February, 1941
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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BRITAIN BRAVE AMID BOMBS [ Continued from Page 45] Christ over thirty-six years ago, and who is spending his time caring for European refugees and the people who nightly throng London’s subways and shelters, writes; “The gospel is being proclaimed underground in shelters and extra ordinary places. Planes roar over our heads but ‘in His will is our peace.’ We folk in Great Britain ~ thank the American Christians with all our hearts for their sincere prayers for our beloved land. Only God can save the situation. How 1we are proving Psalms 91 and 46 and other passages! But we are also living in Psalm 51. True re pentance is ours for national sin.” One may ask: What is the source of courage and inspiration for the thou sands in Britain, whose land a short time ago lay like a beautiful gem in the sun and the soft mists of the sea, but which today is a broken and scarred isle? The above letters reveal how the people are turning to God in their an guish, for they know that He is their defense. All alike ask our prayers. Will you, my friend, fervently intercede for your less fortunate fellow men in Britain as they continue to keep their morale high amid undescribable horrors? The best that those of us who love the Lord can do for those across the seas is to cease lessly pray that- a daily baptism of courage and divine grace will be theirs as the fury of hatred grows in inten sity. “Peace, perfect peace, With loved ones far away; In Jesus’ keeping We are safe—and they!” The British people are under no delu sion as to what is before them. Let us not fail them at the Throne of Grace!
The Spirit. The Spirit is the same Spirit who indwelt, infilled, and empow ered Christ when He lived and worked on eartl). On the day of Pentecost, the Lord Jesus Christ sent Him to indwell, infill, and empower the Church which is His Body and each individual Christian who is a member of that Body. The Two Positions Summarized THE SINNER IN: Satan—Sovereign over kingdom of evil and hate. World—Satanic system—Satan incar nate corporately. Flesh—Satanic spirit—Satan incarnate individually. A SPIRITUAL BLACKOUT: Unrelieved midnight darkness. Uttermost of ruin. Eternal death. THE SAINT IN: Christ—Sovereign over kingdom of holi ness and love. Church—Christ’s Body—Christ incar nate corporately. Spirit—Spirit of Christ incarnating Christians. THE EFFULGENCE OF GLORY: Positional sanctification is a change from the position of the sinner to that of the saint. It procures deliverance out of the kingdom of Satan and transla tion into the kingdom of Christ. It sepa rates the < believer from Satan, the world, and the flesh, and it sanctifies him into Christ, the Church, and the Spirit. To be wholly God’s and to be holy as God is holy—this demands a new sovereignty, a new sphere, and a new servitude. This is all brought to pass through our positional sanctification. Let us rejoice more and more in Christ our Sanctification, for He is worthy of all praise. Unshadowed midday light. Uttermost of redemption. Eternal life.
God’s. Satan is the head of a rebel king dom which he set up in opposition to the kingdom of God. As “prince of this world” (John 12:31), “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), and “the god of this-age” (2 Cor. 4:4,'R. V. mar gin), he has governmental authority over evil men and evil spirits and re ceives spiritual worship from them. The World. As used by the Lord par ticularly in the Gospel of John, the ex pression, “the world,” means the Sa tanic system. It is human society with out Christ (Eph. 2:12) and without the Spirit (Jude 19). It is unregenerate mankind en masse. It is Satan’s body made up of sinners doing his will and his work. Positionally, "the whole world lieth in the evil one” (1 John 5:19, R. V.), and conditionally, it is inherently evil (John 7:7) and irreconcilably hostile to Christ and to Christians (John 15:18) even as Satan is. The Flesh. As used here, “the flesh” is all that one is without Christ and without the Holy Spirit. It is an unre generate person. It is the spirit of Satan in the sinner. The flesh has its source in Satan (John 8:44; 1 John 3:8) and belongs to the world (John 8:23). So the flesh is inherently evil (Rom. 8:3; 7:18) and is irreconcilably hostile to God (Rom. 8:7). The position of the saint is the exact antithesis of that of the sinner. He is in Christ, in the Church, and in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:4-6 tells us that the believer has been quickened together with Christ, raised up together with Christ, and made to sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. His life is therefore Christ-centered, Christ-con formed, and Spirit-controlled. He is part at the trinity of holiness and love. Christ. Christ is a Person who is in herently holy and One set apart to do His Father’s will and work. His names and works all reveal Him to be the Ser vant of God and the Saviour of men. All power in heaven and upon earth has been given unto Him who is “the Sav iour of the world” (1 John 4:14), the Ilord of the universe (Eph. 1:21), and the Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22). Hi's rule over them as rightful Lord is acknowledged by redeemed men and un fallen angels. The Church. In God’s purpose and plan, the Church is the divine ecclesia, a called-out company. It is regenerate mankind in Christ. The Church is Christ’s Body, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:23). It is the visible part of the invisible Christ. The Church is Christ Himself personalized corporately on earth. Positionally the Church is “in Christ” (1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:4). Conditionally it has been “ created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24) and set apart as Christ’s, “ the called of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:6), and as a servant of God (Rom. 6:22).
IN THE MARCH ISSUE
"What Is God Doing?” —A Searching Editorial. "Out of the Shadows” — By R. E. Neighbour.' “ Forces Behind War” — By Dan Gilbert.
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