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March, 1939
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
as we have seen, yet no new doctrinal un- foldings were added to this revelation of the mystery. A Comprehensive Message A thoughtful consideration of Paul’s let ters will reveal the wonderful scope of his ministry, linking itself intimately with that of all his fellow servants and yet tran scending them all. In the epistles to the Thessalonians, which are the earliest of his letters to be preserved for the edification of the church, Paul un folds precious truth as to the consummation of the Christian’s path—the coming of our Lord Jesus and our gathering together unto Him. In the first epistle the emphasis is laid upon our Lord’s coming for His saints, to take them to be with Himself. In the second letter he dwells largely on Christ’s revelation from heaven with all His saints when He descends to take the kingdom and reign in righteousness over a redeemed universe. Next in order of time we have the epistles to the Corinthians. In these we have, in the first, the order and discipline of the church of God viewed in responsi bility, in the place of testimony on the earth, and in the second, that edifying ministry which the risen Christ has given to His church for its instruction and growth. Note that in Scripture the church is never, as in Romish conceptions, the teacher, but Christ has given gifts to His church that it may be taught of Him through His servants. Were the churches today more subject to what the Lord has given us in these Co rinthian letters, godly order would displace fleshly confusion. It is not possible to pronounce with abso lute certainty as to the order in which all Paul's epistles were written, but it is evi dent that Galatians and Romans are most definitely related. In the former, law and grace are fully discussed and the relative place of each, in the divine scheme, made clear, while in the latter we have the fullest unfolding of the gospel of God that has ever been made known. That gospel reveals the righteousness of God, showing how God can be just and the justifier of all who believe in Jesus. It harmonizes God’s present work of grace among all men with the promises made of old to Israel and shows the practical results that flow therefrom. Colossians and Philemon belong together. Whether written, as some suppose, in prison in Caesarea, or with others in Rome, both were carried by Onesimus, the con verted runaway slave, to Colosse. The great theme of the longer letter is the Headship of Christ, a truth that was in danger of being subordinated or ignored because of false teachers and therefore needed full re iteration and explanation. The smaller letter, the one to Philemon, has been well described as "the finest specimen of early Christian personal correspondence extant." It illus trates beautifully the great truths of substi tution and acceptance. Ephesians is the capstone of the Pauline revelation. Here we have restated that “whole counsel of God” which Paul told the Ephesian elders he had already declared unto them (Acts 20:27, R .V .). It opens up the truth as to the church as the Body of Christ with its glorious privileges, as well
as the walk that should characterize those so richly blessed. Philippians is the epistle of Christian ex perience, and consequently it is radiant with the joy of the Lord. For real Christian ex perience consists of the knowledge of, the enjoyment of, and the manifestation of, Christ Himself, and of this the letter treats. The pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus stress the importance of sound teach ing coupled with sound living in order to combat the growing evil of the age. Hebrews, I know, is not ascribed to Paul by many. I have given my own reasons elsewhere* for holding to the Pauline authorship. The Epistle to the Hebrews is the call to converted Hebrews to come outside the camp of Judaism, giving Christ the pre-eminent place, as He has fulfilled all the types and shadows of the Mosaic dispensation. As such, it is a fitting close to this wonderful scope of ministry given through Paul. *T he Epistle to the Hebrews and Lectures on Titus, by H. A. Ironside. Cloth, $1.00; paper, 50 cents. RUSSIAN REVELATION: Paul Mallon, noted Washington columnist, recently has completed one of the fairest and most far- reaching investigations ever made into ac tual conditions in the Soviet Union. So well documented are his conclusions and the facts upon which they are based, that he has defied any Soviet spokesman to deny them. No denial has been made, and none will be attempted, according to present indications. Mr. Mallon’s investigation shows clearly his conclusion: “The standard of living in Red Heaven’ is today—believe it—actually lower than it was under the czar.” After twenty years of the Soviet experi ment, the plain record shows that, "the new communist despotism in Russia has suc ceeded only in making the people worse off than before. You can prove it,” de clares Mr. Mallon, and he offers irrefutable evidence to back up his statement. The Mallon report comes as a revelation to vast elements of the "liberal” school of thought. Many, who by no means could be said to favor communism, have, neverthe less, been rather free and even reckless in their concession to the effect that "after all. Sovietism has made remarkable progress, at least along some lines.” The Mallon survey shows conclusively the complete and thorough bankruptcy of the whole Soviet scheme. “NAZIFICATION” IRKS ITALY : When “the Rome-Berlin axis” was first set in mo tion, I believe it was Keith Brooks who said that there was not enough grease in Europe to keep it spinning. Evidence on all sides indicates that, despite frantic ef forts to “jazz" up its retarding action, the
The Apostle Paul’s life was one of in tense devotion to the Christ who had won his heart and had separated him to be His ambassador to the Gentiles. In this calling he gloried. He magnified his office. But, on the other hand, he never ceased to have a passionate, yearning love for Israel; and wherever he went, his message, to the very end, was “to the Jew first.” No one saw with clearer vision the sins and failures of his people, but no one was prepared to endure more on their behalf if he might but win them for Christ. Passionate Devotion to Christ The record of Paul’s sufferings is simply staggering. One wonders how any man was able to go through all that he was called upon to endure for the gospel’s sake. But he bore it all gladly, desiring only that Christ might be magnified in him, whether in life or in death. As we today look back over nineteen hundred years of human history, he towers high above all the men of his time, and we hear him challenging us still to follow him as he followed Christ. A Chicago Tribune correspondent re cently reported "smoldering Italian reac tion” against the Nazi "Germanization of Italy.” Nazis “are overrunning the coun try,” according to that observer. "In all large Italian towns the Germans have es tablished party organizations . . . Three Germans actually sit on Premier Musso lini’s commission for ‘defense of the race.’ German technicians are in the war muni tions factories. Furthermore, German spe cialists in Italy are working out various re forms, and Fascist party purges actually have been made at the insistence of Nazis.” Mussolini’s secret police are ruthlessly suppressing any overt expression of the rising tide of “anti-Germanism” produced among the Italian populace by the intensi fying Nazification of the country. But even the sternest measures are failing to stamp out the smoldering resentment of the masses of the people. Fascist leaders view the sit uation with unconcealed alarm. Apparently they recognize that, while the growing re action against Hitlerism may be controlled for the present, it might become explosive in case of war. With the Fascist army en gaged at the front, revolution might easily break but behind the lines, if public opinion continues to rise in revolt against the Hit lerite penetration of Italy. “AMERICANIZATION” OF SCOTCH: The United States has practically taken over the Scotch liquor business, according to recently released trade statistics. Nearly seventy-five per cent of the entire output of all Scotch distilleries is sold and consumed [Continued on page 127} faltering mechanism is, like the proverbial merry-go-round, breaking down.
Views and Reviews of Current News By D A N G ILBERT Washington, D. C., and San Diego, California
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