Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Because of the Present Distress
“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is
outside the body, but he who commits
sexual immorality sins against his own
body.”I Cor.
6:18
The sexually charged environment of Corinth, in the first century,
is similar, in so many ways, to the culture that we live in today. We have
certainly escalated in recent times with no glass ceiling in sight. It is vital
to examine the Biblical parameters for our sexual self and carefully consider
the spiritual dimension to what we are engaged in.
In I Cor. 5:1-8 we hear the account of a situation in the church at
Corinth whereby, “a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up.”
We can imagine, from our cultural perspective, that the
church, in Corinth no doubt, was acting in “tolerance,” extending
“forgiveness,” not wanting to be “judgmental” but wishing to “love everybody.”
Does this sound familiar? The
church in Corinth was confused about the application of virtues. Paul
says in Rm. 6:1, 2 “...Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
Certainly not!..”
Let’s begin with the
sexual prohibitions.
Many years ago I heard a teaching that brought great clarity
concerning three tiers of prohibition for bringing our sexual practice in
agreement with Scripture.
1. Is there a stated
prohibition in the Scripture such as; “thou shalt not!” Many practices are clearly prohibited in the Scripture.
Fornication: sex outside the covenant of marriage
Gal. 5:19, Eph. 5:3, Col. 3:5
Homosexuality: Lev. 18:22 and 20:13 “shall be put to
death”
and Rom. 1:26-28
Bestiality: Ex. 22:19,
“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.”
2. Is a practice physically
or mentally unhealthy for either party? Then
it should be considered in the prohibition category.
Sadomasochism would be an example.
3. Is a practice unpleasant,
or distasteful to one partner? Then that should
be in the prohibition category. This does not include all sexual intimacy because
1 Co. 7:5 says clearly, “Do not deprive one another except with consent for a
time, that you may give
yourselves to fasting and prayer, and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
The above are excellent parameters.
The subject of Satan in the
above verse brings up the question of why Satan seems to target our sexuality
in order to bring chaos and destruction. Two possibilities are:
1. It’s easy.
2. Satan can’t create
anything. He can only imitate.
Through procreating we have the unique privilege to co- create with God, image bearers.
This is perhaps the highest
privilege of our sexuality, by design.
Sex is a beautiful gift from
God, and it is considered so sacred and special a gift that Jesus chose
not to participate in it while He dwelt among us.
Sexual sin is not the worst
sin, but it does have the power to leave long debris trails in peoples lives. I Cor. 6:19 goes on to say, “Or do you not know that your body is
the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you
are not your own?”
The over arching problem is that our sexuality is an
integral part of our sense of identity. The first thing (that is, it use to be)
spoken over you when you are born is gender, which, contrary to popular notions
is sex.
It is not the only, or even the most important aspect of
identity, but a culture out of control, steeped in sexual anarchy, has placed
it as number one!
The real crisis in our culture, then, is an identity
crisis brought on, in part, by sexual brokenness.
The only worthy solution is a gospel awakening wherein
shame is not eradicated, but it is displaced with forgiveness which breaks
forth to repentance.
Rom. 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness,
forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you
to repentance?”
No sin is beyond God’s capacity to forgive except the sin
that one refuses to admit is sin. When we choose to justify our actions, and
deny God’s council, then we place ourselves in a very dangerous position. Gal. 6:7,8 says,
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sow, that he will
also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but
he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
Our true identity is in
Christ.Col. 3:4, “When
Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Our sexuality, though a precious gift from God, is only a
small aspect of who we are, and not even one that will endure into eternity. Mt. 22:30,“For
in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like
angels of God in heaven.”
“Flee sexual immorality” Christian!
As mentioned in Today’s
Study here is the link to the message
from Jonathan Cahn that provides a possible explanation for the “present distress” that we see in our society today: https://youtu.be/_TMhHIqfrrA
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us for another Bible Study Next Week -------
or
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"Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247
podcast!
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are
those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the
opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other
authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not
necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may
represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of
Christian Discipleship
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Communion and the Resurrection
“The cup of blessing which
we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we
break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”I Cor. 10:16
I love the word “communion.”
We see two words, “common” and “union” therein. Consider; unity, community,
communication.
