THE REFUSAL TO REPENT

Rev. 9:20-21 ... "The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent not of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither can see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts."

      When man is confronted with the holiness of God, his appropriate response is repentance. Although the apostle Peter evidently had some idea of Jesus' divinity, nevertheless, when Jesus produced a mira-culous catch of fish, he was greatly astonished. He felt himself suddenly in the very presence of One whose holiness reached to heaven, and he was overwhelmed with a feeling of his own inferiority and sinfulness. We are told that, "When Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, 'Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man! (Lk. 5:8). Isaiah the prophet had the same experience centuries earlier when he entered the temple one day to worship. The building was suddenly filled with smoke, and he saw seraphim, which seem to be special angels who accompany the very Presence of God. From within the smoke Isaiah heard the voice of God speaking to him. His response was the cry of repent-ance, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips," (Isa. 6:5).

       The Bible teaches us that, in cases like these of Peter and Isaiah, we should respond to the revela-tion of God's holiness not only with repentance, but also with obedience to His explicit commandments.

Jesus proclaims that, "Unless you repent, you will all ... perish!" (Lk. 13:3). And the Spirit through Peter requires us to "repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins," (Acts 2:38). Everyone who is conscientious and receives this particular message from God's word with an open heart will indeed repent. The impression God's holiness makes upon us through the Scriptures should reveal and emphasize our sinfulness and induce us to repent. Our urgent desire should then be to obtain forgiveness, rectify our life, and be clothed with the righteousness which God confers upon His saints, (Gal. 3:27).

      The tragic and sad fact of human experience, however, is that only a small fraction of people take God seriously and submit penitently to His will. It is this awful, worldwide failure of man that is the subject of our featured text. In Revelation 8 and 9, in the apocalyptic imagery of the "trumpets of judg-ment," God is seen inflicting His wrath upon one-third of sinful humanity, not only to punish them, but also to warn the other two-thirds of what awaits them if they don't repent and submit to His will. In the short space of this article we cannot expound upon this interpretation, but God's judgments mentioned here seem to be a continuous process in this world throughout the Gospel Age until Jesus returns. Dur-ing this time the Lord appeals to one generation after the other by these judgments to repent and con-form their lives to the canon of His holiness. For His ultimate desire is to save and exalt everyone and not to destroy him, (II Pet. 3:9; I Tim. 2:3-4).

      Our text, however, indicates that only a relative few in a generation listen to God and bother to subject their lives, as clay into the hands of the Master Potter, to mold them into vessels of honor, (II Tim. 2:20-22). Jesus stated the situation clearly when He declared, "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it," (Mt. 7:13). And yet, the decision to repent and conform one's life to God's design is the greatest thing a person can ever do, because it leads the soul to a state of eternal welfare and joy. This option is granted to every person and is open as long as he lives and has a mind capable of discernment.

OPENING THE SEVENTH SEAL

Rev. 8:1-2 ... "When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them."

     In the impressive scene in heaven described in chapter 5, John saw in the hand of God a book that "was sealed up with seven seals." This book, which evidently contained God's will for the future history of the earth, was handed to Christ, who alone was found worthy to take the book and to break its seals. As He opens each seal, a segment of future earth experience is revealed with respect to God's inter-action with human affairs. In chapter 6 we read of the opening of these seals and of what happened on earth as a consequence. Before the seventh seal is opened in 8:1, however, there is the intermission of chapter 7, in which God seals His faithful people on earth. This action signifies two important things: first, that God is claiming His people on earth; and second, that God is testifying to the authenticity of these people as really belonging to Him.

      Beyond these two things, however, and perhaps even more significantly, the sealing of chapter 7 represents God's special action to preserve His true people from certain austere judgments that He is about to inflict upon mankind. For when Jesus opens the seventh seal in 8:1-2, we see trumpets being given to seven select angels; and in the portion of Revelation following, we see that the sounding of each trumpet results in a severe judgment of God inflicted upon mankind while they still dwell on earth. As the account proceeds from the seven seals of chapters 4-7 to the seven trumpets of chapters 8-11, one is reminded of the extending of a telescope. The seven trumpets extend from within the seven seals, just as one section of a telescope extends from the last; and as it does, another whole vista of future earth experience is brought into focus.

      We are not to suppose that these trumpets signify the Final Judgment at the end of the age like the trumpet of I Ths. 4:16. The note given in Rev. 9:20-21 reveals that the purpose of the judgments of these trumpets is to bring the greater part of mankind to repentance, whereas the trumpet of I Ths. 4:16 signals the Last Judgment after which man's fate is sealed without further extensions of God's grace for repentance. After all, the usual purpose of a trumpet was to warn, and what occurs when each of these are blown indicates that to warn is also their intent. For the judgment that comes with each does not affect all the wicked. Usually, it is only a third of the evil people, or of their things, that are destroyed, (vs. 7, 8, 9, 10; 9:15, 18). Unto these people it is, in a sense, a "final judgment" since it terminates their existence on earth. They pay for their ungodliness with their lives! But unto the greater part of mankind it is a warning to repent, (9:20-21).

      The nature of what is presented in the scenes of these trumpet-soundings seems to suggest that, dur-ing the course of history, God uses such events as great storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, droughts, wars, and pestilence to punish one segment of mankind for its evil, and by the same action to warn the rest to repent in view of the approaching great and Final Judgment. Such events as divine judgments are explicit in the Old Testament, (see especially Amos 4:4-13), and God is now the same God He was then. In Mat. 16:1-4 Jesus speaks of how much more important it is to "discern the signs of the times" than it is to discern the signs of the weather. The person who interprets tragic events in human experience with respect to the "trumpets of judgment" in Rev. 8-11 may indeed be "discern-(ing) the signs of the times" as Jesus directs. And if he is thereby warned and led to repentance, great good for him is achieved, even if what he observed is more of a random act of nature than a specific judgment of God.

OUT OF THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Rev. 7:14b ... "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

     A thousand years before Christ came David asked, "O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? (Psa. 15:1). David was concerned with who would be allowed to dwell in the precincts of the proposed temple to be built on the mountain in Jerusalem. It had been his ambition to build this temple, but because he was a man of war David was denied the project by Jehovah. However, he was told that he could make preparations and assemble materials so that his son Solomon would be able to build it. David then spent the rest of his life engaged in these preparations and in meditations about their implementation.

      There are some parallels between David's subject in Psalm 15 and the status of Christians. The question for us is, "Who shall dwell in God's presence in that eternal, perfect, celestial Temple of heaven? Remember that Jesus said, "In My Father's house are many dwelling places ... I go to prepare a place for you ... I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also, (Jno. 14:2-3). It is to be noted that heaven is a prepared place, but only for those who prepare them-selves for it. But what is the nature of this preparation?

