King's Business - 1918-10

THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS their being dependent upon Paul (cf. Acts 20:32). They “ lM wo^ ° '1 their own salvation since God Himself was in them to do the work. The tact that God was in them working was also M why they should work ^with fear and trembling, in profound rev erence before that august Being who inhabited them and worked m them. T h e doctrine of God dwelUngm«> and working in us is one of the most cha acteristic doctrines of the Bio1® tie meet g| ,am . time E E g jE S™ * 1 nla i l l what i l H « The c^m enfoTB tahop H. S ' G Moule LhV s e words ls very g H ; touched upoUchOn the one hand H , in fUn exer- tian real, J PT t°o p ow e rfu l as such in else; appealed to p°nn the other hand, this ^ r ^ f a u s e b e n e l t h r e s u l t , if FheewUl is to work ¿ n ^ s j a y , § f ee theology0wUinrecognize with equal s i M f f i S I B a B fe ;: “ for the sake‘the^eternal lFving counsel is to carry out the e i - 9 - l l and of His and Notes, 2 ' ^ 2 'God’s implements for the executfon of the eternal purposes of His love K ^ I P i l « S 1' p h u H I M — God’s tto,'king in 1S" t illf should keep us from all murmuring against others This seems | m H M I l a * Things” is emphatic. Whatever we are m l » s T t f s « ‘fear and trembting , suhmission,

908 their own salvation rather than to l?e dependent upoh some Pa^or or teacher o r evangelist or other person who has b e e n of great help to them. Even an inspired Ipostle like Paul cannot stand In the Place of God, nor can he work out for us what God “ worketh m. must work it out for ourselves. The meaning of the words work out (in the Greek it is hut one word) m not to “ work out” as contrasted with work in” hut to work out in the sense of bringing to completion, to work com pletely. The Greek word so translated ?s the same word used in Rom. 4.15 and there translated worketh with out any “ out” and m 2 M O where again it is translated “ worked without any “ out. Salvation m this verse is not salvation in the sense of pardon of sin and justification and son- Fhip. Salvation in that sense the “ saints in Christ Jesus m already possessed to the full (cf. Ep . 1•7• 2 :8 ), but salvation in the sense of victory over sin which was being exper- ienced every day and to issue in finnJ glory (see Notes on ch. 1.19). Eacn dav they should work out for them­ selves more and more of salvation. This was to he done “ with fear and trembl­ ing 1 This does not mean with abject terror and with misgivings about the outcome of their efforts (cf. y g f f i 4:18), but with deep reverence before the God Who worked in them (cf. p s . o . -Ii . Tjeb 12:28, 29) and utter dis­ trust’ oFseif (1 Cor. 2 : 3 ; 2 Cor. 7:15; Eph. 6:5; 1 Cor. 10:12). The Douay (Roman Catholic) Bible has the follow- I ing comment at this place. This against the false faith and presumptu­ ous confidence of modern sectaries, . e„ the assurance of forgiveness of our sins and bur acceptance before God. There is not a hint that this is Paul s intention and it would be contrary to his constant teaching (Acts 13.38, ¿9, Rom 5:1; 8:30-39; Eph. 1:7, etc.) it is the settled and authoritative doc­ trine of the Romish Church that no man can know, with a certainty under which nothing false can lurk that he has attained the grace of ,G° d- ^ this teaching of the Romish Church contradicts the plain teaching of the Word of God. (See 1 John 5.13, 2 Tim. 1:12; 1 John 3:14; John 5:24.), THURSDAY, Oct. 3rd. Phil. 2:13. In v 13 Paul gives the reason for their working out their own salvation and not depending upon him. That rea son was “ God worketh in you. If God worked in them there was no need of

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