When we enter “Holy Week” we
find two bookends of new institutions;
the supper, and the resurrection.
On what we call “Maundy Thursday”
Jesus instituted the practice that we continue in, as a church.
The last supper is more appropriately the last Passover.
Jesus breaks the unleavened bread and calls it His body.
This is not incidental. The broken bread
symbolizes His broken body. He passes a piece of it to each of the disciples.
They eat it, and a piece of the whole is in each of them. But we mustn’t
misunderstand the analogy. When we receive Christ, we don’t receive a small
piece of Him, but all of Him.
SS. 6:3, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”
The question should never
arise, “how much of Jesus did I receive?” but we should always ask ourselves,
“how much am I willing to submit?”
Jesuscalls “the cup”(the new wine)Hisblood,and establishes
a, “new covenant.” Lk.
22:20, “This cup is the new covenant
in My blood, which is shed for you,”
Lev. 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood.”...And...
Gen. 4:10, “The voice of you brother’s blood cries out to Me”
We are instructed by Jesus
to remember these things as often
as we celebrate this meal.
The resurrection is something
new. The people Jesus rose up from the dead were more accurately
resuscitations. They all died again.
Rom. 8:29 calls Jesus, “the firstborn among many brethren.”
Rom. 6:10 says, “For the death that He died, He died to sin
once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”
On the first day of the week
Jesus instituted, by example, the resurrection which was a controversial
subject in Judaism.
Rom. 6:5, “For if we have been united together in the
likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His
resurrection.”
I wanted so much for the phrase “united together” to mean communion. For the sake of accuracy, it
means: planted together, closely united
to; planted together.
If you’ve ever seen a corn
field; that’s communion.
Every aspect of God’s economy
is to draw us, and sometimes drive us, and even bind us together in unity with
Christ and one another.
God’s aim is, “I will be
their God, and they shall be My people.Jer. 31:33
Jesus expressed it this way, “I
do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through
their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You;
that they also may be one in Us…” Jn.
17:20
Three meals mentioned in
Scripture of covenant grace are:
1) The Passover, which points ahead to Christ, the redeemer
2) The Lord’s Supper,abloodlessmeal that points to the cross
3) The marriage supper of the Lamb, Rev. 19:9 anticipated.
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are
those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the
opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other
authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not
necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may
represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of
Christian Discipleship
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Must be Born Again
“Most assuredly, I say to
you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”Jn. 3:3
The whole “born again” thing is shroud in mystery. Even the
Pharisee Nicodemus didn’t understand it. Christians today are divided on the
subject, precipitating two camps; those that are and those who don’t seem to
think that they need to be.
This gives way to silly
sayings like, “Your not one of those ‘born again’s’, are you?”
The simple truth is that, if you are a Christian then you
have been born again, and if you haven’t been born again then you are not a
Christian.
There is hardly an Old Testament parallel. One might say
that Isaac was born again, in a sense, being snatched from imminent death.
Indeed, Heb. 11:19 flushes out this though, “concluding that God was
able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a
figurative sense.”
The closest comparison, which we often use when describing
the “born again” experience is from Eze.
36:23, “I will give you a new heart
and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your
flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Paul puts it this way, in the
NT, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,” Eph. 2:1
And
“When you were dead in
your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive withChrist.
He forgave us all our sins.” Col. 2:13
Just as natural birth is a passage from warm, wet, dark and
dependent, to...this; spiritual birth (born again) is a passage from death unto
life, darkness into light, despair into hope, bondage into freedom.
This passage, or transition happens, but it is by faith that
we believe it and receive it. There may or may not be any instantaneous
noticeable sign, but there should most certainly be noticeable evidence to
follow which includes repentance from dead works toward righteous living.
This faith is not a blind faith or a fairy tale, but it is
faith in someone and His word. Heb. 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
those who diligently seek Him.”
II Co. 5:7, “For
we walk by faith, not by sight.”
But we do have evidence of
the integrity of God’s word because He did raise Jesus from the dead just as He
said.
Acts. 27:25, Paul says, “for I believe God that it will be just
as it was
told me.”