      In Rev. 7, John had a vision of a multitude of people who were sealed by God, (to signify His recog-nition and approval of them). Upon seeing them invested in robes of pure white, John inquired of one of the elders about their identity. The elder's answer is our featured text: "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the  Lamb." The "great tribulation" means the earthly experience of the struggle against temptation, which is directed at Christians throughout their lives by the evil forces at large in the world, (Eph. 6:10-17). The white robes they wore represent the righteousness of these saints, (Rev. 19:8). However, this righteous-ness was not of themselves. The elder made it clear to John that the whiteness of the robes was due to the cleansing power of the "blood of the Lamb," i.e., the purifying blood Jesus shed on Calvary, (Heb. 9:14). In fact, even the robes themselves are a gift from Christ. (See Gal. 3:27, where "put on" is the usual word for putting on clothing, as the NASB so translates it). The reference, of course, is to bap-tism, for that is the active response of the believer in which Jesus' blood cleanses the soul of sin, (Acts 20:28 and 22:16; Rom. 6:3-7). After baptism, a Christian must be diligent to keep his soul pure, (Jas. 1:27), uncontaminated by the myriad defilements of the polluted world in which he lives, (I Jno. 2:16).

      Therefore, the answer to the question, "Who shall be permitted to live forever in heaven before God?" is: Everyone who has his soul washed clean of sin in the blood of Christ in baptism, and who thereafter resists the worldly pollutions and keeps his soul pure unto death. Those whom John saw in the vision in Revelation 7 had accomplished this and were receiving great blessings in their new and eternal glorious home. First, they were permitted to come before God on His throne and serve Him there forever, (v.15). Second, all the distressing problems of their former earthly lives were forever banished from them, (v.16). And third, Christ their Savior will give them the food and water of life to sustain them eternally, (v.17).

      The wonder of this message is that anyone can be one of these people clothed with white robes in the company of Jesus in heaven, if he will gladly submit to the preparations of "wash(ing his) robe and mak(ing it) white in the blood of the Lamb" while the time and opportunity are still at hand.

WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND?

Rev. 6:17 ... "For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

      Paul wrote in Rom. 10:18, "Have they not heard? Yea verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." To the discerning Christian it is a perplexing thing that the majority of people conduct their lives separate and apart from any consideration for God's will. For them, religion is not a motivating force, and their decisions are made with respect to material, social, and sensual circumstances of the moment. One would like to think that people live irreligious lives out of ignorance of what religion teaches; hence Paul's question, "Have they not heard?" We must, however, largely dismiss this charitable explanation when we consider that, at least in America, the case for religion is continually made publicly. On any day of the week and at any place in the country, a person has access via television, radio, the internet, or the printed page to a presentation of the gospel (the good news) of Jesus. Indeed, it is more true than ever that, "Their sound (the preaching of the gospel) went into all the earth, and their words (the content of the gospel) unto the ends of the world."

      It is important for the irreligious to know that a day is coming when they will be held accountable for their disregard of God's will for man. Our featured text refers to their baleful cry when the Lord requires them to acknowledge His universal sovereignty and confess that their persistent indifference was a dreadful mistake. In Rom. 11:22 Paul wrote: "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God." As long as this earth continues, God's goodness is manifest in His patience with sinful men and His effort through the gospel to save them, (II Pet. 3:9). But when God chooses to terminate this earth "with a great noise, and ... fervent heat," (II Pet. 3:10), the severity of God will be seen as "the elements ... melt with fervent heat and the earth ... and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

      These final events of world destruction constitute "the great day of His wrath" of which the lead text above speaks. Indeed, when that "great day ... is come ... who shall be able to stand?" Those who ignore His will throughout their lives will no longer be able to stand against God with their pride, arrogance, ridicule, boasting, and passive indifference. They must suffer defeat with all of the irreligious when "the Lord comes with 10,000 of His saints to execute judgment upon all," (Jude 14-15). It is unfashionable in our present age of "enlightenment" to believe in a Day of Judgment. and it is considered ridiculous to voice such a conviction in public conversation. But for an entire population to dismiss a reality as a myth is powerless to make what is real be nonexistent. Reality is that the Lord "has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness," (Acts 17:31). And universal human denial thereof cannot break that Divine appointment.

      One of the wonderful traits of God, however, is that He takes no pleasure or satisfaction in destroy-ing that which He Himself created in His own image. We are assured that God is "longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, (II Pet. 3:9). The Scrip-tures are very clear that He will certainly destroy those who reject His love, defy His will, and live in alienation to Him. But He strongly desires that people will respond to His love, submit graciously to His will, and seek daily communion with Him in compliance with His wish expressed in II Cor. 6:16, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Thus it is that God is "longsuffering toward us." He grants us long periods of time to discover our folly and for-sake it. For all who renounce their infidelity and obey God in love and faith, the day that ends time and launches eternity will not be a "great day of wrath," but a "great day" of victory. When the defiant and rebellious cannot find any place "to stand" before "His wrath," the humble and obedient will stand securely in His love in total victory.

OPENING THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS

Rev. 5:9a ... "And they sang a new song, saying, 'You are worthy to take the Book, and to open the 

                     seals thereof.'"

      In a vision in exile on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea the apostle John was highly privileged to be shown a door opened in heaven. From the region beyond it he then heard a commanding voice say, "Come up hither," (Rev. 4:1). Obeying the voice, John saw God sitting on His throne invested in the beauty of unutterable glory. He also saw four Living Beings flanking the throne and, across a sea of crystalline glass, a group of twenty-four elders. All were worshipping God and lauding His incompar-able excellencies.

      In Rev. 5:1, John then saw in God's hand a book (or scroll) that was sealed with seven seals. A "strong angel" in a loud voice then addressed the entire celestial assembly with the question, "Who is worthy to open the Book, and to loose the seals thereof?" This writer believes that this Book represents God's will for mankind since it is first seen in God's hand and was obviously written and sealed by Him. The significance of its being sealed lies in its divine integrity, i.e., it is God's composition alone and sealed to preserve its divine purity.

      But for His will to accomplish its purpose among men, it had to be opened and revealed. Therefore the momentous question in v.2, "Who is worthy to open the Book, and to loose the seals thereof?" Only someone who was most select, who could meet God's most exacting requirements, would be "worthy" to take God's own Book and reveal its contents to the world. Accordingly, no one was found either on earth or in heaven to take the Book and break its seven seals. This failure seemed to doom God's will for man to the realm of eternal mystery, thus excluding the world from its enormous benefits. Such an apprehension filled John with grief and lamentation until one of the elders announced that the worthy individual had been found. He was "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David ... a Lamb as [if ] it had been slain," (vs. 5-6). The last phrase indicates that He (Jesus Christ) had lately ascended from earth after His crucifixion and resurrection.

      Advancing to God's throne, Jesus took the Book and prepared to open its seven seals. (This event is described in detail in the next three chapters.) When He took the Book, all heaven erupted in joy and exultation. It is here that we come to the featured text above, for as the twenty-four elders rejoiced, "They sang a new song, saying, 'You are worthy to take the Book, and to open the seals thereof.'" Following them, myriads of angels took up their joyous chorus of praise. Heaven's jubilation was then echoed throughout the entire universe as "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them ... [cried out], 'Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him who sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.'"

