The Revelation of God – 9
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
16:16)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Question: Why did Jesus come into the world? Answer: In order to save
the nations of the earth from sin, from heathenism, and from
corruption. He
came to restore us to union with God, to make us like God, like
Himself;
and to drive sin, darkness, and rebellion from the minds of men, and
therefore
from the world. When did He come? “For when we were yet without
strength,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). Why were we
without
strength? Because we were without God – the image and likeness of God.
Why
were we without God? Because we had disobeyed Him.
Question: What good
did the Life and Death of Jesus accomplish? “For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sake he
became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor.
8:9). “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all
people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the
present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of
the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who
gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for
himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works”
(Titus 2:11-14). “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we
might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been
healed.
For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the
Shepherd
and Overseer of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:24-25).
The above passages
bring out some significant facts: (1). All men were without strength,
and had in some degree lost their image and likeness of God. (2). In
our extremity Jesus Christ came to our relief; the grace or favor of
God bringing salvation to all men appeared. (3). Jesus redeemed the
world. (4). This grace teaches us
to deny ungodliness and worldly lust and live righteously, soberly, and
godly
in this present world. (5). The people of God are “zealous of good
works.”
(6). We have an opportunity to return to the Shepherd and Bishop of our
souls.
In our last lesson
we taught much concerning the “image and likeness of God.” What does
this image and likeness signify from the Gospel standpoint? In creation
it meant that man was the only creature that God made like unto
Himself. In other words, God gave to man in a limited degree that which
He possessed in an unlimited abundance. The ability to think, to love,
to sympathize, to forbear, to be gentle and forgiving - in short,
everything that is good in man is derived from God. Our faculties were
given us at the creation. They are a part of our nature.
What has sin done
for the race? Let us see. There have been great thinkers through the
ages, but no man will affirm that our progress has not been impeded and
our achievements hindered by the corruptions of sin, the conflicting
elements of society, and the frailties produced by disease. What a
change sin produced in the hearts
of men! Under its destructive influence the image and likeness of God
became
a wreck, love became hatred, sympathy became selfishness, forbearance
became
fierceness, gentleness became spite, meekness became aggression,
forgiveness became resentment, hope became a delusion, and faith became
a ruin.
Under the power of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ the likeness and image of God is recovered
from the depths of darkness into which sin has plunged it: hatred
becomes love, selfishness becomes sympathy, fierceness becomes
forbearance, spite becomes gentleness, aggression becomes meekness,
resentment becomes forgiveness, hope becomes the anchor of the soul,
and faith becomes the mystic tie between the human and the Divine.
None of our mental,
moral, or spiritual faculties have been completely destroyed, but they
have been weakened, perverted, lost in sin. The Gospel of Christ
proposes to deliver us from sin and reunite us to God. The person who
puts himself or herself completely under the control of Christ is made,
or remade, in the likeness of God. Do the Scriptures sustain these
statements? Yes, for the Bible says:
“We know that our
old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be
brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin”
(Rom. 6:6). “Assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in
him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self,
which belongs to your former manner
of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be
renewed
in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self,
created
after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore,
having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his
neighbor,
for we are members one of another” (Eph. 4:21-25). “Do not lie to one
another,
seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and
have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the
image
of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew,
circumcised and
uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and
in
all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion,
kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another
and,
if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the
Lord
has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all
these
put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And
let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called
in one body. And be thankful” (Col. 3:9-15).
What do you think
of the
mystery of God-likeness? God made man like unto Himself. Man lost this
likeness
by transgression. The Gospel is God’s plan of restoration. Glorious,
wonderful,
world-embracing plan! What is it to be like God? He loves his enemies.
If
we, through the power of the truth, love our enemies, are we like God?
He
blesses those who despitefully use and dishonor Him. If we do the same,
we
are like our “Father who is in heaven.”
Are you like God?
If not,
you are not a Christian. Do you love your enemies? If not, you are not
a
child of God. Do you desire the salvation of the world? If not, God has
not
been restored to the control of your heart. Do you live for self? If
you
do, your heart is still impure. You cannot – it is useless to try it –
live
a Christian life until you become one. You become a Christian by being
“created
in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph.