Peter pulls it all together, “All
praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy
that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead,
Now we live with great expectation.”I
Pet. 1:3 (NLT)
And
“For you have been born
again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever
because it comes from the eternal, living word of God” I Pet. 1:23 (NLT)
Jesus goes on to tell
Nicodemus, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”Jn. 3:7
-----Join
us for another Bible Study Next Week -------
or
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”,
"Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247
podcast!
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are
those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the
opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other
authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not
necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may
represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of
Christian Discipleship
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
Consequential Universe
“But I say to you that for
every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of
judgment” Mt. 12:36
This is a difficult passage
of Scripture which, I’m certain, does not appear
on very many church signs for obvious reasons
In the context of this verse
Jesus is preaching and ministering in the region of Galilee. This exchange
begins in 12:22, and may be a response to the Pharisees remark, “This fellow
does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Mt.
12:24
But it still has weighty
implications regarding God’s ordered creation.
“every idle word”...wow!
Albert Einstein, who contemplated
the universe quite a bit said, “The most important question a person can ask
is, ‘Is the Universe a friendly place?”’
I would suggest that order is
friendly whereas chaos and disorder is unfriendly. It precipitates confusion,
which leads to poor choices, which often lead to disastrous consequences.
We believe that God, Who
created the universe, also ordered the universe. Order is evidence of design.
The bigger question that Einstein should have asked is, “Is God friendly?”
He is!!!
Today we will look at how
God’s order and design is for our well being. We are His highest creation and
the, apple of His eye Ps. 17
Let’s look at some consequential truths from the Scriptur
Gen. 2:16,17, “Of every tree
of the garden you may freely eat; but”
Wherever we encounter an “if/then” or a “but” this speaks of
consequences.
Deut. 11 is the great
“blessing and curse” sequence (vr.26,27). Let’s look for the “if/then” in
verses 13 and 14.
The extended version of this
is in Duet. 28. Look for the “But” in verse 15.
Without consequences the
world doesn’t make sense. A big problem is that, when we are very young
consequences come quickly; good or bad. But as we get older we find ways to
avoid and circumvent bad consequences and deceive ourselves to think that we
have gotten away with something.
God sees and knows all
things:
Jer. 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;”
Mt. 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered.”
I Ch. 28:9 “for the LORDsearches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts”
How about Rom. 10:9, “if
you...(then)”
This is a cause and effect woven into God’s economy. We
shouldn’t take this lightheartedly, and we should qualify it by understanding
that it doesn’t relieve us of other consequences. If you jump off a ten story
building you will surely die!!!
If you persist in sin and
disobedience, you will suffer loss.
See I Co. 3:14-17
Also, Gal. 6:7 “Do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap…”
The only place in the
universe where cause and effect consequences are not balanced is at the cross
where He did “exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think…”
Eph. 3:20
-----Join
us for another Bible Study Next Week -------
or
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”,
"Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247
podcast!
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are
those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the
opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other
authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not
necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may
represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of
Christian Discipleship
Today’s spectacular photo of the first sunset of Spring
over Lake Ontario comes to us from Celestial Blue Photography as Rocco Saya
shared this scene on social media on Monday pointing out that it was “A good
first day of spring!: and that “It brought some beautiful light to end the day”
that revealed that despite the change of season there was still “ice on the
boulders lining Sheldon beach.”
Well, it’s Wednesday, and even though most of us
have arrived at Hump Day, I have arrived at a one day weekend as my employer
shifts our schedules to cover Saturdays and this week is my turn. So I have off
today, work Saturday, and will have another “one day weekend” come Sunday. A
man’s got to do what a man’s got to do and although I am not thrilled with “End
Days” (or is in N-Days – as in NOBODY wants to work on Saturday)- I know they
are a part of the job and as long as I want to receive the pay benefits that
provide for me and my family, I accept them for what they are and try to make
the most of the day off today and Sunday.
As for today, I have another Freedom Appointment
scheduled this morning so shortly after posting this message, I will be doing
the work of ministry as I will encourage another man from the Freedom in Christ
course through the Steps to Freedom in Christ.So, if its before or between 9am & 12pm, I’d appreciate your prayers
for support as we will be going before the Lord in this guided process of
repentance that seeks to resolve spiritual and personal conflicts to assist our
brother to experience or deepen his freedom in Christ through this encounter in
God’s presence.
