314
August, 1937
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
“ I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2), Paul stated. Absolutely preeminent is this message in the heart of every sinner to whom the Holy Spirit has revealed the truth which eclipses all philosophies, ambitions, and achieve ments which earth-bound creatures can of fer. May the eyes of our understanding be enlightened, that we may see the glory which the Lord Jesus Christ had with the eternal Father before the world began! May He who created the universe and us, create within us a new spirit which will rejoice in God our Saviour! Helps for the Leader I. E qual w ith G od “ Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 John 3). The salutations of the Epistles constitute one of the links in the great chain of proof of the deity of Christ. Here is a case in point. Notice these words: “ From God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Here are the Father and Christ linked together on a plane of equality. It is an essential article of the faith that Jesus Christ is God. We cannot understand all the mystery of His Person, but we can bow in adoration be fore Him and give Him His rightful place as our Lord and our God .—Our Hope, II. J ohn ’ s W itness to C hrist ’ s D eity Let us not miss the importance of the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ mentions Himself in the same breath with God, that is, the Father. The Gospel according to John is full of statements of such equality. Its opening sentence introduces this truth: “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). A little later we are told: “He hath given all judgment unto the S oil ; that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that hon- oreth not the Son honoreth not the Father that sent him” (John 5:22, 23, R. V .). These words must be read in the light of the pre rogatives which the Father bestowed upon the Son, namely, the power to raise the dead and the right to judge. It is only as we give the Lord Jesus Christ this honor that is due Him, that we can appreciate His contextual utterance: “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and be- lieveth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life” (John 5:24, R. V .). It is only as we give Christ His full value in our thinking, service, and worship, that we can ever get the blessing from any of His words. Jesus not only be lieved Himself to be one with the Father, but He used that truth as the basis of all His claims and invitations. — F rank E. G aebelein . SEPTEMBER 19, 1937 TEACHINGS OF JESUS FOR TODAY’S WORLD M atthew 5:1-12, 38-48; M ark 12:30-34 Meditation on the Lesson Today we hear a great deal about the “ teachings of Jesus,” but comparatively
life lies in our being satisfied with some thing less than God’s perfect standard? We are a pattern of good works in some things, and promptly lapse into self-satis faction. Only a frank facing of the vast gap between our attainment and what God would have us be will keep us humble and looking to the One who is our perfect righteousness through His complete obedi ence to God.— F rank E. G aebelein . SEPTEMBER 12, 1937 HOW JESUS REVEALS GOD J o h n 1:14-18 Meditation on the Lesson What did Jesus mean when He said, in John 10:30, “ I and my Father are one” ? No plainer statement of His deity could possibly be phrased. The Jews who heard that declaration took up stones to stone Him for blasphemy, giving as their reason, “Be cause that thou, being a man, makest thy self God” (John 10:31, 33). From Christ’s own words we must either believe that the Jesus who worked, walked, and died on the earth nineteen centuries ago was the Sec ond Person, the triune God incarnate, or that He was the most colossal imposter the world has yet known. One who makes such stupendous claims as 'did Jesus Christ must produce credentials worthy of our faith and conviction. How did the Lord Jesus prove His claims to equality with the God of heaven and earth? The miracle of His virgin birth, the testimony of John the Baptist, a life of sinless perfection, innumerable miracles, and a supernatural resurrection from the dead are irrefutable proofs that the Lord Jesus Christ was the eternal God appear ing in the form of human flesh that He might put away the sin of the world. He came, not as an example or leader of a new religion, but as the only means whereby God could reconcile a rebellious, depraved world of men unto Himself. Jesus Christ was the Way, not a way, or a way-shower. He alone could meet the requirements of a holy, righteous, and just God, and could bring the sinner into fellowship with Him by offering Himself up as an eternal sacri fice for mankind’s transgressions. His blood alone was efficacious to blot out the dreadful sum of human wickedness. In the opening verses of John’s Gospel we find the simple declaration of the means by which the eternal W'ord who “was God” (John 1:1) was revealed to man. He “was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The only way by which human beings can ever know God is in Jesus Christ, who Himself declared, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9; cf. 1:18). The impact of Christ’s life upon the world proves that He is the true Revelation of the one God. Paul’s life was propelled by the living power of a crucified, risen, and interceding Saviour, who once was manifest in the flesh, and bore the shame and ignominy of a lost race on a cruel Ro man cross. Paul’s one message was that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Cor. 5:19), Paul’s whole soul and body were consecrated to the task of proclaiming salvation through His blood:
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