Jesus is the image
of God (Col. 1:15). He is the embodiment of wisdom, righteousness,
power, goodness, justice, truth, holiness, mercy, love, gentleness,
faith, obedience, meekness, power, forbearance, long-suffering,
self-denial, self-sacrifice, and liberality. You cannot possess Christ
unless you possess all of these. Everything depends upon whether you
have Christ within you (Phil. 3:8-9). If you have you are like God; if
you have not, you are on the road to ruin.
Why do so many
people have such low conceptions of the Christian life? Answer: Because
they have not received Christ; because they have not been created anew
in the image and likeness of God. Just in proportion as God dwells in
us will we be able to combat the evils of the world. The religion of
the New Testament binds men to God; restores Him to the supremacy of
mind and life. The Bible says:
“Do you not know
that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If
anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is
holy, and you are that temple” (1 Cor. 3:16-17). “For this reason I bow
my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from
whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that
according to the riches of his
glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit
in
your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ
that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness
of God” (Eph. 3:14-19).
Christian has
Christ formed
in him. He is filled with the Spirit. He is the temple of the living
God.
Christ dwells in his heart by faith. He is rooted and grounded in love.
Have
you Christ formed in you? Are you filled with the Spirit? Are you the
temple
of God? Does Jesus Christ dwell in your heart by faith? Are you rooted
and
grounded in love? If not, how can you claim to be a Christian?
Has God a method of
reaching the people, of driving sin from the heart, of re-establishing
Himself in every faculty of the mind, and therefore in every act of the
life? Is it a
perfect method? Is it adapted to the wants of men? Will it destroy our
love
of sin? Will it keep us from transgressing the law of God? Will it
enthrone God in the heart? What is it? ANSWER: The Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Is it enough to save us? All religious people admit that it is.
Do their practices correspond with their concessions? No. Examine their
practices. Do they glorify the Gospel?
They turn away from it, and pray for God to send salvation down from
heaven.
This is inconsistent and contradictory, and it drives many honest men
into
infidelity.
Let us come down to
Bible facts. God’s method of making men like Himself is in harmony with
our constitution, and our intellectual, moral, and spiritual nature.
Sin must be destroyed. How can it be done? It has led the minds of men
into captivity; into the bondage
of degradation. In order to conquer the lusts and passions of the flesh
the mind must be enlightened, purified, and captivated by the truth.
The
truth then inspires in the heart an inclination or determination to do
right.
The more completely God is enthroned within, the more fully the life
will
conform to the requirements of the Gospel. All actions proceed from the
heart,
the mind. Good actions come from the heart as God made it, or as the
Gospel
cleanses it. Bad acts come from the perverted heart. You may condemn
this
as “head religion” if you wish, but true religion certainly involves
the
mind.
How did the Lord
our God
operate at the beginning? (Luke 24:49). By the power of the Holy
Spirit, Peter
and his associates preached the Gospel (Acts 2). Who were Peter and his
co-laborers?
The Apostles of Jesus Christ. Why did they preach the Gospel of Christ?
In
order to convert the people, or turn them from sin. Why did they desire
to
turn them from sin? In order to make them like God. Why make them like
God?
In order to prepare their hearts for His indwelling, and unite Him to
them
forever. Did the apostles proceed as if they believed the Gospel
sufficient
to save people? They did. Did they exhort the brethren to pray for
converting
power to descend upon the people? They did not. Why not? Because they
had
the power in the Gospel of Christ.
What was the
position of the Jews in reference to the Gospel? They were opposed to
it. Why were they opposed to it? Because they were wicked unbelievers.
What was the condition of their hearts? They were desperately sinful.
Were they like God? Were they sinless, innocent, pure, and good? They
were transformed into the children of the devil by evil works (cf. John
8:44). Did they believe in one God? Yes,
but they did not respect His law. Were they seeking for light? They
were
contented in the darkness. Did God dwell in them? They were murderers
(cf.
1 John 3:15). Were they filled with the Spirit? They were filled with
malice.
Were they governed by love? They followed their own way, regardless of
truth
or sympathy.
What brought the
Jews together to hear the Gospel on the day of Pentecost? Nothing
but idle curiosity. Did the apostles tell them that nothing but
Omnipotence could break their stony hearts? Certainly not. Why not?
