chapter there is a reference to the thrilling hope of the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We live in perilous days when men’s hearts are failing them because of fear, and there is a tendency for even Chris tians to be influenced by the prevalent pessimism. Even God’s children can be carried away with this sense of hope lessness unless they learn to rely upon that particular promise in the Word of God which is given for the express pur pose of lifting us out of the valley of despair and to the heights of anticipa tion. Of course we refer to the blessed hope of the Lord’s return, which has a counteracting effect upon disappoint ment and discouragement. This truth applies when things look darkest and is in itself a sign of the nearness of the return of Christ. When all around is darkness, we know that is just what we may expect before the trumpet of God will sound and the dead in Christ shall be raised first. The hope of the Lord’s return is the great source of spiritual optimism given by God to re fresh and encourage the hearts of His children along life’s pathway. It is a marvelous spiritual exercise to read with the eyes of your hearts verses 13 to 18 of the fourth chapter of Thessalonians. Paul, under the guid ance of the Spirit of God, wrote an answer to a question asked by the Thessalonian church concerning their loved ones who had passed away. They wanted to know what would be their status at the rapture. So Paul, with heart burning and eyes glowing, dips his pen in the ink of inspiration and tells the Thessalonian church that when the trump of God sounds the dead in Christ are to be raised first and then we who are alive and remain will meet them in the clouds and so shall we ever be with the Lord. What a glorious prospect! What an uplift for heavy hearts! These things are true and righteous altogether and what is more, all indications point to the soon realization of this glorious hope. We commend to your waiting hearts the study of First Thessalonians. To be sure, all the verses do not speak of the Lord’s return. There are practical things and admonitory passages but shining through all the gold of this golden book are the sparkling diamonds of hope, announcing the return of Christ. the message of God to inferior vehicles. The practice of printing large quantities of tracts on inexpensive paper has sought to be justified in the minds of some through the result of larger audi ence acceptance, but the fact of the mat ter is this, that in our present day and age cheap-looking tracts are not received but discarded and the cause entirely lost. Worthless Currency R UMMAGING among personal ef fects often reveals some curious results. After the close of World War No. 1, there was quite a bit of commer cial activity in disposing of highly in flated European currency to American buyers. It will be remembered that, for in stance, in Germany the mark which used to be worth about 25 cents in American money skyrocketed to astro nomical heights so that one could pur chase a 500-million mark note for a few cents. Bushel baskets of this inflated currency were needed by the distressed Germans of that day to purchase even a loaf of bread. Holding a 500-million mark note in one’s hand today is a reminder of the extreme uncertainty not only of cur rency but of our life’s so-called certain ties. Here is a piece of paper. On its face it is worth 125 million dollars but actually it could not be sold for even a penny. At one time it had value, but due to the changing currents of life, it has long ceased to be worth anything whatsoever. We are in a spiral circle of inflation in our own land today. Although it is to be devoutly prayed that America will never reach the pitiful state of post war Germany, there is a needed lesson for Americans. The day will surely come to all, rich and poor alike, when earth’s wealth will be completely value less. Our standard today is gold, but in heaven gold is of such little value that the streets are paved with it. We think that pearls are of great price, but in heaven they are in such abundance that the gates of the city are built of them. Some day it will be necessary to revise completely our entire standard of values for that day will surely come when all the wealth on earth will be worthless. What, then, can we not lay up treas ure in heaven? Most certainly we may and one of the ways to lay up treasure on the other side is to use earth’s wealth today for the glory of God! It is questionable whether it is ever right for truly born-again Christians to lay up quantities of money here. If a Christian is blessed with much of this world’s goods, it should be a sign to him that he is to use it to advance the cause of Christ. In this way he lays up treasure in the bank of heaven. But do not think because you are not a finan cial giant that you cannot deposit money in the heavenlies, for God meas ures gifts not by their earthly extent but by the spirit in which they are given. May God give us wisdom and Christ’s Mission Helps Newspapers recently carried the story of Luciano Negrini, an Italian priest who resigned from the Roman Catholic priesthood to marry an American sweet heart. After vainly endeavoring to en tice Mr. Negrini back to the priesthood, the