      In the succeeding chapters, as Jesus opens the seals so that God's will can be enacted upon earth, we see visions of the ungodly being judged for their unrighteousness, and of the godly being preserved and blessed for their righteousness. The message for us is that God rules over this world, no matter what geopolitical scene might appear in any given generation or century. For example, during the last century we witnessed the rise and fall of Nazi government, a godless and brutal power. For two decades the free world wondered if someday everyone might have to submit to the slavery of this regime. Within a dozen years of its beginning, however, this demonic threat collapsed after a terrific period of war. When men and nations have manifested their strength in wicked rebellion against God and in persecution of those who try to live for Him, God shall always prevail and claim the ultimate victory. This is the fund-amental message presented in Revelation, and it is amplified throughout the remainder of this terminal book of the Bible.

A VISION OF GOD

Rev. 4:8b ... "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come."

      In one of our most beloved hymns we sing the following stanza:

      "Let us then be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day;                                                                            Just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay." 

      Men have always wondered what it would be like to see God, and some have expressed a great desire to obtain such a vision. Moses once inquired of God, "I pray you, show me Your glory," (Exo. 33:18). And the apostle Philip was even so forward as to request of Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us," (John 14:8). God answered Moses, "I will make My goodness pass before you ... [but] you cannot see My face; for no one can see Me and live," (Exo. 33:19-20). Then He put Moses in a "cleft of the rock" which He covered with His hand until His presence had passed Him by. Moses was then allowed to look out and see the back of God," (vs. 21-23). Jesus answered Philip's request with the profound statement, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father ... I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me." (John 14:9-10). Moses saw God's "goodness" and His "back." Philip and the other apostles saw the Father expressed through the personality and character of Jesus. (See also Heb. 1:3).

      In a wonderfully magnificent vision in Revelation 4 the apostle John was invited to "come up here," (v.1), where he was highly privileged to behold a representation of God and His heavenly court. He saw the Father sitting on His throne, from which proceeded emanations of variegated lights and "flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder." Before the throne was a "sea of glass like crystal," and between the throne and this sea were "seven lamps of fire burning." Beyond the sea sat twenty-four elders robed in white and wearing golden crowns. Nearest to God and on each side was a "living creature," which more accurately should be called a "living being." These four Beings continually gave "glory and honor and thanks" unto God, even as the twenty-four elders "worship Him." Concerning the identity of the Living Beings, there are several parallels between them and those seen by the prophet in Ezekiel chapters 1 and 10. In Ezk. 10:20 they are called "cherubim." They seem to be spirits of higher order than angels, since Rev. 5:11 refers to them in distinction to angels.

      It was the cherubim who uttered the word of the text above as an expression of worship to God: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come." In this majestic affirmation they confessed -1- God's holiness, -2- God's supreme power, and -3- God's eternal being. Other expressions in this short chapter call our attention to four more of the supreme attributes of God: -4- in v.1 God's perfect prescience is mentioned in His promise to John, "and I will show you what must take place after these things;" -5- in v.11 God's incomparable worth is confessed by the elders, who say, "You are worthy, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power;" -6- also in v.11 there is emphasized God's creative power when the elders exclaim that "You did create all things, and because of Your will they existed and were created;" -7- in v.3 God's radiant beauty is expressed by the symbolism of light reflected from precious jewels.

      Here on earth we cannot behold God by our physical vision, but we can still appreciate John's experience and profit from what he saw and described in terms that strain the capacity of human language to express it. Our reverence and awe of God in response to learning these seven supreme attributes of His divine character will prepare us to enter His presence some day, look upon Him in His supreme glory, and then live in wonderful communion with Him through countless ages.

THE OPEN DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY

Rev. 3:8b ... "Behold,  have put before you an open door, which no one can shut."

      This statement of the Lord to the church in the city of Philadelphia in Asia Minor is perhaps the origin of the expression, "an open door of opportunity." Observing that the Christians who composed this congregation possessed "a little power," the Lord extended to them the opportunity to use it, though the text does not specify its nature. It suggests, however, that at least it involved the important matters of keeping God's word, enduring persecution, and overcoming all spiritual opposition. And probably it involved much more.

      The Scriptures often indicate that God opens doors of opportunity before His people, both as con-gregations collectively and as Christians individually. He expects us to recognize these "doors" and pass through them, that is, He looks for us to exercise the wisdom, faith, love, and strength to seize each of these opportunities and use it to the greatest good. He will grant us the requisite wisdom if we pray for it, (Jas. 1:5). The strength increases as we exercise ourselves in His service. The necessary faith is derived from devotion to the study of God's word, (Rom. 10:17). And our love increases as we contem- plate more and more the nature of God's great love for us, (John 3:16; I John 4:19).

      Opportunities are contingent upon time; they do not last indefinitely. When an opportunity is at its prime it is easiest to seize, and its outcome is most effective. With the passing of time, ranging from mere moments to months or years in some cases, the opportunity becomes progressively harder to seize, and its effects yield diminishing benefits. There comes the time when every opportunity is irretrievably lost. This was Jesus' point when He said in John 9:4, "We must work the works of Him who sent me, as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work." Our greatest duty in life is to reverence and obey God, (Eccl. 12:1), and He gives us the duration of life here as the opportunity to discharge it. This is what the Lord signified by the word "day." When life ends, the next major event is "the judg-ment," (Heb. 9:27). And that is what Jesus meant by the word "night." In other words, there is no further opportunity to discharge our duty in death. Although our conscious existence continues beyond the grave in the Hadean world, it is not a time for making amends for what we failed to do in this life.

      But while life here continues, as the climax of an opportunity passes, the degree to which it accom-plishes good steadily declines until a point is reached where the action involved yields little, if any, benefit when applied. For example, if a Christian wants to try to reclaim an erring brother until that person's heart is "hardened by the deceitfulness of sin," (Heb. 3:13), it may well become impossible to rescue him, (Heb. 6:4-6). Or consider the case of parents who are usually granted eighteen years to rear a child. While daily opportunities abound for them to "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord," (Eph. 6:4), parents are often oblivious to them. They are so busy building their careers and pursuing other personal interests that they neglect giving proper attention to their children. Rather than being taught the truth revealed from God and being instilled with values of eternal merit, children are distracted by parents to adopt the world view current in society. And this popular education leads only to eternal death, (Pro. 14:12). It is pathetic when someone tries to press an advantage of the past that no longer exists, or only barely continues. The beauty of a faded flower cannot be renewed. And it is indeed tragic when an expired opportunity robs a life of the meaning and glory that it could have had. The truly "good life" is the one that is vigilant for the appearance of each opportunity that appears on the horizon and then seizes it to press its advantages when it draws abreast of the forward progress of one's life.

 

BE FAITHFUL UNTIL DEATH

Rev. 2:10 ... "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."

