does not mean that there were not the faithful saints of those days who did not share in these match less promises. We read such com forting verses as, "Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:22). How sad i that Saul began so well but because of following after witchcraft his fin al physical destruction was terrible. Solomon also started out beauti fully but when he brought in for eign wives they turned his heart away from the Lord so that he fol lowed pagan practices. Both Saul and Solomon could be good ex amples of believers who were out of fellowship. They each had back slidden. The fact remains that no one, or no thing, can pluck an in dividual who is in Christ's posses sion out of His hand, and God's hand as well (John 10:27, 28). We are eternally secure. This does not mean that we can even disregard the Lord's ways. God is a great disciplinarian. He is not going to let His children get away with | things. There must be a day of final setting. As one Bible teacher has put it, "If you do God's will, He i will take you home and crown you. j If you disobey, you are liable to get crowned and be taken home!" Q. Fresno, Calif. "Is it true that the believer enters into other baptisms besides that which is performed 1 with water?" A. The answer can be found in the words of John the Baptist, "I, in deed, baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire (Matthew 3:11).
Water is merely a symbol of the real baptism given by the Saviour to the believer. It is a cleansing of the heart and a washing away of sin. Q. Whittier, Calif. "What is the dif ference between immortality and eternity?" A. Immortality refers to the incor ruptibility of the believer's body after death (I Corinthians 15:51- 58). Eternity gives us a view of the entire panorama of the future. It concerns not only the resurrection 6f the unrighteous but also the resurrection of the just. Time, after all, is just an accommodation for God. He lives in the eternal day. Eternity could be considered to be ushered in after time has run its course. Q. Boise, Ida. "How can I break my sinful habit of judging others? It comes so naturally for me to be critical." A. That is a question many would do well to ask their own hearts. We are warned, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). Is it not interesting that we all want mercy to be shown toward us, but desire justice to be issued out on everybody else. When we do not know the whole story we are prone to judge. One old, but good piece of advice is, "Think twice before you speak once, and then take to yourself." Unfortunately this axiom is not followed today as it should be. Do not be the cause of an of fense to someone else. Make the situation a real matter of prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the will to turn aside the judgment of another. Try to be patient even as the Lord is with us. Page 31
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