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T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
December 1932
deplorable. In Romans 1, Paul gives us a picture of the heathen world. Contemporary historians confirm it. Phil osophy had not satisfied the soul of the Greek nor the bar barian. The Greeks ridiculed their own mythology. Phil osophy declared the virtues, but gave to its devotees no power to overcome the things which were degrading man. Rome was sick at heart. Jewish history demonstrated the insufficiency of human righteousness. The history of Greece demonstrated that the world by wisdom knew not God. The history of the barbarians demonstrated that, when men are left to themselves, they go from bad to worse. The history of Rome demonstrated the fact that it is not by might, nor power, but by the Lord’s Spirit. Reli gion had collapsed. Every man-made device for the salva tion of souls had failed. Inhuman cruelty was practiced without protest anywhere. Licentiousness abounded in high places and low. Suicide was commonplace. Homi cide walked abroad at midday. Despair filled all hearts. The lips of the entire world were crying for a supernatural Deliverer. The time was full, so “ God sent forth his Son.” S en t F orth God sent forth his
The little nation gave to the world the Parthenon, which is the acme of architecture. Phidias, the greatest of all sculptors, lived in this land during the period of Grecian ascendency. Superintellectuals abounded. Greece was the intellectual nation among the nations. She taught men how to think. Slowly there was developed a language which is the most nearly perfect instrument of human thought that exists. Alexander had taken Greek literature and language over the earth. When Rome cap tured Greece, the Romans themselves were conquered by the literature and language of Greece. At the time of Christ’s birth, all people were speaking Greek. The Old Testament had been translated into Greek, the translation being known as the Septuagint. When the gospel, there fore, was written in Greek, the Hebrew, the Roman, and the barbarian were all able to read the good news con cerning the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord (cf. Acts 21: 37, 40 where Paul, a Jew, was asked in Jerusalem whether he spoke Greek). Intellectually and linguistically the Greeks were used by God to prepare the world for the coming of Christ. T he R omans The period previous to
Son.” Christ was not a product of His age. Philosophers appear in galaxies, but no great men were in sight when Christ was born. He was not a development from beneath, but a gift from above. Greece gave to the world Socrates, the son of Sophroniscus. Heav en gave to the world Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “ God sent forth.” The apostles were sent forth from the exterior of deity with authority and com mission. T h e S o n was sent forth from the very interior of the Godhead. Ek, the prefix to the Greek for “ sent forth,” im plies motion f r o m the interior. Christ was sent out from the very center of God. He was of the same substance, nature, dignity, and glory as the Father. Our Lord did not lay aside His deity or His sonship. He b rough t bo th with Him. Christ did lay aside, how ever, the visible man- ife s ta tion o f H is deity. [Continued on page 512]
the coming of Christ was also filled full gradually th rou gh Rome. One hundred years p rev iou s to Christ’s coming, the world was d iv id ed into petty principali ties. Th e na tion s were localized and divided. Nation was at war with nation. It was almost impos sible to travel from country to country. However, Rome had subdued the nations of the world. The iron kingdom had unified the many races and states into one great world em pire. As a Roman citizen, it was pos sible for Paul to travel with safety and alacrity from one end of this vast em pire to the other. The Romans were great road builders. Passable h ighways extended from east to west, from north to sbuth. The mes sengers of the gos pel were thus en abled to carry the good news with ease and s p e e d f r o m Spain to India, from Germany to. Africa. Conditions in gen eral at this time were
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