December 1931
544
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
P utting E rror to F light Genesis 1 :1 puts anti-Christianity, on the run. 'it- repu diates various forms of. error. It declares that God is. The fact of God repudiates atheism. It tells us not only that God is, but what God does, and away goes agnosticism. God is one—and awày goes polytheism. Matter is not God. God is not matter. In this verse, God and matter are separate, so pantheism receives a death •blow. Matter is, and God created it. These facts expose the fallacy of Eddyism. This text and the vèrses that follow distinguish be tween “created,” “formed,” and “made” ; and so the empti ness of evolution is unveiled.
the Son was the Builder; the Holy Spirit was the Decorator who made the universe beautiful. However, the Son was the chief factor in creation. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” There are three heavens. The first heaven is where the clouds loiter, where the wind blows, where the atmosphere is present. The second heaven is where the stars twinkle. Larger and greater numbers of stars are being discovered every year. The largest star so far discovered is so large that, if hollow, it would Hold our whole solar system, out to Mars, with fifty-five million miles to spare oh every side. The third heaven is the place where God’s throne is, where the glorified body of Christ is, and where the Mediator is now interceding for each one of us who are in Him, The earth is mentioned almost one thousand times in the Bible. In Isaiah 45 :18, we are told a number of things about the earth. First, God Himself formed the earth. Second, God made the earth. Third, God established the earth. Fourth, God created the earth not empty nor without form. Fifth, God formed the eftrth to be inhabited. To those who can see, the earth is full of God’s glory. ^ 7 T ft 0 N G -, sympathetic, sinless, and sufficient—such is the picture of our High Prièst pre sented in these thirteen verses. He is'easily identified by the names and titles accorded Him, to say nothing of the detailed description in chapter 5, verses 7 and 8. Jesus, Christ, a Son, my Son, Son of God, Priest, High Priest, great High Priest, and the Author of eternal salvation are all found within the small compass of our lesson text. Let us observe, first, the assertion found in 4:14: “We have a great high priest, that is passed into [through] the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” This is intended to trans fer the thought of the reader from earth to heaven, from religious formality to spiritual fact. The fact should be ac cepted by faith, for it is through faith that revealed facts become realities in experience. We possess our possessions ■through the constant operation of faith. “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Re vealed facts, not feelings or fears, are to be believed. There is a great fact before us in the words, “We have à great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” Repeat this verse again and again with emphasis on the first two words, “we have.” Believe, and assert in the power of faith, that what God says is true, is true of you, and is true of you now. This is the victory that over comes the world, even our faith. I O ur H igh .P riest is S trong Our High Priest is superior to angels, to Moses, to Aaron, and to all others. The word “great” suggests this. He is great in His person as Jesus, the Son of God. He is Hebrews 4:14 to 5:10
God created. In John 1 :1 to 3 and elsewhere, we read that God the Son created. This repudiates RüssëÎlism, which places the Son of God among thé creatures of God. God is. That is a fact. Man is. That is a fact. Mart who is, must appear before God who is. Every one of us “shall give account of himself to God.” Are you prepared to meet your God? . . , STUDIES EPISTLE <» iL HEBREWS . . . By JOHN C. PAGE, Los Angeles, Calif.
great in the place He occupies and in His1power to save to the uttermost all that come Unto God by Him ( 7 :25) . He is great in His Calvary sacrifice, great in His heavenly sanctuary, and great in His present service on behalf of His people. He has settléd the sin question and has given us access into the pfesencé chamber of God; even to'the very “throne of grace.” The priesthood in Israel was the center of an elaborate religious, ritual. Apart from the high priest and his work, this ritual had no efficacy. The tabernacle was a copy of things in the heavens. As the high priest of Israel, on thè Day of Atonement, traversed the distance between the altar of sacrifice and the mercy seat, so did our High Priest go all the way from the cross of Calvary, through the heavens, into the presence of the infinite God. As we listén, we can hear the angelic choir chanting in antiphonal chorus the words of Psalm 24 : “Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory ? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” Thus He appears as the great High Priest of His people, strong and mighty to save amid the perils of our pilgrim way. It is in this very capacity, as pilgrims journeying through an unfriendly world, that we need One who is strong and mighty in battle. Many pilgrims somehow get inside Doubting Castle and into bypaths that lead anywhere but toward home. These must be rescued and delivered. Not willful sin, but the weakness of the flesh and the weaknèss of faith are cared for in the provision of grace made by our great High Priest. Because of what He is— Jesus the Son of God, and because of" where He is—hav ing passed into the heavens, we are exhorted and encour-
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