Roman church turned on him and used its mighty influence to prevent the couple from obtaining any kind of em ployment in Italy. When they were close to starvation, the English people got hold of the story and with the aid of outsiders brought the couple to America where Christ’s Mission, an agency for aiding former Roman Catholic priests, gave them help. Copies of an informative folder showing the plight of former Roman Catholic priests may be obtained by writing to the Mission, 160 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. Nov/ Master Romans An excellent movement begun in 1926 is the Bible Mastery Campaign suggest ing the reading of a book of the Bible through until it is mastered. This year during the month of October, the cam paign suggests that Christian people read and reread the book of Romans through until they not only get a grasp of the book, but the book has a grasp of them. Further information regarding this excellent plan may be secured by send ing a stamped envelope to Rev. C. J. Boppell, 2666 37th Ave., S.W., Seattle 6, Wash. Mormon Advance According to the Utah Christian Mis sion, Mormonism is truly on the march. Last year the Mormon Church spent over $40,000,000.00 propagating its doc trines and there are 5,000 full-time missionaries out in the field as well as 5,000 part-time missionaries, most of them laboring in this land. The Mormons, according to Rev. Harry A. McGimsey, wormed their way into the big Easter Sunrise Service held at the Hollywood Bowl each year. They supplied a 300-voice Mormon choir and plan to repeat the performance annu ally. The building program of the Mormon Church also reaches astronomical fig ures. The Utah Christian Mission fear lessly moves in and out among these people, preaching the true Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Gospel Recordings Report According to recent statistics issued by Gospel Recordings of Los Angeles, in a two-week period 8203 records in ( Continued on Page 22) Page Five A U G U S T , 1 9 5 2 the unclean animals, fishes, birds and creeping things, as set forth for Israel by Moses in the ceremonial law. Only those animals which had the cloven hoof and chewed the cud were pronounced clean by Jehovah. Likewise only those fishes which had fins and scales were clean. Certain fowls and the creeping things were “an abomination” unto the Lord. The fins suggest power to rise above degrading things that tend to drag us down to defeat. The scales, too, remind us of the “whole armour of God” given the Christian to enable him to resist the devil “ in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Eph. 6:11; Phil. 2:15). Certain birds and the creeping things of earth speak of the depravity and deceitfulness of sin, over which the child of God can live victoriously—by His grace through the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacred Scriptures. Is there anything in the Bible about the cities of Petra? I have read the Bible through several times and have not found them mentioned. No, they are not mentioned by name, nor is there any direct proof that they are referred to in the Bible, but many students of prophecy wonder if they may not prove to be a place of refuge for persecuted Israel during the great tribulation. In Daniel 11:41, we read that Moab “ shall escape out of his [the Antichrist’s] hand.” In His message to the disciples concerning this “ time of Jacob’s trouble,” the Lord warned them that those who will be living in that day in the land of Judea will have to “flee into the mountains.” In this same chapter (Matthew 24), He said, “ Ex cept those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.” It will be a time of horrible bloodshed and suffer ing and persecution. Israel will need a place of refuge. Also, in Isaiah 26:20, we read a verse that is suggestive of the manner in which God will protect the faithful remnant of His people, Israel, in that day. Please explain First Corinthians 15:52. Does it not teach that the church will go through the tribulation, even to the last of the trumpet judgments de scribed in Revelation 8:11? The passage to which you refer in First Corinthians has nothing to do with the trumpet judgments of Revela tion. It describes the first resurrection and the translation of the church which take place before the Antichrist is re vealed on earth. Note these words, ad dressed to Christians: “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised in corruptible, and we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51,52). Now compare this passage with First Thessalonians 4:13- 18, which refers to the same event, and calls the “ trumpet” the “trump of God.” The seven trumpet judgments of Revelation are sounded by angels; “the trump of God” will call the church home. Perhaps it will be just the word Come, even as we read in Revelation 4:1, the message to John, “ Come up hither.” This call to John is prophetic of the call of the church when the Lord translates His bride. You will note by careful reading that everything from this first verse on to the end of the book has to do with events which will take place after the rapture of the church, including the seven trumpet judgments. As I read Matthew 12-.US-U5 1 am puzzled to know if Christ has