Speaking of coming into God’s presence, those of us
who have put their faith in God can draw close to the Lord any time we want
because we are one with Him in Spirit (1 Cor 6:17) and we have direct access to
God through the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:18). God is available to us.But the question is: are we making ourselves
available to God?
Well, let’s not worry about it. Let’s make ourselves
available now by drawing close to God on this 25th day of Lent by continuing
in our current series, the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, with Day
25.
As a reminder, and as we will say each day of this
journey, we take this path to mark the season of Lent and to draw closer to God
in anticipation of the celebration of Easter, knowing that if we take this
journey of repentance seriously, we will not only see the days and seasons
change, the Lord will use it to change us too.
“Christians are persons who no longer seek their salvation,
their deliverance, their justification in themselves, but in Jesus Christ
alone.
They know that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces them
guilty, even when they feel nothing of their own guilt, and that God’s Word in
Jesus Christ pronounces them free and righteous even when they feel nothing of
their own righteousness…
Because they daily hunger and thirst for righteousness,
they long for the redeeming Word again and again.
It can only come from the outside. In themselves they are
destitute and dead. Help must come from the outside; and it has come and comes
daily and anew in the Word of Jesus Christ, bringing us redemption,
righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
But God put this Word into the mouth of human beings so
that it may be passed on to others.
When people are deeply affected by the Word, they tell it
to other people.
God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living
Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings.
Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak
God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain
and disheartened.”
Biblical Wisdom
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you;
consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.Hebrews 13:7
Questions to Ponder
Where do disciples go to
satisfy their daily hunger and thirst for righteousness?
M.T. Clark: Disciples are students of God’s word and the place
that we should go to satisfy our daily hunger and thirst for righteousness is
in the Bible.Personal Bible study
should be a part of our day. It is where we are to find our daily bread.
Of course, this bread, the word of God can be found many different
forms – in daily devotionals like the one we are doing now, in Christian
podcasts and sermons, Christian books, Christian music, Bible Studies, Bible
commentaries, and Christian videos. Believe me when I tell you that those who
have access to the internet have virtually unlimited ways to be encouraged in
their faith and to receive the things that will satisfy our hunger and thirst
for righteousness. However, as much as
the various resources mentioned here can help us in our faith, I would still
encourage you to go straight to the source of God’s wisdom personally by
reading the Bible and asking God to reveal what He wants you to know in
prayer.
Because just like processed foods are not as good for us as raw
foods, reading the Bible for ourselves is free from any “additives” that may be
more another man’s opinion than the word that God has for you personally.
If Christians find their
salvation, deliverance, and justification not in themselves but in Jesus
Christ, how should they use their resulting freedom?
M.T. Clark:Since we find
our salvation, deliverance, and justification in Jesus Christ, we should use
our resulting freedom to give God glory by encouraging others to put their
faith in Jesus so they can be saved, delivered and justified.Of course, we should enjoy our freedom in
Christ, but part of our enjoyment should be realizing our purpose in Christ, to
be an ambassador to God’s kingdom and to allow the Lord to use us in the
ministry of reconciliation.If we know
God’s love, have experienced our freedom in Christ, our hearts should be full
of the desire to share the love and joy that we have found in Christ alone.
If God has put God’s word
into the “mouth of human beings,” who is responsible to speak the word?
Only pastors or church workers? Why?
M.T. Clark: If God has given us His word personally, which He
has if we are saved, it is our honor and duty to speak it to ourselves, to
remind us of what we have received and to live our our life in Christ, and to
speak it to others, to share the love of God and in the hope that the words we
share will be used by God to bring others to peace with God through faith in
Jesus Christ.It is not only pastors or
church workers responsibility to share the word. Everyone who has received God’s
word is commanded to share it by Christ Himself, who told us all to go and make
disciples and to teach them everything He has taught us.
Psalm Fragment
On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.Psalm 145:5-7
Journal Reflections
Write about specific
Christians who have spoken a word from God to you when you needed it.