      Jesus once said, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God," (Lk. 9:62). Citizenship in the kingdom of God is a unique privilege for man to enjoy, yet it is open to all who will answer the invitation of the Lord, (Mat. 11:28-30), and obey His call of obedience to the gospel, (I Pet. 4:17-19). Once a member of this great spiritual domain, a person must labor to maintain his position. Sin in many guises assails him relentlessly to divert his loyalty from the King, (Mat. 13:18-22), and many are so careless as to let themselves be led away into its pollution again, (II Pet. 2:20-22). When this comes to pass, the apostate's relation to God is severed, (Isa. 59:2), and unless repentance is swift and comprehensive, the erring Christian will forfeit his place in the holy kingdom. 

       Evidently, many in the churches of Asia Minor in the last decade of the first century were taking up sinful practices, for the dominant theme in the letters to the seven churches in chapters two and three is an urgent call to repentance, (2:5, 16, 21-22; 3:3, 19). Also,  there is the persistent warning that one who fails to repent will have his candlestick removed "out of his place." That means the person's place in God's kingdom will be removed (or terminated) since he would no longer be bearing the light of right-eousness and truth. He would then be "cast into outer darkness," (Mat. 22:13), a place for those whose light has ceased to shine.

      A person maintains his place in the kingdom of God by his faith, (II Cor. 1:24), and unto this faith he must cling as long as life endures. In fact, he must live by that faith, trust in that faith, and defend that faith even if such loyalty should lead to and result in his death. That is, after all, the real intent of the exhortation in the text above: "Be faithful until death," (or, "even if it leads to your death").    

      God's reward for those who keep the faith, up to and even into death, is a "crown of life." The life spoken of here is everlasting life, with the emphasis upon both the quantity and the quality thereof. Everlasting life is that which is interminable. Those who die out of the faith are also granted eternal existence, (Mat. 25:46; Mrk. 9:42-48), but its nature is not fitly described by the word "life" with its rich connotations of a glorious state. Rather, the eternal existence of the unrepentent and unregenerate is presented in terms of imprisonment in darkness, misery, hopelessness, and agony. But the everlasting life promised to those who maintain their faith into death is more than unending existence.  It is an elevated state marked by joy, peace, rest, beauty, and fellowship with God in His infinite glory. The infidel in his eternal existence shall never experience these wonderful conditions.

      The reward of eternal life for the faithful is symbolized as a crown. There are two words in New Testament Greek that mean "crown." One is diadêma, which signifies royalty. The other is stephanos, which denotes victory. In Revelation, Satan is sometimes represented as wearing several crowns at a time, (12:3), but they are always the diadêma and never the stephanos. That is, having taken control of human governments, (Mat. 4:8,9; John 16:11; II Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:12), the devil wears their crowns of dominion. But the great and final victory shall not go to him, so that he is never presented in Scripture as wearing the crown of victory, the stephanos. Jesus is also represented in Revelation as wearing many crowns, (19:12), but it is highly significant that they are indeed the crowns of victory, stephanoi. The victory in the war between Christ and Satan always goes to Christ, who shall in the end defeat the devil conclusively and forever, (Rev. 20:7-10). And the wonderful promise in Rev. 2:10 is that the Christian who maintains his faith into death shall share in Christ's great victory, for the "crown of life" that shall be given him is a stephanos.

       

THE ONE WHO IS BLESSED

Rev. 1:3 ... "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."

      To most people the Book of Revelation is a very mysterious volume, full of cryptic passages. Some despair of understanding it, and consequently seldom read it. Others, however, look upon this terminal portion of the Bible as the key to understanding all the rest. Among these students one finds diversity of interpretation to the point of utter confusion, so that the advice is sometimes offered, "When you under-take a study of Revelation, be sure to use only one commentary."

      The purpose here is not to critique all these diverse interpretations, since a task that great is defi-nitely beyond this undertaking and its purpose. Nevertheless, this writer insists that God gave us this book to read, to understand, and to obey. The text above indicates this clearly when it pronounces a blessing upon those who -1- read, -2- hear (understand), and -3- "heed" (obey) the things that are written in it." The Lord has given us many commands in Revelation, and we ignore them only to our own hurt. We cannot, therefore, avoid this book as if it were a great cavern in which grotesque images move strangely in near darkness. Neither can we circumvent it as a maelstrom of confusion wherein the venturous traveler is soon lost in the countless crosscurrents of absurd conjecture.

      Some of the modern English versions (e.g., NEB and TEV) translate the Greek makarios as "happy" rather than "blessed." In doing so there is a great loss of meaning, so much so in this writer's estimation that damage is done to the message which the Lord seeks to convey. The word happy is derived from the root "hap" which denotes chance or luck. Webster's New World Dictionary defines "happy" as an emotional response to be favored by circumstances. The adverb "haply," which comes from the same root and is used a half-dozen times in the KJV, means "by chance or accident." All this means that being happy is the feeling we experience when situations in life turn out in our favor. The configuration of such advantageous circumstances, however, seldom last long. Like a beautiful cloud in the sky, they are soon transformed into something less, or even vanish entirely. This is why happiness is a fleeting thing; it lifts us up for a while only to drop us into melancholy before long. Those who pursue only happiness always in the end find disappointment.

      But it is not so with being blessed!, for God and not man is the origin of blessing. A blessing does not fall apart as components gradually drift away from one another, leaving only a fond memory with respect to the past and sorrow in the present. The blessings of God endure and are not consumed by one's rejoicing in them. The things that make us happy soon disappear, but the God who blesses us will sustain us therein as long as we maintain eligibility. This applies to the blessing of Rev. 1:3, to the famous blessings (or beatitudes) of Jesus in Mat. 5:1-12, and to all other blessings mentioned in the Bible. We should never substitute the word "happy" for blessed in God's word.

      Revelation is a book of sevens, a number which seems to indicate completeness, or perfection. One of its several sets of sevens is a collection of seven blessings. Our text, the second sentence in the book, is the first of these blessings, which in their scope suggest the fullness of God's grace bestowed upon those who believe, reverence, and obey Him. Although the blessing here is referred to the Book of Revelation, it is not difficult to recognize also the entire Bible within its compass. For the Bible in its entirety is from God, who likewise gave each of the other sixty-five books to be read, understood, and obeyed. (See II Tim. 3:14-17).

 

      

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Jude 3: ... "Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." 

     The world of ideas is a battleground, and everyone who ventures there must be prepared to fight. We are told that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood," (Eph. 6:12), and Jesus, when being tried by Pilate declared, "If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting ... but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm," (John 18:36). In the animal world, where emotions rule, beasts attack each other, tear and kill, and then devour the carcasses. In the world of unregenerate men, where lust rules, they also engage in physical conflict to achieve their desires, (Jas. 4:1-3). But the Christian must rise above the emotional level of animals and above the lust-driven plane of most people, to enter and dwell in a spiritual context.