bidden this unclean spirit to depart, or if it was done by the man in whom he had taken refuge. What is your answer to this question? These are the words of Christ, but the unclean spirit mentioned has merely gone out of the man of its own accord, and most assuredly was not cast out by the Lord. This is a case of self-reforma tion by a man seeking to clean up his life; he still belongs to this “wicked generation” (verse 45). In another place Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” These words in Matthew were spoken to the Pharisees, who had at tributed to Beelzebub the works of Christ. The house of Israel had been “ swept” and “ garnished” of the spirit of idolatry by the captivity; these lead ers of Babylon, still unregenerate, were self-righteous hypocrites. Read verse 34 of this chapter: “ 0 generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus, and this passage (verses 43-45) described their state, not the state of the redeemed who had fallen into sin. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Dr. Louis T. Talbot Please enlighten a new Christian on Romans 8:16: “ The Spirit itself bear- eth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Read this entire eighth chapter of Romans, counting the number of times the Holy Spirit is mentioned. He fills the scene! This chapter might be called the climax to this profound epistle. Paul, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, has already set forth in the pre ceding chapters the irrefutable fact of a guilty world before a holy God, of redemption in Christ Jesus, “ unto all, and upon all them that believe,” yet has also disclosed the conflict in the born- again soul between the old, sinful na ture and the new nature in Christ. That struggle, every one of us knows full well, would be a losing battle but for the indwelling Holy Spirit of God, whose presence with us bears witness within that we are children of God, and that He will give us the victory— by His unfailing power. This is the message of the eighth chapter of Ro mans—that, through the power of the Spirit of God, there is “no condemna tion” because we are “in Christ Jesus” ; there is victory over sin as we let the Holy Spirit control our lives, and that we may be sure of eternal sonship, and of Heaven, as we look beyond the suffer ings and testings of this present life. I am filled with curiosity as I read Leviticus 11:12. Why should fish with out fins and scales be forbidden as food to the children of Israel? Here God gives us a picture of the believer’s walk in a world of sin, and of the spiritual food provided for him in the Word of God, that he may main tain that walk with the Lord “ in holi ness and righteousness.” This chapter as a whole has to do with the clean, and Page Six CHR IST IS GOD JESUS By Oswald J. Smith, Litt.D.* A RIUS was the first heretic to at tack the Person of our Lord. He taught that Christ was neither God nor man, but a created Being be tween the two, the first and the noblest of God’s creations, but inferior in power and glory to the Father. Fierce and long the battle raged, until the whole church was rent asunder. Finally, in 325 A.D., the Nicea Council was called by Con stantine the Great, emperor of the Ro man world, over which he himself pre sided. It met at Nice, and lasted for over two months. Athanasius took up the fight against Arius and his follow ers. The Council, by an overwhelming majority, affirmed its belief in the deity of Christ, stating that He was “ of the same substance with the Father,” and Arius was excommunicated. The bish ops were convinced that the Christ who was their Saviour could not be less than God. From that day to this the Church has held that the Bible teaches the deity of Jesus Christ. Only the false cults still side with the heretic Arius. “ What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, say ing, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matt. 22:42-45). Does a father call his son his Lord? Never! But David did. He spoke of the Messiah as his Lord, and predicted that He would sit on God’s right hand, and that His enemies would become His footstool. Hence He was more than a son; He was his Lord and his God. Then was Jesus Christ born of man or of God? If Joseph was His father, then He was not the Son of God. If He was conceived by a Roman soldier, or any other man, He was not conceived of the Holy Ghost. If He had an earthly father He had a sinful nature, so that He could not become man’s Saviour. Only the God-man could redeem men. Jesus Christ was virgin-born; there fore He was God the Son. *Pastor of the Peoples Church, To ronto, Canada. exclamation, if spoken to a mere mor tal, would. be nothing short of blas phemy. Thomas recognized Him as God and rightly so. Now let us examine Romans 9:5. The best translation of the Greek, accord ing to some authorities, is the Berkeley version: “ There are the fathers, and from them in human lineage sprang Christ, he who is God over all, blessed forever.” Here Jesus Christ is again called God, “ God over all.” How then can men doubt His deity? Unitarianism has no answer. Christadelphianism can not explain Him away. Some day the adherents of all false cults will ac knowledge that He is very God of very God. We turn next