M.T. Clark: I have countless examples. Pastor Bob Costello
mentored me and led through recovery. He spoke the words of truth to me that
gave me hope that I could actually overcome my addictions and gave me the training
I needed to be bold and courageous in encouraging others to walk by faith in
the power of the Holy Spirit.I have
also received a timely word from the Lord through pastors, teachers and “plain old Christians”
– in person and through various forms of media – when I needed it.So we should seek out community with other Christians
and continually seek to know the Lord more through personal study because we
never know who or what will be used by the Lord to speak to us.
Write about people to whom
you have spoken God’s word.
M.T. Clark:Well, this
should give glory to God. I have answered the call to speak the word of God and
following is a list of some of the people or situations in which I have spoken
God’s word:
·Messages, prayers, and encouraging words at my local
churches
·Praying for people at work and in public
·Gospel Message at the 7th Street Park in Hudson
NY
·Street evangelism with Pastor Bob on the streets of Hudson
NY
·Street evangelism on the streets of a village in Zambia with
a mission team in 2016
·Delivering a personal testimony of God’s faithfulness and
power at 3 churches and 2 schools in Zambia and Zimbabwe in 2016
·Jail Ministry at the Columbia County Jail
·Celebrate Freedom – recovery ministry from 2015 to 2020
·Community Freedom – CFM – 2021 – where I met and proposed
to my wife
·This is blog and this podcast – has had listeners and web
page views from all over the world – what people are receiving or how much, I
will never know but if this message of encouragement reaches EVEN 1 person, I
will continue to “bring it” as much as I can.
So, there are ways to share the word of God. You don’t have to
be a pastor to be used by God. You just have to say “Yes” when God responds to
your prayer to “send me”.
Intercessions
Think of someone
you would like to be a spiritual friend with and ask God to help you build a
mutually supportive spiritual relationship with him or her.
M.T. Clark:
Lord God,
There is no one that I
would like to be spiritual friends with more than my children and my step
children. They have all been exposed to gospel and I would like to believe that
they all have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life but Lord only know
their hearts and only you can give them the revelation of the truth and the
richness of a relationship with you.So,
I pray that you will use me, my wife, or someone else to speak a word that will
cause them to confirm their faith, to
zealously follow you, and seek to be a spiritual friend with me.So I pray for Haley, Brennan, AnneMarie,
Rachel, Jakob, Elisabeth, Benjamin, and Jeanette.
In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.
Prayer for Today
O Holy Spirit, send
the people I need to bring me the word of God, and send the people I need to
speak the word of God to.
***As we are being
provided with Bible verses from the 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we
will are taking a break from sharing a verse of the day from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”. We plan on
resuming that normal installment of the blog following Easter.***
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God.”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
ByARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DIFFICULTIES AND OBJECTIONS
“Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is
not My way equal? are not your ways unequal?” (Ezek. 18:25).
A convenient point has been reached when we
may now examine, more definitely, some of the difficulties encountered and the
objections which might be advanced against what we have written in previous
pages. The author deemed it better to reserve these for a separate
consideration rather than deal with them as he went along, requiring as that
would have done the breaking of the course of thought and destroying the strict
unity of each chapter, or else cumbering our pages with numerous and lengthy
footnotes.
That there are difficulties involved in an attempt
to set forth the truth of God’s sovereignty is readily acknowledged. The
hardest thing of all, perhaps, is to maintain the balance of truth. It is largely a matter of perspective. That God is sovereign is explicitly declared in
Scripture: that man is a responsible creature is also expressly affirmed in
Holy Writ. To define the relationship of these two truths, to fix the dividing
line betwixt them, to show exactly where they meet, to exhibit the perfect consistency
of the one with the other, is the weightiest task of all. Many have openly
declared that it is impossible for
the finite mind to harmonize them. Others tell us it is not necessary or even
wise to attempt it. But, as we have remarked in an earlier chapter, it seems to
us more honoring to God to seek in His Word the solution to every problem. What
is impossible to man is possible with God, and while we grant that the finite
mind is limited in its reach, yet, we remember that the Scriptures are given to
us that the man of God may be “thoroughly
furnished,” and if we approach their study in the spirit of humility and of
expectancy, then, according unto our faith
will it be unto us.
