He was a good king but he felt alienated from his subjects. He told himself that the only way to really get to know them was to walk among them as one of them.
So early one morning, while it was still dark, he left the castle. He wore the clothes of a peasant and he looked the part. The royal guard did not accompany him. He was subject to the vicissitudes of everyday life. Just like every commoner in the Kingdom of Stansillia.
But even though he looked the part of a commoner, there was something undefinable about him. He seemed to be more than what he appeared and when he spoke, the people listened.
When asked who he was he replied: “I am the king of Stansillia. Stansillia and I are one. Stansillia is greater than me.”
When asked to explain these claims, he replied. “As an individual I am king, but as king I represent the entire kingdom and so therefore the kingship cannot be separated from the kingdom.”
“But then how can the kingdom also be greater than you?”
“In moments like this, when I am not on the throne, the workings and government of the kingdom remain. In that sense it is greater than me because it continues even when I’m away.”
The king had the enjoyed the fellowship, and as he went back to the castle to resume his duties, he knew that he would return someday.
Biblical Transition
The process of reasoning from the Scriptures that has been adopted has indicated that at some future date "when the fulness of time is come,” God will step in and close this age of abounding grace and man’s day will come to an abrupt close. The church, which during this age has been formed will be removed from the scene by His divine action, and from that moment He will return to His dealings with His People Israel.
Commander Steedman
Commander Steedman
Deepening
A person hallowed to God is holy. How can he become more hallowed, or his hallowing "higher"? Certainly Jude 20 speaks of the most holy faith, thus giving the faith superlative standing; but this is unique. Others speak of "deepening spiritual life"; but, again, it is questionable whether this form of words has any relation to experience. Certainly it has none to Scripture. By making the life more spiritual? But, surely, what is spiritual is, simply, spiritual; "more" adds nothing. It were far better and more practical if Murray had urged keener interest in the things of God, deeper study of His Word, greater desire to cut out of our lives the traditions of men, more earnest love for Him, higher dedication to truth, a sincere spirit of enquiry instead of easy acceptance of whatever seems convenient. These are the rock-bottom requirements for growth to maturity—the actual facts of spiritual life. These are objective, whereas preoccupation with one's own holiness, one's own life, are subjective and essentially introspective. To think more of God and less of self—that is the way, the only way, to spiritual progress; to look outwards to Him and His, not inwards to "me" and "my." Feelings are of the soul; and everything that tends to lead us to dwell on them is soulish, not spiritual. Talking of "deepening the spiritual life" or "higher holiness" is putting the cart before the horse, "getting our priorities wrong." Deeper understanding of God's Word will do for us all the other deepening.
R.B. Withers
R.B. Withers
The Greatness of Humility
Humility is peculiarly the way of God. Indeed, if it were not, how could any relation subsist between Him and His creatures? Neither men nor angels could know anything of the Creator, if He did not humble Himself. To all eternity, the children must abide in ignorance of their Father, if He were not pleased to shew Himself to them: and to shew Himself to creatures, He must humble Himself. To shew Himself to fallen creatures in a fallen world, He must abase Himself. To do them service, He must come near to them: to do them the utmost service, He must become one of them, He must be made flesh and dwell among them.
I am not at all surprised that God should do this. It seems to me that the true and worthy God and Father of such a universe, must be, at heart, such a God and Father. "I am meek and lowly in Heart." And might it not be expected that what God is in Heart, He would become in act and fulfilment? Of all things in earth and all things in Heaven, the most Godlike thing that has come to our knowledge, is the history of Jesus. If "God is Love," then it follows that He would become all, and do all, that Jesus did. If God is infinite Love, and especially if infinite Love is our Father, then nothing is so likely as that "He Who was rich," should make Himself poor, for our sakes, that we through His poverty, might become rich.
Alexander Thomson
I am not at all surprised that God should do this. It seems to me that the true and worthy God and Father of such a universe, must be, at heart, such a God and Father. "I am meek and lowly in Heart." And might it not be expected that what God is in Heart, He would become in act and fulfilment? Of all things in earth and all things in Heaven, the most Godlike thing that has come to our knowledge, is the history of Jesus. If "God is Love," then it follows that He would become all, and do all, that Jesus did. If God is infinite Love, and especially if infinite Love is our Father, then nothing is so likely as that "He Who was rich," should make Himself poor, for our sakes, that we through His poverty, might become rich.
