CHAPTER THREE
Creating Waves: A word
on the Gospel -
how wonderful it is!
WELCOME TO "HIS WORD", the shorter
contribution to the word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the milk of the word,
the snack lunch menu. At the present time, there are two companions to know:
1. CREATING
WAVES, and
2. GOSPEL
AHOY!
1. CREATING WAVES
Of course waves are normally blue rather than red, if you are thinking of the ocean; and let's do that. By Port Elliot, they can be rambunctious, unruly and clamant. Young surfers frequently ride them near the rocks, as if to show their disregard for their future, or for the laws of nature... or both.
Imagine for one moment that you are a mouse near a wave, on which a surfie is conducting himself with considerable agility, and much risk. You for your part are feeling somewhat less agile, being more drowned than dynamic. Nevertheless you spare a thought for that flamboyant seeming disregard, amidst your pantings, and heavings and uncertainties and apparently near approaching destiny.
Certainly, it does not belong to you. What then ? is it time to consider the laws of nature, the theory of wave motion, and under what circumstances the differences in viscosity and wave source will alter the characteristics of the motion which is disturbing you ? It would not seem so, since the breath with which to activate the system on which you physically depend is in imminent danger of being lost; for good, and for evil.
What is more to the point, how does one swim in, or through or with this thing, and what is to be the destination ? If the shore, it is distant, the way is deep and there are ... people. If the rocks, they are slippery, and hard and unfeeling. If the surfer, he is quick, and keeps turning, and in any case is no haven...
Now you may elect to drown, and to do so with
a) desperate fear or
b) what you profess to be a magnificent disregard; or you may, on the other hand, resolve to struggle with vehemence, though the tempestuousness of the waters makes your own seem laughable, at best.
Not to nature or to natural things do you need to look, but to their origin, and to the originator of persons in particular, and to any sign, indication or stipulation that Being may have for such as you.
In general, the world either
i) does not take this course, or
ii) bungs together some sort of a thing or object, mental or physical, on which to hang troubles, in blame or with hope, and then complains to the Being about the lack of results, or curses the Being, or seeks to shame It into some sort of show of feeling by pretending it is not there. There are variations of course.
However, it would seem best if our mouse had taken the time and trouble as the case might require, to find out about this Being before the predicament. In general, people don't; but in fairness, some do; and they are, though a small fraction, a largish number.
Jesus Christ is the answer of God to persons whom He has made, and who have made a mess, in a world where the race has as a matter of fact to an increasing degree made a mess. Mess can be made in many ways: in morals, in tongue, in emotion, in quality, in construction, in misconstruction, in destruction. Many things would better never have been made; others better never have been left in existence; and then many have made the decision on the part of others when it was not their own concern.
The Bible
teaches we have all made messes, sinned, disqualified ourselves in terms of the
standards of the Maker of personality, with its anxieties and its angst and its
action, its unruliness and its potential. The very power to make errors is a
signal of our having purposes and powers which do not meet. The rainbow lacks
the arch; as the United Nations is finding, and as the
Tribes, individuals, nations, universities, they all have large areas of mess.
Christ became a mess in order to clear the books, personally bearing the results of the fraud and fabrication, destruction and desolation, spiritual, physical, common to mankind. The Bible in Isaiah 53 tells us this: ON HIM WAS LAID THE INIQUITY OF US ALL. That means the deep, inward sinfulness. Isaiah there also tells us that with His stripes we are healed, that is, with the castigation, the whipping, the torment and the torture which He endured. It was all voluntary and planned.
Justice would weep without truth, and mercy without pardon; so justice met with mercy in Christ, who satisfied its requirements in love, and died, bearing the sin of those who are made whole by faith, by His stripes; but He was careful to rise again from the dead, according to the prescription of the Almighty, to reassure us that it was all over.
With this provided, it was believe in God and in His kindness, or bleed for your own sins. The latter would be simple wilfulness. Children are at times inclined to do this, but adults also. Some insist in pride, and so fall. Some want their own works to qualify them - if only they knew, in the sight of the divine perfection, for WHAT those works would qualify... (cf. Romans 10:1-3).
But WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED (Acts 2).