      While we live in this earthly dimension, that contest is a mental warfare, because Satan's influence here is manifested as lies, deception, illusion, and perversity. He started it all in Genesis 3 when he beguiled Eve's mind with suggestions and illusionary lies to lead her away from faith in God to trust in what she could sensorially verify, (vs. 1-6). This archfiend still operates in the spiritual sphere in much the same fashion. Probing our minds with ideas that are appealing, suggestive of great wisdom, and even convincing in the matrix of logic, self-verification, and blatant claims of irrefutability. People accept these ideas to the extent that they become the orthodox view of society. To challenge them is to mark yourself in the eye of society as being ignorant, naive, and ridiculous.

      When these ideas concern man's relationship to God, as most of them do directly or indirectly, it becomes the immediate concern of the Christian to arm himself with the truth and do battle with the error involved. The "truth" is "the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints." The word "faith" here refers to the source of Christian faith, to the object of that faith, and to the substance of such faith. In short, it means the gospel. the "word of truth," (II Cor. 5:7; Col. 1:5; II Tim. 2:15; and Jas. 1:18).

      There is so much evil in the world of ideas that Christians face a colossal task in opposing it as they "contend earnestly for the faith." But with the word of God, which is a mighty "sword of the Spirit," (Eph. 6:17), in the hands of those who prepare themselves to use it, (II Tim. 2:15), the Christian soldier can defeat falacious ideas and victoriously "contend for" and defend "the faith." We are told by Paul the apostle that "though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying  speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete," (II Cor. 10:3-6).

      Christians have the spiritual weapons for defeating all error, (Eph. 6:10-18). God will supply the wisdom in how to use these weapons effectively, (Jas. 1:5), as His people take them up and exercise themselves in them, (Heb. 5:14). If error triumphs over the faith in the world of ideas in our generation, it will not be because the error was the stronger or was irrefutable. It will rather be because Christians will fail to arm themselves with the truth, "have their senses trained to discern good and evil," and advance courageously into the ideational conflict.

      But whether Christians succeed or fail in "contend(ing) earnestly for the faith," one thing is sure, "the word of God is not (and cannot be) imprisoned, (II Tim. 2:9). In the end that Holy word, "the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints," shall destroy all erroneous ideas and their deceptive constructions, (II Ths. 2:8-10). And then, with the untenable half of the world of ideas obliterated for-ever, the word of God, which is the gospel. (Rev. 14:6), shall endure forever.

THE JOY OF CHRISTIAN PARENTS

III John 4 ... "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."

     When John wrote the three epistles in the New Testament that bear his name, he was a very old man, (many think he was past 90), and he was also the last surviving apostle. His generation of Christians were then nearly all "asleep in Jesus," and the brethren to whom he wrote were a generation or two behind him. Being much younger than he, they were to John "my children," or even sometimes "my little children." He m eant for these expressions to show affection as much as, if not more than, superiority to them in experience of age and apostolic authority. He often also addressed them as "beloved," employing the word agapêtoi, which is derived from the better known word agapê. The significance of using these terms is that they indicate love growing out of the supreme love that the Father has for us rather than the tenuous love common to natural human relationships. In other words, he loved them sincerely because they had devoted their lives to Christ and were committing themselves daily to the Lord's service.

      In John's day the Gentile philosophers spent a great deal of time trying to identify what truth is and then to delineate its boundaries. But there was little agreement among them. Jewish scholars interpreted truth in one way, and Greek sophists in quite another. Even within each of these schools of thought there was considerable debate as to what truth is. Pilate referred to all this confusion when he contemp-tuously answered Jesus, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). But to John, and to all Christians as well, there is no question or doubt or confusion about what ultimate truth is. As He addressed His Father in prayer, Jesus declared, "Your word is truth," (John 17:17). The word of God, therefore, is the truth for which inquiring, thoughtful men have searched throughout the ages. It alone reveals to us where we came from, what we are, and where we are going. It also tells us why we are here, imposes upon us our duty in life, and proclaims our accountability in appropriately responding thereunto.

      To the scholar and philosopher, and often to the theologian, the end of the search for truth is to embrace it mentally. That is, simply to store it in one's mind and be satisfied with having at last found it is its ultimate reward. But to John, and the other inspired New Testament writers, that is by no means the object of the search for truth or the good to be derived from it. The truth from God is not only to be learned and esteemed; it is moreover to be used as the guide for living the kind of life that God will approve and then reward eternally.

      John had spent some 60 years as an apostle in the arduous task of teaching the truth to men and persuading them to obey it. Those who did accept and obey it were the people whom he addrssed as his "children." And those who maintained allegiance to the truth and used it to direct their way through life each day were those of whom he said, "They walked in the truth."

      John said he had "no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." The world counts success by the scale of making a fortune, wielding power, displaying rare talent, or becoming famous and the idol of many. People rejoice when their friends or kindred achieve such worldly goals, and up to a point that is justifiable, proper, and acceptable. But the greatest achievement, the most brilliant success, and the most glorious triumph, is to find the truth revealed to us from God, accept it in faith, and to see others do likewise.  This is the only joy that is permanent and unfading.

      

      

REJECTING THE FALSE TEACHER

II John 10-11 ... "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds." 

      With respect to moral, ethical, religious, and eschatological considerations there are only two kinds of doctrine: (athat which issues from Christ and His apostles under the direct supervision of the Holy Spirit, and (b) that which issues from mere man. The former is inspired of God (II Tim. 3:16), moti-vated by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1:21), and identified as "the gospel" (Gal. 1:8).The latter is once called "destructive heresies" (II Pet. 2:1), or more mildly "a gospel contrary to what you received." Those who teach the pure, unadulterated gospel of Jesus are to be respected, heard, believed, and supported (Rom. 10:14-18) and promoted in their work (III John 5-8). Those who teach doctrines of human origin are to be first "watched" and then "turned away from" (Rom. 16:17). That is, they should be excluded from the Bible classroom, from the pulpit, and from all other gatherings of disciples where instruction might be given. In our desire to be magnanimous we may think it only fair to let everyone state his position, but among Christians no forum should be offered to those who are known to teach something alien to the doctrine of Christ.

      The featured text above concerns the reaction of Christians to those who teach something which was not issued from the Father through Christ or through the Holy Spirit. In many cases the spurious doctrine is strictly a human invention, but in many other cases it is a corruption, or distortion, of the real gospel into a form of teaching identified as "the error of unprincipled men" in II Pet. 3:15-17. Such teaching is more difficult to expose because it employs Scripture and appeals to the same faith in God cherished by the orthodox. Great care must be taken to refute such error while upholding the truth with which it is intertwined. Christians are strictly warned not to do anything whatsoever that would aid, comfort, facilitate, support, or promote the activity of such counterfeit teachers. This is approximately what it means to "neither bid him God speed," as the KJV expresses the phrase. The faithful should not give such people lodging, or feed and clothe them, or give them a donation, or buy anything from them that would amount to a profit for them.

      But what if their work, in addition to their heretical teaching, involves providing beneficial service to unfortunate people about us? This Scripture would ban a Christian's participation in supporting them; and it is not being hard-hearted or insensitive to deny the honor and praise that accrues to erroneous teachers for such relief of human misery. The Lord's church as a body, and Christians as individuals, should be performing these very acts of mercy to the limit of their ability in the name of the Lord so that the honor and praise will go to Him who alone deserves it.