Alexander Thomson
Undivided
We are not denying the personality of the Spirit; nor His divinity; nor a meaning in the name. We pray for the Holy Ghost. We depend upon the Holy Ghost. And without this blessed Monitor, we are lost forever. His work is a work of the new birth, sanctification and calling into life. All this we delight in. We only say, It is God thus beautifully described. When He descended in cloven tongues, of course nobody believes that God was a fire. When He dwelt as a Shekinah, He was not the luminiferous ether. When He descended on Christ, He was only in the form of a dove.
And, so, I carry what is spectacular to a still higher degree. I hold the Holy Breath to be only God (II Corinthians 3:17). When I pray that it be poured out, I pray for God. When waiting for its coming, I wait for the Almighty: and for all-abounding reason; for, as we have carefully seen, gender and number and case have all been appealed to, and every opportunity has been given for each imaginable trace, and no footstep has been seen of a divided Deity.
John Miller
And, so, I carry what is spectacular to a still higher degree. I hold the Holy Breath to be only God (II Corinthians 3:17). When I pray that it be poured out, I pray for God. When waiting for its coming, I wait for the Almighty: and for all-abounding reason; for, as we have carefully seen, gender and number and case have all been appealed to, and every opportunity has been given for each imaginable trace, and no footstep has been seen of a divided Deity.
John Miller
Emphasis
Rotherham, at Luke 14:34, reads, "Good, then, (is) the salt." Here the first word takes the emphasis. But at John 4:24, we could hardly render by "Spirit (is) (the) God!" Yet the Greek has pneuma ho Theos. Evidently the word "spirit" takes the emphasis. We must thus express it, "God is SPIRIT'" But what shall we do with John 1:1? Shall we say, "and GOD was the word," or rather "and the word was GOD"? The former seems very pointless, and no reasonable explanation has yet been given. In each of these three examples the first word in the Greek bears the emphasis. Ought we not to render each verse consistently? The Logos was certainly GOD, and no other. And we are just as certain that the Word or Logos was no other than the person who was later known as the Anointed. On the mount of transfiguration, Moses and Elijah did not appear to have any difficulty in recognizing the well known face of Him whom they had conversed with long hundreds of years before, Him whom they addressed as Jehovah. The Word was and is GOD, and He is the only One who can express God.
Alexander Thomson
Alexander Thomson
A Man & His Son
There was a man who lived alone. He was not quite twenty and his was a self-sufficient existence. He owned an immense amount of land but it was all undeveloped. One day the man departed for a faraway country. When he returned he returned with a wife.
About a year later a child was born. It was a son. The man devoted all his time to the son. He trained him in agriculture, hunting, building, warfare, literature, and finance as well as in government.
When the son turned eighteen, the father spoke to him, “All the land that I have is now yours. I have done nothing with it but you may do anything you wish with it.”
The son went to work. He built canals to bring in water from the mountains. He grew crops and developed great herds of cattle and sheep. He invited men and women to migrate to his country. Together they built cities with schools, hospitals, and places of government. An army was established to defend the country. Commerce flourished. In gratitude the inhabitants made the son their king.
Then the man went to talk to his son. The son was sitting on his throne. The man said, “I wish to have my land back.” The son replied, “But I have spent thirty years toiling, sweating, and breaking my back to turn this land from a wasteland to a great country. You did nothing with it. Now you want it back because I have made it a rich and successful kingdom. Why didn’t you do it yourself?”
The man replied, “I did.”
About a year later a child was born. It was a son. The man devoted all his time to the son. He trained him in agriculture, hunting, building, warfare, literature, and finance as well as in government.
When the son turned eighteen, the father spoke to him, “All the land that I have is now yours. I have done nothing with it but you may do anything you wish with it.”
The son went to work. He built canals to bring in water from the mountains. He grew crops and developed great herds of cattle and sheep. He invited men and women to migrate to his country. Together they built cities with schools, hospitals, and places of government. An army was established to defend the country. Commerce flourished. In gratitude the inhabitants made the son their king.