Jesus once instructed the waves to be still; and the waves which sin makes, He likewise can so instruct in the human personality. Peace at any price is often made; this is peace with purity, at high price, and at that, at HIS price.
What must you do ? COME by faith to this Being, as accurately shown in Jesus Christ His Son, and repent of sin (Luke 13:1-3, Acts 2:38), express your desire to be ruled by Him, and understand that this is returning to God: for
Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He
might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive
in the Spirit.
You find that
in I Peter 3:18. In fact, the world was not made for those personalities called
mankind to travel alone. It is so marvellous; but not for solitary tracking.
Nor are groups God. It is necessary to find the Maker Himself, and being remade
(John 3, and I John 3:9), to walk with God. There is nothing like it. There is
simply nothing like Him. Where does one go? Try the door: Jesus said - I am the
door, by Me if any man enter, he shall be saved (John 10:9). It is best to use
the door (John 10:1). God does not accept, as Christ stated, people who would
come in by any other method! But such a door: to slight it is madness, to use it is joy.
THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL - GOSPEL AHOY!
The
Self-Verification and Selfless Virtue of the Gospel
It is apt to consider the uniqueness and distinctives of the Christian Gospel, for this reason. As verification, one would expect it amply to fulfil not only what is shown essential apologetically, in Chapter 1 of The Shadow of a Mighty Rock, but to evidence other attributes demarcating it as the product of the Almighty. Truth tends to attest itself when understood, with a certain exuberance.
In this vein, let us ask: HOW does the Christian GOSPEL DIFFER from all else ? Let us review in series what constitutes a uniqueness unmatched, and in view of the passage of history, unmatchable.
1. If one reads Galatians 1:6-12, we find:
Ø that it is given by revelation and not dependent on human learning or culture in any way, for its content.
Ø that it is unalterable, and even if its proponent, here Paul, were to preach something different, he freely acknowledges he should be cursed.
Ø that it is inviolable, and even if an angel preached something else, that angel should likewise be cursed.
Ø that it HAS been preached, so that its established character is not susceptible to any type of change.
Fresh developments are not going to contradict past statements. It is "the everlasting gospel" (Revelation 14:6), and indeed, even Isaiah centuries before Jesus Christ came, after his extensive unveiling of the Gospel in the Messiah, stated: "And this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: My spirit that is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, nor out of the mouth of your seed's seed, says the Lord, from henceforth and for ever" - Isaiah 59:21.
Thus it exhibits the definitive immiscibility anticipated from the word of the infinite God.
2. Again, on reading Galatians 3:8, one finds this, that -
a) The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the heathen through faith, giving a pre-announcement of it to Abraham, saying - In you will all nations be blessed.
b) It preached indeed this gospel beforehand, so that although it is not derivable from 'man' as ch.1 of Galatians states, yet it is not novel. Nor is it contrary to what God has pre-formulated in His careful covering of all contingencies for confusion or impudent masquerading that were to come from some who would act as IF God had spoken to them, the false prophets, of which Jeremiah 23, for example speaks, as does II Peter 2-3.
On the contrary, it exactly matches the divine declaration of the prophets.
3. We find that the Gospel was not only preached
beforehand, but
a) definitively given, as in Isaiah 53,49,42,53,61,65-66 (see Chs. 8-9 in The Shadow of a Mighty Rock, henceforward, SMR), and
b) provided with an area of dating for the events which would generate its applicability - i.e. the death of the Messiah: Daniel 9 (see SMR pp. 943ff.) had to occur in the vicinity of what we now call A.D. 30.
c) validated in these terms repeatedly as it was announced (Acts 2, 13, 3, I Peter 2).
4. This Gospel so that it tells of God pardoning
ABSOLUTELY so that
it is:
a)
UNCONDITIONAL to those receiving it by faith
(Romans
b)
to the same faith, UNRESCINDABLE . Thus Hebrews
c) ETERNAL - Romans 5:8-9 states: "God commends His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then , being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him".
d) PURE - God does not act indolently. Romans 6:1-2 makes this apparent! and He does act AMPLY, as II Peter 1 shows, in its long list of attributes of holiness. We are not involved in any push-button program in the Gospel; it is just that when one really receives Christ in this Biblical way, then HE so acts as to change and if need be, chasten those who become the children of God. Philippians 2:12 tells us - "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling , for it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His own good pleasure."