As remarked above,
the hardest task in this connection is to preserve the balance of truth while
insisting on both the sovereignty of
God and the responsibility of the creature. To some of our readers it may
appear that in pressing the sovereignty of God to the lengths we have man is
reduced to a mere puppet. Hence, to guard against this, they would modify their definitions and statements
relating to God’s sovereignty, and thus seek to blunt the keen edge of what is
so offensive to the carnal mind. Others, while refusing to weigh the evidence
that we have adduced in support of our assertions, may raise objections which
to their minds are sufficient to dispose of the whole subject. We would not
waste time in the effort to refute objections made in a carping and contentious
spirit but we are desirous of meeting
fairly the difficulties experienced
by those who are anxious to obtain a fuller knowledge of the truth. Not that we
deem ourselves able to give a satisfactory and final answer to every question
that might be asked. Like the reader, the writer knows but “in part” and sees
through a glass “darkly.” All that we can do is to examine these difficulties
in the light we now have, in dependence upon the Spirit of God that we may
follow on to know the Lord better.
We propose now to
retrace our steps and pursue the same order of thought as that followed up to
this point. As a part of our “definition”
of God’s sovereignty we affirmed: “To say that God is sovereign is to declare
that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so
that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will.… The
sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite.” To
put it now in its strongest form, we insist that God does as He pleases, only as He
pleases, always as He pleases; that
whatever takes place in time is but the outworking of that which He decreed in
eternity. In proof of this assertion we appeal to the following scripture: “But
our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased” (Psa.
115:3). “For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who
shall turn it back?” (Isa. 14:27). “And all the inhabitants of the earth are
reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none
can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:35). “For of Him,
and through Him, and to Him, are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).
The above
declarations are so plain and positive that any comments of ours upon them
would simply be darkening counsel by words without knowledge. Such express
statements as those just quoted are so sweeping and so dogmatic that all
controversy concerning the subject of which they treat ought for ever to be at
an end. Yet, rather than receive them at their face value, every device of
carnal ingenuity is resorted to so as to neutralize their force. For example,
it has been asked, If what we see in the world today is but the outworking of
God’s eternal purpose, if God’s counsel is
NOW being accomplished, then why did our Lord teach His disciples to pray,
“Thy will be done on earth as it is
in heaven”? Is it not a clear implication from these words that God’s will is not now being done on earth? The answer
is very simple. The emphatic word in the above clause is “as.” God’s will is being done on earth today, if it is
not, then our earth is not subject to God’s rule, and if it is not subject to
His rule then He is not, as Scripture proclaims Him to be, “The Lord of all the
earth” (Josh. 3:13). But God’s will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven. How is God’s will “done in heaven”?—consciously and joyfully. How
is it “done on earth”? for the most part, unconsciously and sullenly. In heaven
the angels perform the bidding of their Creator intelligently and gladly, but
on earth the unsaved among men accomplish His will blindly and in ignorance. As
we have said in earlier pages, when Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus and when
Pilate sentenced Him to be crucified they had no conscious intentions of
fulfilling God’s decrees yet, nevertheless, unknown to themselves they did do so!
But again. It has
been objected: If everything that happens on earth is the fulfilling of the
Almighty’s pleasure, if God has foreordained—before the foundation of the
world—everything which comes to pass in human history, then why do we read in
Gen. 6:6 “It repented the Lord that
He had made man on the earth, and it grieved
Him at His heart”? Does not this language intimate that the antediluvians had
followed a course which their Maker had not marked out for them, and that in
view of the fact they had “corrupted” their way upon the earth the Lord regretted that He had ever brought such
a creature into existence? Ere drawing such a conclusion let us note what is involved in such an inference. If the
words “It repented the Lord that He had made man” are regarded in an absolute sense, then God’s omniscience would be denied, for in such
a case the course followed by man must have been un-foreseen by God in the day that He created him. Therefore it
must be evident to every reverent soul that this language bears some other
meaning. We submit that the words “It repented
the Lord” is an accommodation to our
finite intelligence, and in saying this we are not seeking to escape a
difficulty or cut a knot, but are
advancing an interpretation which we shall seek to show is in perfect accord
with the general trend of Scripture.[1]
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication,
and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author
may represent.”
Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