to Titus 2:13. To get the best translation I read from the Centenary. “We look for the blessed hope and epiphany of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Not only is He here called God, He is designated “ our great God.” So once again Jesus Christ is God. Who then is man to deny it? Now let us turn to Hebrews 1:8: “ But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.” Here God the Father speaks to the Son and He calls Him God. “ Thy throne, O God.” Could language be plainer? Jesus is God. In Second Peter 1:1 we have the ex pression “ Our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Our authorized version does not translate it correctly. But in the Roman Catholic Bible, the Revised Standard Version, James Moffatt, Berke ley, and the Centenary, Jesus is called “ Our God.” Hence Peter, who knew Him well, recognized Him as God. The word “ God” as used here does not mean the Father, it means the Son. We turn now to First John 5:20. It is stated in this verse, “ He is the true God,” referring of course to Jesus Christ. I have again quoted from the Centenary Translation. This is one of the strongest statements in the Bible. John, now an old man, who in his youth was closely associated with Christ in the flesh, calls Him “ the true God.” What a confession! He was in very deed God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, very God of very God, in a word—“true God.” Jesus Is Called God Again and again the Bible calls Jesus God. “ Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:23). “ The Word was God” (John 1:3). There is the eternal ever present “was.” Jesus always was and always will be God. In verse 14 John says that “ The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Note it is the same Word —Logos in the Greek. The Christ who appeared in flesh and tabernacled among men, John says, “ was God.” That should settle it. Even when speaking of Christ’s in carnation, John had to state that he had beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. He had seen Him in His glory, on the Mount of Transfiguration, and he never could forget the outshining of His deity. Peter, too, recalled that marvelous sight on the holy mount. And that same di vine glory John saw again, when he beheld Him on the Isle of Patmos. Yes, “ the Word was God.” But look now at John 1:18. It is translated thus in the Centenary Trans lation: “No one has ever seen God; God, only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father—he has interpreted him.” What a statement! How absolutely con vincing in the original! The Word in carnate, Jesus Christ, is now called “ God, only begotten,” and He is still one with the Father, for it speaks of Him as being “ in the bosom of the Father,” though incarnate. It is not “ the only begotten Son,” as in the Au thorized; it is “the only begotten God.” Hence He could say: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9), and “ He that seeth me seeth him that sent me” (John 12:45). To look at Jesus was to look at God for He was God, God veiled in human flesh, “ God, only begotten.” In these remarkable statements is asserted in the most direct manner the full deity of the incarnate Word. Our next passage is found in John 20:28 where Thomas cries, “ My Lord and my God.” Here again Jesus is called God. Has ever a man been ad dressed thus? Of course not. Such an Page Seven A U G U S T , 1 9 5 2 Natnaniel called Him the Son of God. “Thou art the Son of God” (John 1:49). There is no record that he ever said that of another. God called Him His Son. “ This is my beloved Son” (Matt. 3:17; 17:5). Of all the millions who have lived, He was the only one to whom the heavens opened and who heard such a pronouncement. Demons called Him the Son of God. “ Jesus, thou Son of God” (Matt. 8:29). “ Thou art Christ the Son of God” (Luke 4:41). How was it that they recognized Last of all, look at Revelation 1:8. Who is speaking? Jesus Christ (1:1). Who is to come? Jesus Christ (1:7-8). What does He say? “ I am Alpha and Omega.” He is from eternity to eter nity, without beginning and without end. He always was; He always will be. He is, He was, He is to come. He is the Almighty. Could words be plainer? He is God. It is not the Father who is to come, it is the Son. So it is the Son who claims to be the Almighty. See Revela tion 22:13 where the same expression is again used by the Son. What a revel ation of His deity! There are many other such passages. Again and again Jesus is called God, but these ten are sufficient. If you, my friend, will not be convinced by these, then it would be useless to quote others. You will have to continue in your her esy and perish in your unbelief, for your Arianism can never face the light of the Word. Jesus is called God. Jesus Is Called the Son o f God In numerous passages Jesus is called the Son of God, and in each instance it is a claim to deity. That the Jews so understood it is proven by the fact that they accused Him of blasphemy, and declared Him to be worthy of death. As the son of a king partakes of royal blood, so the Son of God partakes of deity. He was the unique and only be gotten Son of God, not of Joseph, but of the Holy Ghost, and being virgin born, He was the Son of God as no one else ever can be. The