There you see the realities of God at work in the one who therefore is at work also, within the Lord. It is like a car that starts - then the efforts to start it stand out in marked contrast to the going-concern scenario. Now it has started, it goes! With such total oversight, God is free to give absolute assurance, light that of light penetrating into darkness, sun in the once ill-lit room (John 10:9,27-28), but no licence, for "whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" - Hebrews 12:6.
e)
FINAL - This new covenant (Matthew 26:28,
Hebrews
This
is that Jesus Christ who is Himself the FIRST AND THE LAST (Revelation 2:8, as
in Isaiah 44:6 of God), and for whom there can be no possible supersession.
Thus Christ is this "Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order
of Melchisedec", unsurpassable, eternal and functional forever (Hebrews
Thus
also, to the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, is forever", who is the One who has conquered
death (Hebrews
Through "a kingdom which cannot be moved" (Hebrews 12:28, cf. Daniel 7:14, Acts 17:31, John 5:23-31) which His saints are now receiving, then comes the "general assembly" of Christ, amidst "those things which cannot be shaken" (Hebrews 12:27).
Accordingly, the Gospel, given by covenant (Matthew 26:28, Hebrews 7:22-26,8:6), is immutable, eternal, once executed, divinely differentiated, directed and secured (Hebrews 6:17-20,7:3,16-17,24,28,9:25-,10:26,12:26-27).
f) COMPREHENSIVE - Thus there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which they MUST be saved (Acts
Small wonder that God declares through the apostle Paul, "For it pleased the Father than in Him should all fulness dwell, and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself", and not satisfied with that, to continue, "by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven, and you that were at one time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His sight". (Italics added.)
5. The GOSPEL
PROVIDES REMEDY for
wilful and woeful distortions of man, his personality, his power, his
environment, his destiny. THIS IS CRUCIAL VERIFICATION (see SMR, pp. 41ff., 316C and Remedy in Index; and
consult Galatians
Hence the Gospel utterly distances God from responsibility for man's continuance in sin on this planet; and it utterly implicates man in responsibility, or irresponsibility, as the case may be. At fault once, man faces a demarcation again of his evil preferences, or repentance. See John 3:17-19.
This provides a coherent, consistent operational feature. It is in scope also unique.
This is secured through
divine sacrifice, love, mercy and pity, but also through divine action in the
REDEEMER (Romans
6. If it be simple, however, it also is SEARCHING, this Gospel of Jesus Christ. It not a mumbo-jumbo, a cant or shibboleth, a cultural conditioner, a social convention, a cultic practice device. God CONDEMNS hypocrisy thus: "THIS PEOPLE DRAWS NEAR ME WITH THEIR MOUTH, AND WITH THEIR LIPS THEY HONOUR ME, BUT THEY HAVE REMOVED THEIR HEART FAR FROM ME," Isaiah 29:13.
God in fact in a human likeness secured the sacrifice for sin in the death o His only begotten Son; and the reception of this provision is no nominal , or merely sacramental but genuine and sincere or not al all. NOTHING IS SECURED BY MERENOMINAL CONFORMITY TO ANYTHING. Without this faith (Hebrews 13:6), you CANNOT PLEASE GOD for : 'without faith it is impossible to please Him", a covenantal and defined faith in the God who is, not in some fellow whom men make for cultural religious convenience.
Thus Paul in Romans 5:1 indicates of the Christian that he is "justified by faith", saying, "having been justified by faith, he has peace with God". As to that faith, Romans 1-5 defines it with great precision.
Justified by faith, says
Paul, without the works of the law (Romans 3): otherwise, he declares, what
boasting! But now: "where then is the glory in? It is excluded. By what
manner of law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith, apart from the works of
the law" - Romans
It is indeed no only by FAITH that a man is justified in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but - "BY GRACE YOU ARE SAVED THORUGH FAITH, AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS, THAT NO MAN SHOULD GLORY" - Ephesians 2:8-9. It is, as we see here, by GRACE! Indeed, says Paul (Romans 11:6): "IF IT IS BY GRACE, THEN IT IS NO MORE OF WORKS; OTHERWISE GRACE IS NO MORE GRACE. BUT IF IT BE OF WORKS, THEN IT IS NO MORE GRACE; OTHERWISE WORK IS NO MORE WORK."
