“By grace are ye saved through faith.” (Eph 2:8) It was from his Roman prison that the Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians, one of the most beautiful of all his letters to the churches; full of deep spiritual instruction. Its keynote is “IN Christ,” this expression, or its equivalents, occurring at least twenty times in this Epistle. As the first chapter points out that the Church is chosen IN Christ Jesus, so our lesson shows that we have life…
CROSS-BEARERS MUST BATTLE WITH THE FLESH, ALSO. “While we pointed out, foregoing, that cross-bearing is quite separate from battling with the weaknesses of the flesh, nevertheless whoever has the mind of Christ, whoever is seeking to be a cross-bearer and to stand up as a representative of the Lord and the Truth in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, as an ambassador of God, will surely realize that he could not be an acceptable ambassador and could not…
IN WHAT DOES CROSS-BEARING CONSIST? The Master’s cross-bearing did not consist in fighting the weaknesses of the flesh, for he had none; nor are these weaknesses of the flesh our crosses. Because all our weaknesses of the flesh are fully covered by the merit of our Lord’s sacrifice; our standing before God is as New Creatures and not as imperfect fleshly creatures – the imperfections of the flesh, which are contrary to our wills and opposed by them, being fully…
“GOD KINDLY VEILS OUR EYES.” “It is fortunate for us that in the outstart we do not, cannot, estimate or appreciate the full meaning of the words, sacrifice, cross-bearing, etc. If we could look into the future and see from the start the various trials and difficulties to be encountered in the “narrow way,” doubtless few of us would have the courage to make the consecration and the start – if we could not see or appreciate, beforehand, the rewards…
Continued from previous post. “Some might be inclined to think that urging to accept the Lord and to seek to be his follower, with the thought that any other course would mean eternal torment, might be considered a deception which would work out benefit to the deceived ones – a deception which would do good rather than harm. We dispute this. We hold, on the contrary, that the erroneous teaching has done great injury in various ways. (1) Its misrepresentation of…
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – Matt. 16:24. “Our Lord’s invitation to forsake all and follow him is presented in very different language from the usual invitations given in his name today; – the thought, the sentiment, is wholly different. The general thought today, in connection with an invitation to “Come to Jesus,” might be expressed thus: – “We invite, we urge upon you to escape an…
THE CLEANSING MAINTAINED. If our escape from sin and its condemnation is by a ransom for Adam’s sin, What shall we conclude concerning errors, omissions and transgressions now committed by those who have escaped and who have been JUSTIFIED from Adamic sin? Would not the least sin on our part bring us again under condemnation? And would not this require another sin-offering to ransom us afresh and enable us to again /escape from condemnation? The lack of a reasonable answer to these reasonable questions has confused many on…
ESCAPE FROM CONDEMNATION. We got into condemnation without our choice, but cannot get out of it without our choice, but the conditions for escape are so simple and easy that all shall be without excuse. It is simply “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” But to believe on him means more than at first appears, perhaps. It does not mean that men shall simply believe that such a man lived and died, nor even that, in addition, he rose again…
FAITH AND WORKS. The relationship between faith and works is simple and clear when seen from a scriptural standpoint, yet very obscurely recognized by the great majority. Works can never justify us, nor so long as we are under the imperfections resultant from sin can God recognize works at all. He is perfect, and cannot accept or enjoy that which is imperfect. Since of the Adamic race there are none righteous, no not one, it follows that Jesus’ works only are well pleasing and acceptable to…
The following is the most important aspect I found here in this discourse, as many, myself included have fallen prey to it, and more than once. But “let him that thinketh he stands take heed lest he fall;” for sudden and sharp will be many of the tests applied to prove our continued faithfulness. The world, the flesh and the devil all conspire to allure, ensnare and overcome us. The world will present its allurements through friends or wife or…