Jews always thought of the Messiah as God’s Son and there fore divine. If He was the son of an earthly father, then He was not the Son of God. Jesus was God’s only Son. He Him self said so when referring to Himself in Mark 12:6, “ Having yet therefore one son, his well beloved, he sent him.” In John 1:14, 18, First John 4:9, and many other passages, He is spoken of as “the only begotten Son.” Men may become children of God in time by adoption. He was the Son of God in eter nity by nature. He was not A Son; He was THE Son. The angel Gabriel called Him the Son of God. “ The Holy Ghost shall come up on thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall, be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Was ever such an an nouncement made to another? Never! It was in the womb of Mary that Christ became a babe and took upon Him hu man flesh. He was the one and only Son of God ever born of woman. John the Baptist called Him the Son of God. “ This is the Son of God” (John 1:34). Thousands came to him to be baptized in the River Jordan, but of no one else did he ever make such a state ment. Of all those who came, Jesus alone was recognized by him as the Son of God. mediate and final. There was no mis taking His meaning. He simply said. “ I am.” That settles it. Jesus Himself claims to be God’s Son. No wonder the priest “rent his clothes” and called his answer “ blasphemy.” No wonder they judged Him worthy of death. They all claimed to be children of God, every one of them, but full well they knew what He meant when He said that He was the Son of God. No one else would ever have answered as Jesus answered. Even the thieves knew that He claim ed to be the Son of God, for they said, “ If thou be the Son of God” (Matt. 27: 40). So, too, the chief priests were fa miliar with His claim, for they quoted Him as saying, “ I am the Son of God” (Matt. 27:43). And Jesus Himself said this, “ I said, I am the Son of God” (John 10:36). Moreover, the chief priest stated that “ He ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God” (John 19:7). And in John 5:25, 11:4, and Rev elation 2:18 He definitely calls Himself the Son of God. Jesus never recognized an earthly fa ther. Not once did He call Joseph His father. Why not? He certainly should have done so if Joseph had been His father. His claim throughout His life was that God was His Father, and that therefore He was God’s Son. “ Thy fa ther and I,” said Mary. “ My Father’s business,” replied Jesus (Luke 2:48, 49). Mary spoke of Joseph. Jesus ignored Joseph and spoke of God as His Father. In this connection look at John 5:18. It is simply tremendous, “ Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he . . . said . . . that God was his father, making himself equal with God.” Would they have tried to kill you had you called God your Father? Of course not. Why? Because with you it would not have been a claim to deity, to equality with God. You would simply be saying that you were God’s child by regeneration, as millions of others are. But when He said it, He meant, as they well knew, that He had no earthly father, that He had come from heaven, that He was indeed the promised Messiah, the unique and only begotten Son of God, and that therefore He was divine. Look at it—equality with God. Yes, that and nothing less. Then if He was equal with God He was God, for He was of the same substance as God. But they did not believe in His deity and so they accused Him of blasphemy, and con demned Him to death. Think of anyone else making such a claim. Impossible! Absurd! Only Christ could have uttered such a statement, for He was and is God—God the Son. Nowhere in the Bible is this equality with God stated more plainly or defi nitely than by Paul in Philippians 2:5-9. This is the great classic passage regard ing the deity of Christ. In exhorting the Philippians to emulate the unself ishness of their Lord, Paul points out (Continued on Page 82) Dr. Oswald J. Smith Him so quickly? We never hear of them making a mistake and calling anyone else God’s Son. He and He alone was so designated. Satan tempted Him on the basis of His Sonship. “ If thou be the Son of God,” he cried (Luke 4:3,9). Did he ever tempt another thus? Of course not. He knew full well that Jesus was in very deed the unique Son of the Al mighty. Satan never spoke of another as God’s Son. Peter called Him the Son of God, “ Thou art the Christ, the Son of the liv ing God” (Matt. 16:16). Peter was well acquainted with his brother Andrew and the other disciples, and well he knew that they were children of God, but he never singled out any one of them and called him the Son of God. John believed Him to be the Son of God. In numerous passages he called Him the Son of God, both in his Gospel as well as in his epistles, and in First John 4:15 he plainly states that only those who believe Him to be God’s Son are really saved. He always sets Him forth as the one and only Son, the “ only begotten of the Father.” Jesus Himself claimed to be the Son of God. One reference will suffice since it is unanswerable. In Mark 14:61-64 we are presented with a most amazing scene. The high priest challenges Him with the question, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus could not remain silent. His