      This principle can be overextended, however, to deny a Christian's participation in business and social interactions with unbelievers. Actually, it is impossible for Christians to live and conduct their affairs in total isolation from worldly people. Paul wrote in I Cor. 5:9-10, "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; but I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world." The only way Christians can totally sever their involvement with unbelievers is to escape earthly life, which is impossible other than by death.

      The best course, therefore, is that of prayerful discernment. When it can be ascertained that inter-action with someone will result in promoting error, a Christian must refuse the interaction lest he makes himself one who "participates in his evil deeds." When it is not apparent, or likely, that involvement will promote error, a Christian may continue in it as a necessary consequence of having to live in a corrupt and very complicated world, (John 17:14-17). 

KEEPING YOURSELF FROM SATAN

I John 5:18 ... "We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him."

      How does a person come to be "born of God"? This spiritual rebirth is certainly an incomparable state for one to desire since it will not tolerate the presence of sin in one's life and excludes the blighting touch of Satan. The answer to this important question is given in I Pet. 1:23, "You have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." When the incorruptible seed of God's eternal word is sown in a heart that is receptive and reasonable, it takes root and brings forth that person as a newborn child of God. The implanted word, however, must be obeyed in order for it to regenerate an individual, for I Pet. 1:21b-22a lays the foundation for the above-quoted verse in these words, "Your faith and hope are in God, since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls." The apostle here makes it clear that one's soul is purified, (i.e., cleansed of sin), by means of obedience to the truth that comes to us through the Holy Spirit. The purification of the soul makes it fertile ground from which faith in God and hope for His promises can grow abundantly.

      The nature of this natal experience is outlined by Jesus in His statement in John 3:5, "Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." In other words, being "born of God" involves the instrumentality of water, (i.e., baptism as in Mrk. 16:16, Rom. 6:14-17, Rom. 6:4-5). Therefore, anyone who receives in faith the word of truth, the medium through which the Spirit of God operates upon the soul and conscience of man, and responds to it by obedience unto baptism, he is thereby begotten of God (or "born of God).

      As a result, our leading text says that he does not sin. The doctrine based on these words, that a  Christian cannot commit sin, is in total ignorance of the Greek original so translated. The verb is constructed in the present tense, which in Greek emphasizes continuity of action rather than the duration of time. That is, the Scripture is saying that one who is "born of God" will not continue in a sin that he might commit. Every Christian will occasionally commit sin, as I John 1:8 and10 affirms, but rather than accept it, incorporate it into his character, and become its submissive pawn, he will immediately repudiate it and confess it to God with assurance of His promise to forgive it under these conditions, (cf. I John 1:9).

      The struggle against sin never ceases in this life, but those who are "born of God" never permit it to gain a foothold in their redeemed, sanctified lives. The apostle says that they "keep" themselves,* using the verb têreo, which means to "guard" or to "withhold oneself from something." Christians are aware that they are engaged in spiritual warfare and cannot afford to let down their defense. At all times they must be vigilant to detect the action of evil in their proximity, (I Pet. 5:8), and restrain themselves from involvement in anything which can draw them out into a vulnerable position, (I Ths. 5:22). Vigilance and self-restraint will enable Christians to preserve their purity and sanctity unto the glory of God. The apostle then adds that "the evil one does not touch him." The literal meaning is that the devil cannot get a hold on him. Satan cannot stand up against any child of God who has the will to resist him, (Jas. 4:7), because God always grants the victory to His children who keep up the struggle, (I Cor. 15:57). He will never permit Satan to subject them to temptations too severe to be repelled, (I Cor. 10:13), or so powerful as to separate them from His love, (Rom. 8:35-39). It is wonderful to know that as Christians our lives are temples of God's Spirit, (I Cor. 6:19), who therefore dwells within us. And "greater is He who is in you than he (Satan) who is in the world," (I John 4:4). With His aid, we can indeed keep ourselves from sin.

(*Here I differ with the NASB and favor the KJV reading that the pronoun "he" refers to the Christian rather than to Christ. The NASB capitalizes H in "he" when reference is to Christ. I favor that practice as being more reverential. But in the oldest manuscripts, all letters are capitals. I am persuaded that the meaning here is that it is the duty of a Christian to "keep himself" and not rely on Christ to do it for him. Of course, a Christian can only succeed in that because Christ supports him. But the initiative is the Christian's, and then Christ will support him as much as needed.)

KNOWING GOD THROUGH LOVE

I John 4:7b-8 ... "Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

      When God created "the heavens and the earth," (Gen. 1:1), He established a law to govern the process of reproduction in every form of life, namely, that whatever lives must reproduce "after their kind," (vs. 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25). This principle operates in the spiritual world just as in the physical. When He created man, "God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to our likeness' ... (and) God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him," (vs. 26-27). The operation of this fundamental principle occurs whenever God acts to regenerate a human soul, making it to be like His own Spirit. The text above proclaims that "God is love," so that we may know that God is love personified. Or pershaps it may more appropriately be said that love is God as He expresses His character to man. It has long been argued that love cannot be defined. If this means that the fulness of genuine love cannot be reduced to the limitations of human language without loss of meaning, then it cannot be defined. But in words of divine inspiration John declares that love is fully personified in God, and this writer maintains that love is indeed defined in the manifestation of God's character to us. All that He has ever done for man is an expression of His love. Even His judicial acts toward us, which are sometimes painful and very disagreeable, are also acts of love, (Heb. 12:6). And when God in His amazing grace enables a person to be reborn spiritually, He recreates that individual in love like His own.

      Love in its highest and purest form, uncorrupted by self-interest and lust, comes only from God. The love that originates within the human psyche is by nature self-oriented. Although it may appear to benefit others and seem to be gracious, these positive features are really by-products of its fundamental goals. This principle has been recognized by non-religious philosophers who incorporated it into their own moral systems. For example, Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832), an English philosopher and founder of utilitarianism, argued that "every man is naturally selfish and hence almost invariably seeks pleasure or the avoidance of pain for himself." Human love rises to its highest, noblest plane when the desires of the individual are cultured and refined. But only from God does man learn that love (called agapê in the New Testament original) which is invariably altruistic.

    The featured text above says that "Everyone who loves is born of God." A person thus born is also said to "know God," which means to experience in his life the power, direction, and sovereignty of God through an understanding of and submission to the truth He has revealed. As one who is "born of God" perceives God's supreme love working in his life, transforming his mind and conduct to the norm of righteousness, (Rom. 12:2), he is coming to "know God" ever more fully.

      We are told in v.12 following the featured text above that "If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us." God loves everyone, (John 3:16), even rebellious sinners, (Rom. 5:8). So when He recreates us in His own likeness, we receive the capacity, inclination, and motivation to transcend the inferiority of human love. And when we exercise our new nature to "love one another," God's Spirit is kindled within to "abide in us," and we come to "know God" in the fullest sense. The ability to know God is realized in the experience of "keep(ing) His commandments," (I John 2:5).  Our featured text is not promoting an alternative approach to the knowledge of God, that is, an approach via love rather than obedience.  Actually, the two approaches are one, being harmonized in Jesus' statement, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments," (John 14:15). Both love and obedience are intensive, yet comprehensive, experiences involving God that lead us further into really "knowing God" as they progress in their action within our lives.

