September 13, 2009 FULNESS OF JOY by Cornelius R. Stam Printer Friendly Version About 3,000 years ago David wrote in Psalm 16:11: "...In Thy presence is fulness of joy...." He was right, for there is no greater joy than personal fellowship with God. Yet David could not know the fulness of joy now spoken of in Paul's epistles, for he did not know Christ, who later came into the world as God, manifested in the flesh, to die for our sins. He did not know that Christ would make full satisfaction for sin and be raised from the dead to confirm our justification. Nor did David know that believers would be given Christ's resurrection life, and a position, and "all spiritual blessings IN THE HEAVENLIES in Christ" (Eph.2:4-6; 1:3). When Paul wrote that God has called believers "unto the fellowship of His Son", he referred to a spiritual, heavenly fellowship, far more intimate and precious than any previously enjoyed by mortal man. This fellowship is to be enjoyed by faith, but it is faith based on fact, the fact that Christ indeed died our death and rose again from the dead that we might partake of His life and enjoy a position at God's right hand in Christ. This is why the Apostle Paul urges believers of this dispensation of grace to "seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Col.3:1). Peter and John both came to know much of this fellowship through Paul, who was sent to Jerusalem "by revelation" to make known to the leaders there "THAT GOSPEL WHICH I PREACH AMONG THE GENTILES" (See Galatians 2:2-9; II Peter 3:15-18). This is why John writes in I John 1:3,4: "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, THAT YOUR JOY MAY BE FULL". To the Reader: Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface: "It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles." We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.