The ENTIRE ACT OF SALVATION
is by grace through faith, enduring forever (Ephesians
As noted in point 2 above,
the concept of fiddling with words is entirely excluded, for growth, love,
discipline and reality have a confluence that relates to a new nature,
something Marx spoke of, but did not even begin to achieve. LOVE does change
things, and the Lord changes even the heart that loves, restoring it in
integrity (II Corinthians
7. Thus HEAVEN IS NOT AT ALL EARNED BY MAN.
For God's children, born by
faith in Jesus Christ (John 3), it is an inheritance (II Peter 1:3-5, Ephesians
8. The Gospel is forecast substantially, not only hundreds of years before Christ came to earth, but in prophets like Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Joel, David in the Psalms, it appears in apt precision and harmonious totality, layer on layer, writer with writer, phrase with phrase and content with content. Isaiah has it so completely clear and precise that he is extensively cited in the New Testament, and indeed quoted by Christ. Isaiah 53 provides a core which is surrounded by activity multitudinous on this theme, in the surrounds of the work of Isaiah. (See SMR Ch.9, for details.)
This mutually complementary, detailed Gospel coverage, focussing a person, a plan of action, reasons for it, achievements to be attained through it, power and miracles to be demonstrated by its focus, Jesus Christ, with His death and the bodily resurrection forecast... is unique. There is more.
9. The Gospel is predicted to appear WITH EMPHASIS OUTSIDE THE Jewish people and to be rejected by them, while the Redeemer is abhorred by them, though some would believe in Him ( a 'remnant').
10. Further: The non-Jewish people would in large numbers among the nations believe in this Redeemer, sing deeply of His praises, relish and rejoice in Him, evangelising the world, together with such Jews as would believe; and the gospel to do this as noted, was not only pre-formulated hundreds of years beforehand, defined as to what it would be, exactly as it is now. It was forecast as to its acceptance and its rejection. Moreover it was predicted to depend on the Messiah whose sacrificial death was placed around 30 A.D., following betrayal as planned (Chs. 8-9, SMR).
11. This GOSPEL ITSELF IS SIMPLE, though its environment is profound. Thus even a little child can follow it, and one has seen such things not a little (as far as human eye can see over decades of testing)' One has in fact seen a validated case of child as young as 3 years of age receiving Christ, and continuing in this (cf. Matthew 18:1-3). Its outreach is therefore free of favouritism to any one race, such as the one through whom Christ came; it is not even given with preference to the wise or learned or those who fancy themselves in any way. This verifies the love of God in outreach, care and concern.
Indeed, in Isaiah 28-29,
where the coming of the Messiah is foretold, God speaks chidingly to the false
scholars and the empty hearts which would not receive the divine word, being
too full of culture and personal feelings. "WHOM, God asks, "SHALL HE
TEACH KNOWLEDGE ? AND WHOM SHALL HE MAKE TO UNDERSTAND DOCTRINE? THOSE WHO ARE
WEANED FORM THE MILK, AND DRAWN FROM THE BREASTS." As it was in the
developing evils of
This does not mean that the deep things of God (I Corinthians 2:9-13) are simple. There is what Paul calls 'meat' as well as 'milk' (I Corinthians 3:1-2).
12. Did GOD take much trouble to make this Gospel simple ? Yes, the hard part was the securing of the product, if you will, the establishing of the hardware. The saving software, to follow the image, is easy to run: though exceedingly searching. (See Hebrews 5:7, Luke 22:40-44, Isaiah 50:5-6, 53:6 for what it cost Christ. He, though He was rich, yet He became poor, that we, through His poverty might become rich - II Corinthians 8:9). These deeds match the words, the scope and the results of the Gospel which appears in consistent beauty and magnitude on all sides.
13. This Gospel is not only simple but equipped with a power which is precisely what is needed for sinful man, remedial not only in righteousness but in character (Romans 1:4,16,20, Ephesians 1:19, I Corinthians 13:2-4, Philippians 4:13, II Timothy 1:7,, I Thessalonians 2:13, I Corinthians 1:18,24, Luke 1:37, 18:27, 21:15, I Peter 1:5, I John 2:13-14); cf. SMR pp.347ff., 699ff., 712-721, 763ff., 801ff., 822ff., 829ff..
