102
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
March, I93S
We are to look, not at our faith, but at faith’s object, the Lord Jesus Christ Through the shed blood of Christ, eternal justice is satisfied, the righteous God is satisfied, and the sinner may be satisfied as well. In verse 10, we read: “W e shall be saved by his life.” This statement o f course refers to Christ’s resurrection life, not the life that He lived before He went to the cross. III. T h e P a t h w a y H e T rod (Phil. 2:5-11). The mind o f Christ was such that, know ing He was eternally equal with God, He voluntarily chose to become the Servant o f God (vs. 5-7). Perhaps there is no stronger affirmation o f the essential deity of Christ than the statement that is found here. Christ’s ministry as Saviour began when He was in “the bosom o f the Father.” It was from thence that the Lord Jesus came to this world. The continuation o f the pathway is re vealed in verses 6 to 8. Jesus Christ be came the Servant o f God. None but the God-Man could enter into such a relation ship. A mere man might become the voluntary servant o f another man, but not of God. All men are the servants o f God by the very fact o f their creation, and until they recognize this relationship and obligation, they are in a state o f re bellion against God. But this Man, the sinless God-Man, could and did become the voluntary Servant of God. To do this required that He make “himself o f no reputation.” It would be an impossibility for Him to set aside His essential deity, but He emptied (or divested) Himself of the prerogatives o f deity. The “ form o f God” was relinquished for the “ form of a servant,” and the sovereignty o f deity was laid aside for the servitude of the servant. His self-abnegation is seen in His humbling o f Himself, and His self- denial is shown in His becoming obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Let us remember that all this condescension was wholly voluntary on His part. The completion of Christ’s pathway is Seen in His exaltation by God, and in Christ’s receiving, as Man, a name above every name in heaven, on earth, or under the earth (vs. 9, 10). All that the first Adam lost through disobedience, Christ regained—and more—through His obedi ence. As a Man He is forever highest in the universe, for angels, men, principal ities, and demons are to be subject unto Him (v. 11). Points and Problems The lesson for this week includes Philippians 2:5-11, which is in certain re spects the greatest Christological state ment o f the Bible. The American Revi sion is not always the best, but here it is incontestably superior to our common version. Every teacher should consult it, especially in verses 6 and 7. 1, The preexistent state of Christ is de scribed as “ in the form o f G o d Some have argued from this expression that our Lord was not the reality of God, but only a form o f divinity—that He was Godlike, but not God. The Greek word is morphe, and this word goes far deeper than our English word “ form.” Dr. Green says it means an external form which is “indica tive o f the interior nature.” Therefore, to say that Christ, was “existing in the form o f God” is to affirm that He was very God manifesting Himself in some exter nal form through which He could be known. If “form of a servant” in verse
Winona Lake School ofTheology W IN O N A LAKE , IN D IA N A
EVANGELICAL
'
SCHOLARLY
INTERDENOM INATIONAL
COURSES . . . English Bible, (Jeremiah), Bibli- cal Archaeology, Christian Ethics, Modern Cults, Christian Evidences, Hymnology, Biblical Messian- ism, Greek New Testament. Barthianism. Two Semesters of 15 days each, July 9 to Aug. 11. Work leading to regular Theological Degrees. For Ministers, Teachers, Missionaries and Laymen. Almost a score of states (besides foreign countries)
and an equal number of denominations represented
each year.
ADMINISTRATION . . . Dr. W. E. Biederwolf, President; Dr. J. A. Huffman, Dean. FACULTY . . . Dr. J. A. Huffman, Dr. Samuel M. Zwemer, Dr. Harold Paul Sloan, Dr. Leslie Ray Marston, Prof. Rollin Pease, Dr. Howard T. Kuist,
Prof. Mable McQueen Weir.
Send for 12-page Prospectus at once to
DR. J. A. HUFFMAN, Dean
MARION, INDIANA
APR IL 14, 1935 CHRIST THE SAVIOUR L u k e 2 :11, 30-32; 15:3-7 ; J o h n 3 :14-17 ; 10:9-ll, 14-16, 27, 28 ; A c ts 3 :1-18; R o m a n s 5:1-11; P h il ip p ia n s 2:5-11; 2 T im o t h y 1:9, 10 Lesson T ext: John 3:14-17; Rom. 5:6- 10; Phil. 2:5-11.
Third, there is here the greatest promise in the world: that whosoever believeth in the Son shall have eternal life. Every class, condition, and character in the world is in cluded in the word “whosoever,” so that every one can truly say: “When the Lord said ‘Whosoever,’ He included me.” The Lord then revealed the necessity of salvation as seen in the fact that the world was even then under condemnation (v. 17). There was no need that God should send His Son into the world to condemn the world, for it was already condemned. The need was for a Saviour, and to become man’s Redeemer the Son was sent. The world is still under condemnation, await ing the execution o f the sentence already pronounced upon it. But in the interim before that execution takes place, every person who, by simple faith in Jesus Christ, accepts the salvation of God, shall be free from condemnation and shall “have everlasting life.” II. T h e . G r a c e H e R e v e a ls (Rom. 5:6-10). The objects of God’s grace are strength less, sinners, and enemies of the One who bestows the grace. The expression “with out strength” implies that there is no help in man for himself; the word “sinners” has in it the thought o f needed restoration to God’s way and remission of the crimes committed against God; and the word “enemies” refers to man’s opposition to God’s government and his need o f recon ciliation to God. All these needs are met in Christ. In Him, there is restoration for the sinner (John 14:6), remission for the offenses o f the criminal (Acts 10:43), and reconciliation for the rebellious one (2 Cor. 5 :18-21). The source of our justification is grace, the condition o f it is faith, but the means o f it is blood —the blood o f the Lord Jesus Christ shed on Calvary (v. 9). Faith does not take away sins, nor does it appeal to God, nor satisfy the justice o f God; but the blood accomplishes all these purposes. BLACKBOARD LESSON
Golden T ext: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3 :16). Outline and Exposition I. T h e S a l v a t io n H e O ffers (John 3:14-17). O u r L ord used an illustration from Numbers 21:9 to make plain to Nicodemus that the salvation which He offers must be received by simple faith (vs. 14, 15). The application was plain: There was no healing efficacy in the ser pent o f brass which Moses placed upon the pole, but God had declared that when any one bitten by the fiery serpents would look, in faith, at that brazen serpent, the danger and death resulting from a snake bite would be averted. To look at the brazen serpent, it was necessary for the One who had been bitten to look away from all other means o f relief. In like manner, the one who would possess eternal life must look to Christ upon the cross, claiming no other help or hope. Putting full trust in what God has said, he must accept by faith the salvation which the Lord so free ly offers. Three things are thus involved m simple faith: First, there is the recog nition o f the need of salvation. Second, there is the confession o f that need. And third, there is the belief that God has met that need by the sacrifice o f Christ upon the cross. Following the illustration, the Lord re vealed that the source of salvation is found m the love o f God (v. 16). Three out standing truths, among others, are found in s S»reat sixteenth verse of chapter 3. First, there is here the greatest fact in the world: God loved the world. The greatness o f this truth will be understood when we consider the character o f the world. It is selfish, boastful, proud, and cruel. The condition o f the world pro claims it to be astray, the enemy o f God, and dead in trespasses and sins. The choice o f the world reveals that it loves the evil, not the good, prefers sin to holiness, and desires to be ruled by Satan rather than by God, Second, there is here the greatest gift to the w orld: God’s Son. God might have given a universe o f material things; He might have given the highest angel from heaven; but He expressed the depth of His love by giving His own Son.
Made with FlippingBook HTML5