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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
May 1926
"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where aln abounded, grace did mueh more abound. "That as sin hath reigned nnto denth, even so might graee reign throngh righteousness unto eternul life hy Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (2 Tim. 2:12 ). (4) BIN: Instead of the vain hope of being able to work out one’s own salvation by good works, and thus ad ding to one’s store of "merit,” we have (Rom.. 3 :20 ): "Therefore, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be JustMed In bis sight i for by the law Is the knowledge of sin.” (Titus 3 :6 ): "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regenera tion and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (Eph. 2:8, 9 ): "For by graee are ye saved, through faith* and that not of yourselves: It Is the gift of God: "Not of works lest any man should boast.” Instead of the vague hope of attain ing at last to "Nirvana,” we have (John 14 :2 ): MIn my Father’s house are many man sions| if It were not so* I would have told you* I go to prepare a place for you.” (Next month “How to Meet the Errors of Mormonlsm.” )
, ( 3) MAN: Instead of a confused and compound personality, working out its own salvation through many incarnations, we have a being created in the image of God (Gen. 1 :27 ), but fallen (1 Cor. 16 :22 ): "For as In Adam all die, even so lu Christ shall all be made alive.” (Gal. 8 :22 ): "But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” (Rom. 8 :12 ): "There Is none that doeth good, no not one.” ThiB fallen being, however, the in stant he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, is forgiven, the iron law of ret ribution is annulled, the penalty re mitted, and he is made one with God forever, destined— not to attain to “ Nirvana” (or nothingness)— but to share in the rule of a regenerated and perfected world. (Isa. 63 :6 ): "All we like sheep have gone astray| we have turned every one to his own ways and the Lord hath laid on Him the Iniquity of us all.” (Rom. 10:9, 10 ): "That If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe In thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. "For with the heart man belleveth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession Is made uato salvation.” (Rom. 6:19-21): "For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obe dience of one shall many be made right eous. ¿tfc. Jit .Alfe it* Mì
(2 ) GOD (Father, Son and Holy Spirit.) Instead ol an Impersonal Gbd that can neither see, nor (eel, nor hear, we have One to whom we can look up and say, "My Father and my God.*’ (Gen. 1 7 :1 ): "A ad when Abram was ninety years old and nine, tbe Lord appeared to Abram and aald onto blm, I am tbe Almlyhty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” (Psa. 103:13): “Like an a father pltleth hla children, ao the Lord pltleth them that fear Him.” We have Jesus Christ, the only be gotten Son ot the Father, the Eternal Logos, or Word (John 1 :1 ): "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Isa. 9 :6 ). He is the Man in the glory, who was tempted In all points like as we are (Heb. 4 :1 5 ); who is coming again to receive us unto Himself (John 14 :3 ); who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 1 4 :6 ); and who gives us the assurance that, because He lives, we shall live also (John 14:19). We have the Holy Spirit,— not an impalpable effluence, but a real per son, the Comforter, one with the Fa ther and the Son (John 14 :16 ): "I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that Ho may abide with you forever.” (1 John 5 :7 ): "For there are three that hear record In heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost i and these three are one.” (Eph. 4:30 ).
(The suggestions given above are taken from a Correspondence Course on “Personal a n d Practical Christian Work/* by T. C. Horton, one of the many courses offered by the Correspondence School of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Further information concern ing these courses will be cheerfully given by the Secretary, Keith L. Brooks, 536 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, Calif.) Outline Studies in the Ep istles o f John T. C. Horton THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN Outline of the Epistle: (1 ) Introduction (1 :1 -4 ). (2 ) God is Light: Fellowship with God in light (1 :5 to 2:28). (3 ) God is Love. The sonship of the believer (2:29 to 3:24). (4 ) Source of Sonship: Possessed by the Spirit (4 :1 to 5:12). ( 6) Conclusion. The law of love (6:13-21). auch we are. For this eauae the world knowetk na not i becauae It knew him not. “Beloved, now are we the children of God, and It Is not yet made manifest what we shall be# We know that If he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is# “And every one that hath this hope set on him purifleth himself even as he Is pure” (Re V.). We are “ children” of God,— “ be loved” children. Note that the' ex pression "children” is used, not "sons.” "Sons” refers to position rather than relationship. We are chil dren by birth, and sons by adoption (Gal. 4 :6 ).
HOW ONE YOUNG MAN USED THE “ OUTLINE STUDIES” "Recently I was with my father in a meeting. Having spent some fifteen years as a singer, he called on me to give some Bible Read ings in the day meetings. I had in my trunk your studies in Jude, and annOunted that 1 would give eight lectures on the Book of Jude. “ To make a ‘long story short’ it was a wonderful success. The Lord blessed the studies in a won derful way and we had a good attendance every day for eight days. I never knew before that Jude was such a rich book. I thank you. I want -dlt the good things I can get on the Bible and have no fears about passing on anything that comes from you." Have you "passed on” any of the good things you have found in The King’s Business? If so, and the Lord has blepsed them and you, tell us about it. A number have asked if these Outline Studies will be pub lished in book form, and we are planning to do this shortly.
The second chapter of this First Epistle of John closes with an exhorta tion to “ Abide in Him” that His right eousness in us may be manifest to the world. We come now to the third chapter, the theme of which is "God is Love: The Sonship of the Believer." Outline of Third Chapter: (1 ) Our Present Position and Glor ious Prospect, vs. 1-3. (2 ) Our Purifying Hope, vs. 4-10. (3 ) Our Peculiar Obligation, vs. I l ls . . (4 ) Our Purpose and Practice, vs. 19-24. . We have looked in the previous les sons at the believer’s relationship with the Father, through Jesus Christ who revealed Him,— God manifest in the flesh. Now we come to (1 ) OUR PRESENT POSITION AND GLORIOUS PROSPECT, vs. 1-3. "Behold, what manner of love the Fa ther hath beatowed upon ua, that we ahonld be called children of Godt and
The use of the word "children” sug gests nature, and we who have been born of God, have the nature of God, our Father. - Jesus is not ashamed to call us “ brethren” (Heb. 2:11 ), and God is not ashamed to call us His children. We are children of God! Love hath wrought it. What love! We are to behold it; admire it; reciprocate it. The world offers a man something to have, i.e., to improve his condition, a better position, better home, more money, less work; but God goes deeper. He gets at the root of the matter by proposing to better our con dition by improving our character, God offers something to be! When Adam and Eve lost their char acter, through disobedience, Paradise was no more Paradise. Innocency was
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