CHAPTER ONE

GRACIOUS GOODNESS AND THIS WORLD IN DISORDER

Published by World Wide Web Witness Inc.

November 2002

Rev. Dr. Robert Donaldson

Preface

There is a need to consider not merely the disorder in the world, but what disorder actually is (Ch. 1), and how it relates to the Gracious Goodness which not only instituted order, but the minds with which to savour, utilise and understand it and the wonder of which it IS order; and then to see these in relationship. Man is sailing not into the sunset, but into the dawn of the darkest day of history, not excluding the universal flood; for that led to judgment for this world; what is coming is judgment for the next as well. Even the first rays of that ultimate day before Christ’s return actually meets this world, are lurid. He comes to rescue from the whirl of judgment, the people who are His. The rest INSIST on having their own world; they shall see what this brings.

God has not forgotten to be gracious (Psalm 77); but His grace is not left lying around to be picked up like gold nuggets at whim and will, any more than is your electrical power lying in lumps on the ground. You need to find where it comes from, and go there. The unsearchable riches of Christ are available at call, but at the call of faith dressed in repentance, not at the summons of spiritual dignitaries; not at the summons of pride and self-obsession, but at the contrition of coming in rags, to be re-dressed, reformed and regenerated into a life which is HIS (Isaiah 64:6-7, Ephesians 2:1-12, 4:17ff.m Galatians 1, 3, 5).

Just as it is all from grace, so it is only IN grace. Seek therefore the Lord WHILE He may be found (Isaiah 55:6). He is not hiding; it is just that the mists of sin cloud the vision, and the wisdom of self-will makes the ‘light’ that is in you, without Christ, to be darkness; and if darkness, how GREAT is that darkness (Matthew 6:22-23). It is not a matter of discerning between blackness and various shades of deep indigo, but of coming into the Light of this world, Jesus Christ the righteous, the Prince of peace, whose offering ignored, makes the offering of this whole world too small for peace, but merely the offering of new offence to add to the old. In this volume, we plan for all these features will be in focus, and not least, the current and contemporary developments showing both of these contrary realities, and surveying all of these things.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Orientation Upwards and Downwards

Chapter 2

Displacement and Deity

News 241

The Australian October 21^st., 2002

Chapter 3

Violins and Vile Inns

News 242

The Advertiser, October 23, 2002

Chapter 4