answer was im Page Eight T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S The SECURITY of the BELIEVER By Douglas C. Hartley Part Two S OMETIMES earthly sons are diso bedient, but still they are sons by birth. So God’s sons by the new birth remain sons though sometimes they may fall. Their sin is under the blood, although they lose in reward. ‘‘My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not [i.e., live in wilful rebellion]. And if any man sin [Greek ‘should sin,’ a single act, not constant lawlessness and open an archy], we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of the whole world [of all who have lived, are living, and who ever shall live]” (1 John 2:1,2). Christ met the debt of all sin fully and to spare. This passage is addressed to believers. His treasury of pardon is inconceivably full. He who was rich and became poor to make us rich (2 Cor. 8 :9), will never allow us to become impoverished again. If we sin, we must confess it to Him, expressing our sorrow, and Christ the Treasurer will square our account. We will lose in joy, but not in salvation. We must not “ use liberty for an occa sion to the flesh” (Gal. 5:13), yet Paul was conscious of unwilling sin because of necessary contact with the world. “ For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do . . . I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me” (Rom. 7:19,21). This is not just a pos sibility that may affect some, but a law to which all, regardless of their high spiritual state, are subject in varying degree. “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” he cries in verse 24, and answers in verse 25 in a burst of praise and joy, “ I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind [or understanding—Weymouth] I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh [or lower nature] the law of sin.” While Paul emphasizes that there is no sinless perfection, he also stresses that, once saved, there is no loss of sal vation. Witness the triumphant first verse of Romans 8: “ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” “Are in Christ”—a permanent, not a spasmodic condition. The normal, everyday walk shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb. 9:24,25,28). To those who look to Him, and for Him, there can be no sin charged: only com plete salvation at His coming. “ Come, ye blessed of my Father, in herit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). If some of us may not hold out, how did God know before the foundation of the world, how large to is what counts—not occasional faults in the walk. Constantly-repeated general forgiveness for past sin belonged to the Law—a sacrifice for every transgres sion, with the priest entering the Holy Place once a year, first for himself, then for the people. “ For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands” to “ offer himself often . . . Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him Page Nine A U G U S T , 1 9 5 2 make the kingdom, and what rewards to prepare? In His foreknowledge, He does know. Why then eat out your heart in anxious thought? “ Cast[ing] all your care upon him, for he careth for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). We cannot inherit some thing that God has not prepared for us, any more than we can fail to receive that which He has specifically prepared for no one but us. God’s grace does not depend upon our being in or out of grace at death. How then could we know that any of the Apostles or the early fathers will be saved: or the martyrs, or Luther, Wycliffe, Huss, Carey, Spurgeon, Moody, or other stalwarts? We could only be sure of those especially men tioned in God’s Word as having been translated, or in Hebrews 11—the Faith Chapter; or the dying thief on the cross, the only divinely-authenticated death in the Lord to which we can point. Unless we have a sound basis for assurance, all others can only say, “ When the roll is called up yonder, I hope to be there but I cannot count on it.” It is not in our own watchful care that we have salvation, but through believing faith in Jesus Christ, “ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, accord ing to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1 :7,8). Grace that would make possible only a perishable redemption, or one that falls short, cannot be considered in terms of riches; it is not God’s brand of grace. His kind is related in Second Peter 1:2-4: “ Grace and peace be multi plied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord. Accord ing as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called'us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the di vine nature, having escaped the corrup tion that is in the world through lust.” How can a lost redemption, and a non permanent salvation, call us to glory and virtue? Can sin attack to the loss of salvation the divine nature of which we are partakers? Finally Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He does not say that we do not deviate a hair’s breadth. How, too, can He know them if of ourselves we can forfeit and take up again our position as God’s sons? “ And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (v. 28). How can Jesus promise this if it can not be fulfilled should we