LOVE IN DEED AND TRUTH

I John 3:18 ... "Little children, let us not love with word, or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 

      The apostle, as an elderly leader in the late first century church, often addressed the Christians of the two or even three generations following him as my "little children." Not only does this reflect his relation to them with respect to age and status, but also with respect to love and concern. John says essentially the same thing here about love that James said about faith. The latter wrote, "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself," (Jas. 2:15-17). In v.14 he had written, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" In other words, faith that is shown in no other way than verbally is non-productive, questionable, and ultimately invalid. Faith must be applied in tangible, visible acts that produce effective results before its reality is established and its value demonstrated.

      John says the same about love: "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word, or with tongue, but in deed and truth," (vs. 17-18). When the only evidence of love is the claim in someone's mouth that he loves, not only is the reality of it doubtful, but it is also unfruitful and irrelevant. Love that is authentic will manifest itself openly and decisively, through actions that bless the one toward whom it is directed.

      Christians know that love is the supreme good in their religion, which of all religions known to man is the only one that originated outside of human volition. Love is the emphasis in the first and second commandments of importance in Christianity, obligating us to love God before everyone and every  thing and to love people about us as much as we love ourselves. But all too often our deeds prove our words to be a lie. Love does not undercut, backbite, bitterly accuse, rail, condemn, or speak to others abusively, harshly, and angrily. Love does not ignore those who are hungry, ragged, sick, and lonely. Love does not forsake sinners to the error of their way. And love does not rest on past laurels or seek the course of least involvment in the service of God. Quite to the contrary, love works hard to establish and maintain relations between people that are friendly, peaceful, supportive, and happy. Love is quick and glad to feed the hungry, clothe the ragged, minister to the sick, and cheer the lonely. Love addresses itself to the lost condition of sinners and toils to bring them to salvation in Christ. And love will not boast of past accomplishments, but reserves its energy and drive to bear new burdens in the service of God.

      In Lk. 7:36-50, we are told about a time when Jesus dined in the home of a Pharisee. At one point a deeply penitent woman came up behind Jesus as He reclined at the table. As her tears fell upon His feet, she dried them with her hair. She also annointed them with perfume she had brought. Within himself the Pharisee began to condemn Jesus as a fraud, thinking that if He were a genuine prophet He would know the woman to be a sinner and refuse to let her touch Him. Knowing his thoughts, Jesus told the Pharisee about his failure to be a good host. He had not offered Him the usual courtesies extended to a guest: the welcome kiss, washing the feet, and anointing the head. But the contrite woman had done all these things with pure motives. Then Jesus said, "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little," (v.47). He recognized the woman's love to be real, because she demonstrated it with her actions. Love that is worthy of the name will always reveal itself in deeds even when no words are spoken. This is the kind of love that the Lord requires of His people, and He will recognize nor reward anything less.

GOD'S RESPONSE TO OUR CONFESSION

I John 1:9 ... "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

      When a person obeys the Gospel, his soul is cleansed of the sins of his lifetime, (Acts 2:38; 22:16; I Pet. 3:21). He then walks before God in a new condition of justification, redemption, and righteousness "in His blood through faith," (Rom. 3:24-25). This condition does not, however, render the individual immune to sin. The New Testament contains abundant passages exhorting Christians to be aware of temptation, to resist evil, and to look unto God incessantly for protection, wisdom, and strength against the activities of sin in the world about them. Such Scriptures would be superfluous and meaningless if Jesus' disciples were impervious to sin. Christians, in fact, can and do sometimes fall to temptation and become mired in sin. The New Testament records specific cases when this indeed happened during the period of the early church.

      This initial chapter of the epistle, which is not addressed to the unregenerate but to "children of God," (3:2), emphasizes the failure of Christians to defeat every temptation and remain perfectly free from all sin. The verse preceding 1:9 declares that to deny one's sin indicates that (a) he is self-deceived, (b) devoid of the truth, and (c) is a liar. Verse 10 adds that the person also makes a liar of God. This is very strong and serious language! Remembering that we are God's redeemed people, what must we do about it? Or, is there nothing we can do except admit final defeat and resign our destiny to the wrath of God?

      We need not despair as we confess our sins, because God, who is fully aware of our weak nature, has provided just the help we need. His grace is greater than our sin, (Rom. 5:20b-21), and the blood of His Son is still efficacious to cleanse us of the sins we commit after it initially purges us in baptism from our pre-Christian sins, (I Pet. 3:21). To avail ourselves of the continuing purification of Jesus' blood, however, I John 1:9 requires that we must begin by confessing our sins. Whenever we perceive that we have sinned, we must immediately go to the Lord with our guilt, lay it out openly before Him, and beseech Him to remove it with His forgiveness.

      Although this text does not explicitly mention it, there is no doubt that it assumes the prerequisite of repentance. As mentioned earlier, God's grace negates sin, but only that sin which is abandoned by the one who committed it. We read in Rom. 6:1-2, "Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"

      Here we discover another area wherein the Gospel deserves the literal meaning of what the word denotes, "GOOD NEWS." God continues to extend His grace to His children, although at times we go astray and corrupt our souls with sin. He does not cast us off into the mass of the lost who are reserved for eternal punishment. To the contrary! He opens for us a way to be acquitted of our sins and restored to spiritual purity. This way incorporates two essential actions which we must perform, repentance and confession. Repentance involves the total abandonment of sinful practices because we understand they are indeed sinful and because we know they offend God. The confession, moreover, must be both comprehensive and specific. Not only must ALL SINS be confessed, but EACH ONE of them must be confessed. One who entreats God to cleanse him must bare his soul naked to reveal in utmost shame every ugly spot of sin. A perfunctory mumbling, "Forgive me of all my sins," is insufficient, and from God's vantage point, probably looks more like presumption than abject contrition. This does not mean, however, that the individual must expose the fact of sin with a full description of its nature to people. Very often our sins are known only to God, and then it is only to God that we need confess them. But if we have sinned before people, we must also confess those sins before them, (Jas. 5:16). The principle is that repentance must be as broad as the knowledge of the sin.

GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE

II Pet. 3:18 ... "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

      One of the major characteristics of physical life is growth. Jesus once said it was the purpose of His mission here to confer this gift: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly," (John 10:10). Physical life is God's gift in various degrees to the vast diversity of creatures which constitute the plant and animal kingdoms. But spiritual life is granted only to humans, and then only when they are "born again" (John 3:3) in the water of baptism, having believed in Jesus as God's Son, repented of their sins, and confessed the name of Christ. As converts to Christ, we are told that "we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life," (Rom. 6:4).

