December 1927
802
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
' ?------------------- *r Bible Food for Preacher and Teacher
He fiUeth thee with the finest of the wheat. Psalm 147:14 -t,________ !____ ci
F in e s t o f
the Wheat
..------- --- -------
-- --- HC
V—■----------------------------■------------ •f i READY BIBLE OUTLINES ^ The Son of God Made Flesh (John 1:1-14) Outline: The Eternal Word 1. In the Beginning was the Word (v. 1). (a) In the beginning God (Gen. 1:1). 1. The Word was in the beginning (v.l). 2. God was in the beginning (Gen. 1:1). 3. The Word is settled forever (Psa. 119). (a) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word (Matt. 24: 35). 4. God and the Word were together in H^he beginning (v. 2). ( a ) '“Let us make man” (Gen. 1 :26). The Living Word 1. The Pre-existence of the Word (v. 3; Col. 1:17; 1 Jn. 1:1). 1. Personality—“By Him” (Col. 1 :16, 17). 2. Creator—“All things made” (v. 3;' Col. 1 :16, 17). 3. Sustainer—-“In Him was life” (v. 4; Cob 3:4; 1 Jn. 5:12). , 2. The life and the source of all life (v. 4; Jn. ll:25f|14:6). 1. The life was manifest (1 Tim. 3:16). (a) Heard, seen, and handled (1 Jn. 1:1). . 3. The light, and the source of all light (vs. 4, 5; Jn. 8:12; 3:19; 12:46). (a) The Light departs (Jn. 12:35), but sends the Holy Spirit, who reveals Him (the light) Jn. 14: 16; 15:16; 16:7). (b) He will be revealed as the source of all material light, as well as spiritual (Rev. 21:23; 22:5). The Revealed Word 1. The Incarnate Word (v. 14). 1. Made flesh (v. 14; Isa. 7:14; Lk. 1: 31, 32). 2. Made a little lower (for a little while) than the angels (Psa. 8:5; Heb. 2:7, 9). 3. Made in the likeness of man (Phil. 2:7). 4. Made in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8 :2). 2. The Revealed Word (v. 14). 1. Made flesh . . . beheld His glory . . . glory of the Father (v. 14). (a) The whole Bible is a revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1), and He is a revelation of the Father (Jn. 14:9). He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (Jn. 14:6). (b) He- was in the glory of the Fa ther before the world was (Jn. 17:5). —A. D. Ellington. 1. The Eternal Word. 2. The Living Word. 3. The Revealed Word.
V-------------------------------------------- ■# OUR MAIL BAG *------------------------------------- 4 Our Relation to Mosaic Law To F. M. P. H / E note objection to article in our September number entitled “A Breeze From Snow-Capped Mountains,” in which the author takes the position that the moral law of the Old Testament has never been abrogated and the command ments are still the law of God for the government of His people. The author says: “This is neither the day nor the time to forget God’s law. If men would let the breezes of Sinai blow across their souls, they would be cleaner.” You say, “How can any man pass as a minister and write a thing like that? The fact that so many ministers have taught the moral law as given Moses In connection with the Gospel of Christ ex plains why the world is so full of moral ity and man-made religion. It is a flat repudiation of the death of Christ for the world’s sins.” Does not our Lord Jesus Himself, the First Great Teacher of the Gospel, re affirm all of the great moral laws of the decalog, and is not any minister safe in doing what He did? Do we not also find them reiterated in the Church Epistles— not as a plan whereby we may attain righteousness and salvation before God, but as a test of our spiritual condition and a revelation of the righteous requirements of our Heavenly Father? As to the au thor of this article placing salvation on the basis of law-keeping or flatly repu diating the death of Christ, we are won dering if you failed to go on and read what he had to say about Calvary’s mountain ? The notion has too often been created by some Bible teachers that nothing what ever is required of a Christian but to ac cept Christ and follow the leading of the Spirit. Some have gone so far as to say that even the teachings of Jesus Christ were “Law raised to its most deathful and destructive potency.” We are indeed set at liberty from the bondage of the Law as a whole. Our Lord redeemed us from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13), and when the Holy Spirit comes in, He frees the mind from mistaken notions about God which would fill the heart with fear. We are free in deed, but we are free to do the will of God (1 Cor. 10:29; Gal. 5:13). God has never changed or done away with the great moral principles laid down in His commandments. When it comes to the matter of “How shall a man be justified before God?” it is perfectly clear that we cannot win sal vation through the works of the Law. It is equally clear that those who are truly saved will have a high regard for God’s moral standards, whether revealed in the Pentateuch, the Gospels or the Epistles. (See our International Lesson Com ment for Jan. 22, in this issue.)
Christians and Movies To M. B.
Y O U say you believe that as a Christian you should not attend movies and that your friends call you exceedingly narrow because of your position, and tell you that if you object to movies because of the im morality of actors and actresses, you should, logically, cease to read many of the classics of literature, the writers of which were also immoral. The first question is—What influence do your movie-loving friends have for Christ ? Are they soul-winners ? Are they the kind of Christians who have a testi mony in prayer meetings? Are they pray ing people; and known to be deeply spir itual ? In the case of books you may read, the parallel is a weak one, since in this case you are not contributing to their support nor exerting a public influence which might cause weaker persons to be led astray.
\
/
DECEMBER MEMORY PASSAGES LET THE STAR SUGGEST M a tt . 2:1-11 a n d L k . 2 :8-17
We are inclined to feel'that the conse crated Christian will find himself too busy in service for Christ to attend movie shows, and will have so many demands upon his money, that he will have none to waste Upon things which do not edify. Further more, he will find that the farther he keeps from the world, the more influence he will have for Christ in the world. We are called upon to give up for His sake, not only sins, but “weights” (Heb. 12:1), things which in themselves may be legiti mate, but which unfit us for spiritual ser vice. Furthermore, the high-level Chris tian life is expressed in Paul’s words (paraphrased) : “If attending movies makes my weaker brother to offend, then I will attend no movies so long as the world stands.” You ask about the Biblical pictures now being featured. Some Christians speak highly of such pictures as “The King of Kings,” but for our part we cannot ap prove of such characters as some of these players are known to be, portraying the sacred scenes of the Scriptures, and even representing our Lord.
Made with FlippingBook Annual report