Then the man went to talk to his son. The son was sitting on his throne. The man said, “I wish to have my land back.” The son replied, “But I have spent thirty years toiling, sweating, and breaking my back to turn this land from a wasteland to a great country. You did nothing with it. Now you want it back because I have made it a rich and successful kingdom. Why didn’t you do it yourself?”
The man replied, “I did.”
Mixed Messages
Imagine one coming to the garage with the car to have it fixed and being asked what the trouble is, he says it is in the battery, while what he means is the radiator. When he means the generator he would just as soon say carburetor. When he means checking the tires he says checking the sparkplugs. He would not go on very far with that kind of speech before someone would think that he had escaped from the insane asylum. But in our religious parlance we can mix anything and everything and then wonder why we have so much confusion. And we take it a virtue to ignore the meaning of words used by the holy spirit to convey the divine thoughts.
E. A. Larsen
E. A. Larsen
Was Adam Compelled?
Was Adam compelled to do as he did, because God had already planned out the Atonement? Was the Atonement intended only for Mankind, and not for angels, etc.? Was Judas compelled to betray the Lord, just because something was foretold about a traitor? If there are very clear and obvious signs and indications that tomorrow is going to be very wet, does the rain fall because I have predicted it? God's holy goodness, manifested in His Son, had apparently created within Judas some opposition, instead of loyalty and worship, which developed into Judas permitting Satan to enter into his heart. No human being can be forced to give way to Satan unless he consents to receive Satan.
Alexander Thomson
Alexander Thomson
One Person, One God
Yet Stephen declared that "the God of the glory was seen by our father Abraham" (Acts 7:2). So He Who customarily dwelt in unapproachable glory must have condescended to appear to Abraham in lowly human form. But it is extremely doubtful if from these admitted facts anyone would be foolish enough to reason that the Hebrew Scriptures revealed two "Persons," One visible and One invisible. The obvious truth is that visibility and invisibility were two aspects of God, and that He assumed either characteristic at such times as one or the other was the most suited to His immediate purpose. This, of course, is what all true Hebrews believed; they did not argue about the existence of God, for from Genesis onwards their Scriptures had taken God for granted, and in addition their tradition taught that God had spoken to Adam and Eve, face to face. It is understandable that none of the great Hebrew writers of Scripture made any attempt to discriminate between two Gods, one visible and the other invisible, nor is there in all of their writings the slightest hint that these aspects of God indicated "Two Persons."
Cecil Blay
Cecil Blay
Strategems of the Enemy
An ingenious mode of deception employed by the Adversary nowadays is to associate his own misuse of Scripture with vigorous campaigns against many present prevailing evils, including much that the Word of God itself condemns. Many have assumed mistakenly that Satan is always opposed to good and disposed to evil as if he takes delight in wars, violence, vice, poverty, drugs and disease. While such evils are the fruitage of his own original lie, we should also remember he is the god of this wicked eon (II Cor. 4:4; Gal. 1:4) wherein he has a limited lease of spiritual power, so we may scarcely assume that he enjoys seeing his dominion in peril of falling apart. He will in fact yet succeed, though only for some temporary time, to display a deceiving likeness of "peace and security" (I Thess. 5.3) shortly before he is to be restrained for a thousand years.
Melvin Johnson
Melvin Johnson
Making a Difference
I believe the truth about this problem of free-will is simply this: that God has delegated to His creatures a considerable measure of control over the future, while yet His ultimate purpose cannot by any means be deflected one hair's breadth. How this is to be carried out is a mystery beyond our limited understanding. One can see that it is not impossible, but that it involves far greater wisdom and power than any mere "puppet show" ever could. That it is to be carried out eventually seems a plain deduction from the whole teaching of Scripture. If we actually have such freedom, complete freedom within certain unspecified limits, this life takes on an importance transcending anything possible under the idea that we are really puppets, acting in a predetermined plan. What we do REALLY DOES make a difference. What we do, moment by moment, or fail to do, will not hinder God's ultimate purpose; but if it is contrary to His declared will and command, it means fresh agony for His dear Son and even perhaps a fresh cross for some other of His saints to bear.
R. B. Withers
R. B. Withers
Direct and Indirect
God never directly makes any person wicked, or indirectly causes him to sin. Yet indirectly, God's goodness and His kindness and His holiness do harden human hearts.
Alexander Thomson
Alexander Thomson