Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Dec 1964

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2.14, 15, says that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things."

In no branch of knowledge have there been greater blunders made than in the knowledge of the spiritual things of the word of God. What is to he expected of natural men, who are not saved by grace, and have not the gift of the Spirit of God within them, who decide either to become priests or ministers of religion, than that they will stumble as blind men in the things of God? They may subscribe to the fundamental articles which form the constitution of the religious system to which they belong, but as to handling aright the word of Truth and rightly dividing it, they have no competence whatever; for a religious training as a student in a college will never supply the lack of enlightenment of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Religious instruction may lead to an exact knowledge of the historicity of the Scriptures. It is quite easy to commit to memory the course of events in the history of mankind, from the creation of man through the various characters which appear in the book of Genesis. Then comes the rise of Moses in Exodus and the deliverance of the children of Israel, and their wilderness journey to Canaan, followed by the victorious campaign of Joshua. Then follow the disastrous days of the Judges, and who these men were, the last of whom was Samuel. The kings of Israel follow on in the sacred record, and then the disruption in the time of Rehoboam. This is followed by the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, and on we may go in the divine account of men and things in the Old Testament.

Similarly, in the New Testament, we have the account of the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of the Lord, and the lives of each, insofar as God has been pleased to reveal these to us. After the Lord's life of devotion to God and fulness of blessing to men, He was judged by the Jewish Council and by Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas, condemned by these and crucified, and on the third day arose and afterwards ascended to heaven. It may be known who the apostles were and somewhat of their teaching and their sufferings, particularly those of the apostle Paul. All these salient features may he known without any new life in Christ; without any awakening to the dread reality of sin and the consequences of sin; without any appreciation of the fact of eternal punishment.

What is to be expected of such priests and ministers of religion, but that they will preach a gospel of good works? It will, of course, he expected that when such leave college and are licensed to preach that they will tell their hearers about Jesus Christ, at least sometimes, that if they are to he in heaven and enjoy happiness hereafter they will be there by their own religious good works, having lived decent lives as good citizens, subscribing to the church to which they belong. This is a soothing of the conscience by a gospel which is really a gospel of perdition, that God will be pleased to accept their general conduct as atonement for what slips they have made and what sins they have done. God, they think, will graciously balance up the good and the bad and smile with approbation upon them.

How does all this line up with the teaching of the Lord and His apostles? First and foremost is what is contained in the Lord's answer to Nicodemus in John 3. Nicodemus, who came to the Lord by night, professed that they knew that the Lord was a Teacher come from God. The Lord replied, "Except a man be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God". "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born anew" (verses 3, 7). John 3.14, 15, 16 shows that one look by faith to Christ, who was raised on the Cross, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, will result in a new birth and a new life - eternal life - in every believer. It is not by joining a denomination or by baptism that sinners become children of God, but by receiving Christ by faith (John 1.12, 13). Paul shows that it is impossible for any of the human race either to do good or to be righteous by their own doing (Romans 3.9-12). It is vain to turn to the law of Moses for relief, "for through the law cometh the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3.20), and "all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (verse 23). But the believing sinner is "justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (verse 24). Why should men prefer their own thoughts and perish?

Union is in the air, religiously, commercially and politically. The threat of war and its sad consequences for many brought about some fifty years ago the League of Nations, centred in the Palace of Peace at the Hague. Conditions were argued and drawn up in which the integrity of Belgium was not to he violated. The German Kaiser of those days thought he saw the shining jewel before him of "Germany over all," and he stretched out his hand to grasp it. The deed which he authorized to he signed and sealed was treated by him as a scrap of paper, and war was declared which was to bring to mankind so much of sorrow and tears. Millions were swept into eternity by one man's decision.

The Hague was abandoned as a failure and later Geneva was chosen as the place where the dove of peace was to nest and rear her young, which would fly to all the earth with the olive leaves of peace. That, too, was rudely disturbed by Italy and Japan, eager for conquest and for a larger place in the sun, walking out of the council of the nations, whilst Germany covertly piled up munitions in view of the day when she would strike again and disturb the peace of the world. This, in due time, she did, her leaders having no regard for truth or the sanctity of their word. Again, many lands were deluged in blood.

Yet again, U.N.O. was conceived, born and housed this time in the U.S.A. Men cannot he blamed for seeking some way of finding peaceful solutions to their problems. But it is no new thing for men to act deceitfully in their councils. Daniel 11.27 describes kings in council together: "And as for both these kings, their hearts shall he to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper." None know better the difficulties than honest men as they wrestle with problems with men who are not men of integrity and sincerity. One day U.N.O. will break down as did the League of Nations at the Hague and Geneva, and where will men go from there? Having considered this matter for a long time, I would say in the light of the trend these days, the next move will he to Babylon of Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

Never in the history of Great Britain has there been such a day of commercial enterprises amalgamating or the larger swallowing up the smaller. 'What is true of this country is no doubt true of others. Others of different ideology conceive the glorious panacea of public ownership, which they regard to he a remedy for all public and social ills. But the spirit is the same, whether it is the great commercial enterprises grabbing all or the state grabbing all. There is nothing of millennial tranquility when each man shall dwell in safety under his vine and under his fig tree (1 Kings 4.25; Micah 4.4; Zechariah 3.10). Man is made to own something which he can call his own. Such is seen in Israel in their own land with their own allotted portions therein. No one looks so well after things as a man does for his own. However, it is no part of the Christian's witness in this world to change ownership or alter human institutions. He is a sojourner here going on to his heavenly country. But we ask, where will this amalgamating end? We say again, in Babylon, which will he the world's economic and trading centre (Revelation 18).

What is of greatest interest and concern to the Christian is the amalgamating of the various religious systems of Christendom. The Bible is not the guide to men who would he leaders as it was in the days of the apostles and those who immediately followed after them, and in the days of the Reformation. The word of God was to the reformers the judge which to them settled differences and disputes. How came about the Reformation? It came about by the word of God illuminating men's minds and hearts. Here was the book which revealed the true Christ of God, not the Christ of the Romish church which misinterprets the loaf of the Remembrance. This wafer, this bread, becomes, says Rome, the very body of the Lord when a priest speaks the magic words -. "This is My body" in Latin. If those words change bread into the body of Christ now, did they do so when the Lord spoke to them in the upper room on the night in which He was betrayed? If so, then the Lord had two bodies that night, one which He indwelt, and one He held in His hands. We know what happened to the body which was born of the virgin Mary; in it the Lord was crucified, it was laid in Joseph's new tomb and in it the Lord ascended into heaven. These things could not he said of the loaf.

J. Miller | Dec 1964
Jottings