suddenly die without a last opportunity to make our peace with Him? This smacks strongly of Eoman Catholicism’s last rites of the Church, rather than Bible-based Christianity. “ I give,” says Jesus, “they shall never perish.” Can we rob Jesus of His power as the Christ? To whose strength shall we look—our own impo tent inability or “ the power of His resurrection” ? Summarizing, the Scriptures teach that: Without security there is doubt of God’s love : “ Love covereth all sins” (Prov. 10:12); “ Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in the world” (1 John 4:17). Verse 3 of chapter 3 states, “ pure, even as He is pure”—the imputed righteousness of Christ. Without security there is doubt of God’s power : “ That I may know him and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10). It is not the electric bulb that gropes along the wire to the power house, but the dynamo that causes the dead globe to burst into glorious vital ity at its touch. Similarly Christ’s res urrection power surges into the believer, and overcoming all obstacles, performs the miracle of new birth into life ever lasting. Without security there is denial of the Scriptures themselves : “ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification” (Rom. 5:18); and verse 21, “ As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Just as salvation is not of works, or of the keeping of the law, so it is not through our own efforts to keep free from sin, although all these are ful filled in Christ. It is His blood that cleanses; it is He who saves by grace. Without security there is denial of Divine inspiration of the Scriptures: “ For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day” (2 Tim. 1:12b). How could Paul be inspired to write this if he himself might die in a fallen state of grace? He must have been inspired as to the security of the believer to have written it. Without security there is denial that God lives in our hearts: “ If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23)—not an overnight lodg ing, an intermittent stay, but a perma nent abiding place. Once in possession, Christ is one tenant who cannot be evicted. Without security Christ is made a liar: First, we deny John 14:23 quoted above. In verse 27 Jesus further states “My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth.” Jesus does not make worldly gifts—cheap, useless, perishable baubles given for personal gain, or that may be withdrawn; but, because He loved us, He gave His all without reser vation. How can we have His peace when we are filled with the gnawing fear of uncertainty? Without security there is a form of godliness, but denial of its power: Sec ond Timothy 3:5 refers to hypocrites, professed followers of Christ, but whose lives lack proof and assurance, not only to the world, but to the professor as well. Let us answer honestly whether the security of the believer or the “ saved and lost” theory is depicted in the sad condition described by this aw ful condemnation. Without security witness and service are weak and ineffectual: John starts his First Epistle: “ That which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.” What definite assur ance from actual experience! What su preme confidence in an able God! John knew that in every circumstance it worked. Because he had security, his witness was sure and, being sure, he was able to look beyond himself to the needs of others, and to lose himself— not in fearful fretting for himself—but in the service of Christ for others. Paul was willing to be accursed from Christ to save Israel (Rom. 9 :3), but once Christ’s, nothing could separate him from the love of God. He was a special vessel given to Christ by the Father as proof that even a “ perse cutor” could be saved and kept. The Psalmist pleads (39 :4): “ Make me to know my end.” The believer knows “ whom he has believed; that He is able to keep that which has been committed to him against that day.” Those who doubt their security cannot sing “ Safe am I,” and “He lives within my heart.” Doubt kills faith, but where faith is, there is no doubt. While the Scriptures proclaim se curity, there may be mere professors living in a fool’s paradise. As we have seen, if one professes, but continues to live a life of wilful, habitual sin, he may well be concerned about his soul’s condition. Christ alone, the resurrected and living Word, is his judge, but the written Word indicates that he is one who has escaped “ the pollutions of the world through knowledge [intellectual] of the Lord Jesus Christ, and . . . again entangled therein, and overcome” (2 Pet. 2:20). Probably the most assuring proof of real salvation is the concern and re morse of the true Christian when he fails his Lord. The unsaved professor is likely to be unconcerned, or emphasizes faith, conveniently overlooking the truth that “faith without works is dead.” “ Let a man examine himself” (1 Cor. 11:28). If saved, then saved and kept forever. If not sure, then “whosoever will may come” ; “ In the day of salva tion have I succoured thee . . . now is the accepted time . . . now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Page Ten T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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