Because such a statement would have been false. What did the apostles
do? They reasoned with the people. They preached Christ and Him
crucified. They directed their arguments to the
minds of the people. Their words were freighted with truth, and
therefore
produced conviction in the minds of the people.
The sermon preached
by the apostles in Acts chapter 2 is a startling arraignment of the
people for their sins. Each thought was an arrow winged with light, and
when it struck the heart it startled its possessor into a realization
of his guilt before God. See the darkness fly! See the light of heaven
pour into the soul! See the heart quiver under the power of Divine
truth! See the devil forsake the throne to which he had no right, and
the Lord entering the heart as its rightful sovereign! See the dominion
of ignorance, prejudice, hatred, and disobedience crumble into ruin!
See the desire to know and do the will of God burst from the heart into
a living reality!
The preaching of
the apostles
pricked the Jews in their hearts. It pierced to the deepest depths of
their
understanding. They saw their condition in what they heard, in the
Gospel.
Is it any wonder that fear took possession of them? Is it any wonder
that
sorrow for sin filled their hearts? Is it any wonder that they were
stricken
with grief? Is it any wonder that they cried from the depths of their
broken
hearts: “Men and brethren what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37).
What produced this
change in these people? Hearing and believing the Gospel. Why did they
inquire what to do? Because they saw their condition. When the truth
takes possession of
a man and pricks his heart, and convicts him of his sins, he does not
stop
to argue, he inquires what to do, and does it at once. This question
shows
the condition of the man within: faith, fear, anxiety, willingness, and
trouble.
Were they saved when they ask this question? If so, why did they ask
it?
Did the apostle answer it? Yes. Is his answer worthy of attention, and
is
it an answer to people in similar condition in all ages of the world?
It
is.
What was the
answer? “Repent,
and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission
of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
What
is repentance? A change of mind that leads to a reformation of life.
What
is baptism? A burial and resurrection (Rom. 6:4). What are repentance
and
baptism for? The remission of sins. What follows the remission of sins?
The
gift of the Holy Spirit.
This question and
answer are applicable to us under similar circumstances. Preaching
produced conviction, conviction produced the question, and the question
called forth the answer. Did the people hesitate to do their duty when
they had learned it? They did not. Did any penitents go away seeking,
mourning, or inquiring? Not one.
The apostles had a
definite plan. They were guided by the Lord. They told the people what
to do, and they
did it. They were added to the church (Acts 2:47). Were they saved?
Were
they made like unto God? Were they filled with the Spirit of truth? Did
they
put on “the new man?” Most assuredly. Suppose they had refused to
“repent
and be baptized,” would they have been saved? NO. A refusal would have
been
positive rebellion against the authority of Jesus Christ, and
undeniable evidence
that their hearts were yet impure and that they loved their own ways
more
than they loved the way of God.
There baptism was
the result of repentance; their repentance was the result of faith;
their faith was the result hearing; what they heard was the result of
the preaching of the apostles; the preaching of the apostles was
inspired by the Lord; hence, He works in us both “to will and to do”
(Phil. 2:13) when we hear, believe, and obey the Gospel of Christ. This
is the way in which we have the mind of
Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), or partake of the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4).
The Gospel is God’s
power; His only power unto salvation (Rom. 1:16). It saves and makes
men like God when they receive and keep it in their hearts (cf. 1 Cor.
15:1-4). It is the
principle of union between God and men, and therefore the basis of
union among
the people of God. It made Christians of the people who heard it on the
day
of Pentecost, in the city of Samaria, and at the house of Cornelius. It
is
growing in influence, and it will continue its conquests until the
world
is turned to Christ. You have it in your Bible. What will you do with
it?
Do you desire to be
like Jesus? If so, you may be “changed into the same image from glory
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18), and “be
like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Do you sigh for
freedom from sin? Jesus Christ can make you free (John 8:31-36). Will
you obey Him? The New Testament reveals the way. It is unmistakable
plain. It is the revelation of God. Will you walk in it? On what are
you building? What if God should call you now? Soon your soul will be
required of you, and if you are not a Christian, what then? Death! The
second death! Eternal death!
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