      The first stage of this new spiritual life is infancy, corresponding to the initial stage of physical life. With proper diet and exercise, however, infants gradually grow to physical maturity, and with proper education they will attain to mental maturity. The growth of the soul to spiritual maturity is also of vital importance, and God has put at our disposal all the resources necessary to accomplish it. Referring to these provisions by God, we are told they are given "for the building up of the body of Christ (that is, the church corporately and hence individuals), until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ,"(Eph. 4:12-13).

    The featured text above specifies two of the essential dimensions in which our growth from spiritual infancy in Christ must progress. The first is grace. Well defined as "the unmerited favor of God granted to us through Christ," grace is a fundamental characteristic of life in the Lord. The reception of God's grace imposes upon us the duty to make an appropriate response thereunto. That is, grace must stir us to action. We must never accept it passively and indifferently. Paul once speaks of "nullify(ing) the grace of God," (Gal. 2:21), and that is what the recipient does who is unmotivated to yield his life to its purpose.  The first and then perpetual response of a Christian to grace must be appreciation and thanks-giving, followed by steady growth in such essential virtues as faith, love, humility, reverence, and good stewardship. Another vital response to grace is steadfastness in doing the "good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them," (Eph. 2:10). When we are thus engaged in the work of the Lord, we actually become instruments by which He confers grace upon still other souls. When we enlarge these two essential responses to God's grace, we are indeed "grow(ing) in grace as the text urges.

      The second essential dimension of spiritual growth is knowledge. In the initial stage of religious education we learn about Christ, that is, we commit to memory the facts about what He said and did and why. Our growth in knowledge, however, must not stop as we gain mastery in this area, (cf. Heb. 5:11 - 6:3). As it proceeds, it must expand into the more important phase of knowing Christ as a daily companion. This is accomplished by internalizing the meaning and implications of what is learned in the first stage. It is of this second, internal phase of growth "in knowledge" that Rom. 12:2 speaks in these challenging words: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and accept-able and perfect." As one's knowledge about Christ penetrates into his conscience and soul to the extent of knowing Christ as a living Person rather than as a mere biographical character, the person's mind is being renewed, and he is being transformed as a person into "the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

RESCUE FROM TEMPTATION

II Pet. 2:9a ... "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation."

      When a person is tempted by evil, it is very likely that he feels alone and isolated. Help may seem far away. It might indeed appear that he must stand there in his own strength, trusting in his own wisdom and experience, and offering whatever resistance he can manage from within his own resources. This view of temptation is, nevertheless wrong and even dangerous, for the tempter is Satan, who is stronger than men in their own strength. This was emphasized by Martin Luther in the old, but still appropriate hymn, Ein' Feste Burg, as follows:

      "For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe,                                                                                     His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,                                                                           On earth is not his equal."

      In reality, however, no Christian must face temptation alone, or feel that help is distant and difficult, or think that he has no choice but to trust in his own resources of wisdom and experience. The text above from Peter offers us great assurance, encouragement, and conviction that God is very close to His children and is instantly ready to offer effective resistance unto their deliverance. But how close is God to a Christian? He answers this question Himself in I Cor. 3:16, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"  He adds in I John 4:4, "Greater is He who is in you than he (Satan the tempter) who is in the world."

      Although each person has his own responsibility to resist temptation, and is therefore ultimately accountable for his own success or failure, the Lord is faithful to help him by putting at his disposal everything necessary for him to succeed.

      First, God never allows the tempter to corner the Christian where he has no choice but to commit sin. The Lord always keeps open a route of escape, as I Cor. 10:13 promises: "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

      Second, God limits the power of any temptation within the range of human resistibility, as the words just quoted assure, "who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able."

      Third, God permits no temptation to come upon a Christian which has not already been met and overcome by many other people: "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man," (I Cor. 10:13a). 

      Fourth, God has given us a perfect model in Christ who met and defeated every temptation, thus forever removing some of its power. The inspired writer says of Jesus that He was the "One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin," (Heb 4:15).

      Fifth, God has given us a suit of spiritual armor that is efficacious in resisting temptation. We are urged to "put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil," (Eph. 6:11). This armor consists of a girdle of truth, a breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, a shield of faith, and a helmet of salvation.

      Sixth, God puts into the hands of His children "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Eph. 6:17). With this "armor of God" the Christian can defend his soul against the assaults of evil, and with the "sword of the Spirit" he can counterattack and defeat his foe, routing temptation and sin from the field of his life, at least for a while, (Luk. 4:1-13). The apostle Peter therefore refers to a very great benefit from God when he writes, "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation." 

        

THE BLESSING OF GRACE AND PEACE

II Pet. 1:2 ... "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

      This text is one of those verses in the Bible that people usually read over with little attention in their haste to go to something else that seems more interesting and worthy of study. When this statement is thus overlooked, however, a precious and beautiful part of our relationship as Christians with our Lord is missed. These words do not constitute a mere formality in opening this inspired epistle. Much to the contrary, they are actually the expression of a wonderful development in our spiritual lives as we yield them more fully to the molding fingers of our heavenly Father.

      Grace signifies God's favor bestowed upon people who have done nothing to deserve it. Everyone likes to think that he is special and that God therefore values him a little more than others. But God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34); neither is He obligated to anyone. Of His own will, on His own initiative, and at the time of His own choosing, God manifested His amazing grace to man by sending His Son to die for our sins and reconcile us unto Himself. His grace is further revealed by adding to His church those who obey His will, giving us the guidance of His Spirit, and granting to us the power and wisdom to persevere in the way He wishes us to live. As fallen creatures subjected to the excesses of sin, mankind stood in desperate need of God's grace, for there was nothing men could do on their own to escape the tyranny and eventual ruin of sin. But God loved man whom He had created in His own image so much that He freely bestowed His grace, as we are informed in Rom. 5:20, "But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."

      Peace is a product of God's grace. When God by His grace overpowered the reign of sin in human life, He laid the foundation for peace between Himself and man. The apostle Paul explains: "For He (Jesus) is our peace, who made both groups (Jews and non-Jews) into one ... by abolishing in His flesh the enmity ... so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near, for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father, (Eph. 2:14f). When peace with God is established through the elimination of sin, it can flow through our lives into our relations with other people. One cannot be hostile and adverse to his fellow men and still live on terms of peace with God, (Mat. 5:22-25; Rom. 12:17-21; Jas. 1:19-20). Also, the conviction that one is at peace with God produces a wonderful consolation that brings together the various parts of the human psyche into a peaceful unity. Christians are assured of this inner peace, which is "of God," (i.e., from God, or based on the action of God's grace), in these words of Php. 4:7, "The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

      Finally, we must notice in our featured text that this most glorious "grace and peace" is "multiplied to (us) in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." This is not the knowledge of the accumulation and retention of masses of facts so that the individual is a walking encyclopedia. It is rather the know-ledge gained in the course of real experience as one struggles with the issues of life in fellowship with Christ and under the guidance of His teaching preserved in the New Testament. It is through this kind of practical knowledge that God multiplies to us His incomparable "grace and peace."