This power is not lessened by the willingness of Christians to suffer for Christ (II Corinthians 6:3-10), but rather illustrated by it: since it is not crass power of the world (Luke 23:8-11), but spiritual grace that is required to show the wonders of Christ at any cost of suffering.
This shows the concern and
patience of God, Christ saying, "The servant is not greater than his lord.
If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My
saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know Him who
sent
14. WHY CANNOT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST BE SYNTHESISED ? Why is it so exclusive, guarded ?
First. It is because it is what God gives and God has infinite understanding, unlike the case with His creatures (Psalm 147:5). If the case of the Gospel were other than this, it would be an anti-verification; but now it verifies itself intensely right here.
Indeed, if God did not say it, why worry? Since as we have proven earlier, He did, it is obviously the case that the Gospel is immiscible. HE is the One who is to consider His own response to the sins of ignoring His design and declaration, as also the justice, the peace, and the righteousness demanded within. . Even with mankind, you cannot predict the action of an offended party: how much less with God! See point 1, above, and note the Jeremiah reference; and in the New Testament, to this add: II Corinthians 11:1-4,13.
This shows the proponents
in the Lord's name, of other words, to be 'false apostles' and
'deceitful workers', and to be despised in terms of preaching 'another Jesus,
another Gospel', and being of 'another spirit'. You might as well imagine
someone else could PROPOSE marriage on your behalf, AND decide the terms! (See
Luke
Such tenacity is verification. If it matters so much and was so costly to produce, then security and fidelity and purity are an expected need. Think of a drug on the development of which they spent billions; and then consider how the security on its preservation and purity would be pressed!
15. How can the Gospel be so free and open to all when God has predestined His own people?
This is a matter of predestination and responsibility. How can they logically cohere?
First, there is no conflict
between God's FOREKNOWING who are His, and predestining them: and human
responsibility. Secondly, there is no scriptural backing for the concept that
God VIOLATES the human will in His proceedings (cf. Matthew
HOW God secures (with man
so sinful that he is naturally averse to DIVNE GOODNESS - I Corinthians
This unique harmonisability is also verification of the Gospel.
Without predestination, as
if circumstances were to dictate eternal results, there is no godly control;
but God is not subject to circumstances. He works all things after the counsel
of His own will, (Ephesians
The criterion is not what we do, how great we are: it is acceptance of Christ and of His Gospel. As to this, no susceptibility will replace reality. The most 'susceptible' people might in fact be the proudest. God opens the eyes of His people, and knows how to BRING His children to glory.
The Bible teaches that GOD is LOVE (I John 4), that He predestinates in love (Deuteronomy 7:7-8, Ephesians 1:4 - it is Christ who came, who as God and with God before the creation, worked in predestination also). There is no change of heart, and He blends without compromise the MONERGISTIC SPLENDOUR* of God's choice with the IRREMOVABLE REALITY of man's responsibility. (*That is, the majestic independence of God, working alone.)
As to ATTITUDE, God would have all men to be saved (I Timothy 2:1-3); as to action, He saves His own in chaste love, who go on the narrow path, and few there be who do, as Christ stated. God neither is committed to keeping out those who would come nor including those who would be false.
The beauty of it is this: if anyone feels, WHY AM I NOT CHOSEN? then if that person REALLY wants it, it is there: the terms are simple. If however he/she does not - why complain! You have what you will. If you want another will, ask for it. God works in you. If you don't, why complain. God is love. He has no pleasure either in the death of the wicked, or in people not coming to a knowledge of the truth. God's predestination is His assurance that none will be lost who might be saved in truth and in reality.
Love is very
chaste.
It is
neither stupid, however,
nor
invasive: but as of Him,
it is
incomparably magnificent;
for God
is love,
divulges
and defines it (I John 4:7-9).
If you
want the Lord,
SEEK
HIM
(Isaiah 55:6-7).
HE
DELIGHTS IN MERCY (Micah
and well
knows how to
liberate
the redeemed from their former selves,
their
slaveries and their servitudes (John
See Also
: Barbs, Arrows and Balms Item 17