The Birth That Gave Gentiles a Shot at Redemption

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that are under the law…” (Gal. 4:4,5).

Paul says Christ entered the world, “…to redeem them that were under the law” (the Jews). We are born to live, but He was born to die. That fateful night long ago will echo this wonderful truth to the end of time. Namely, the wooden feeding trough that the lambs frequented cradled the Lamb of God, who would one day hang upon an old rugged Cross. Why? That He might redeem “…us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal. 3:13).

But what does all this have to do with us Gentiles? Much in every way! First and foremost, we learn from Paul’s gospel that God’s plan of redemption wasn’t to be limited to Israel. Hence, Paul received a new revelation that “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). Christ gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:6). Moreover, the law, which condemned Israel, also pointed its bony finger into the face of the Gentiles declaring that we, too, were under the sentence of condemnation. Consider these solemn words:

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19). If God’s chosen people were unable to keep His righteous standard, should we suppose that we would have fared any better had the Gentiles, been placed under the law? Christ has redeemed both, Jews and Gentiles, from the curse of the law. Today, then, we are saved by grace through faith alone! We walk by grace alone, and will one day be caught up together by grace alone!

So then, while God’s plan of redemption was gradually unfolded, Paul was given the secret of the gospel, which is Calvary. He is the first to reveal the significance of what God was doing in Christ. In other words, Paul explains why the virgin birth was essential, that a provision was made for all at Calvary, that forgiveness is through the blood of Christ, how that we were redeemed from the curse of the law, etc. Although dispensational distinctions are extremely important, may the Lord also give us an understanding as to the importance of the connections between the two programs of God.

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."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Pray About Everything

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6).

God would have us pray about everything, whether it is of a spiritual or physical nature. In view of the fact that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings today, we certainly agree that our prayer life should primarily center on spiritual things, such as praying for lost souls, a fuller understanding of the Scriptures, a knowledge of God’s will, wisdom, etc. Here again, however, we must keep in mind the importance of balance in the things of the Lord. God would also have us make known our physical requests.

Paul prayed about his physical infirmity, not once, but three times (2 Cor. 12:7-9). Prior to his incarceration in Caesarea, the apostle requested that he might have a prosperous journey to Rome; that is, free from hardship (Rom. 1:9,10). We are to pray for earthly rulers that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life to further the cause of Christ (1 Tim. 2:1-3). Paul instructs us not to be an ungrateful people, as Israel was in time past; consequently, we are to return thanks at every meal for God’s bountiful blessings (1 Tim. 4:4,5). We are also to pray about the circumstances in which we might find ourselves. As we have noted, Paul coveted the prayers of those at Philippi that he would soon be delivered from his prison cell in Rome. The apostle writes to Philemon along these same lines: “But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you” (Phile. 1:22).

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."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Will God Be Angry If We Eat Blood?

Eating blood was forbidden under the Law of Moses (Lev. 7:26,27), but “we are not under the law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:15). It is true that men were told not to eat blood before the Law, but there was a reason for this. God told Noah,

“…flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Gen. 9:4).

When God expanded Adam’s vegetarian diet here (Gen. 1:29 cf. 9:3), He warned Noah not to eat the flesh of an animal with its blood, for the blood of an animal is “the life thereof,” and God had another purpose in mind for the life of animals:

“…the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood…” (Lev. 17:11,12).

The word “therefore” here clearly shows that the reason they weren’t to eat blood under the Law was because “it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” We know that this was also true before the Law, for animal sacrifices were required to be “accepted” by God before the Law as well (Gen 4:7).

But this is not true under grace! Now that Christ shed His blood to reconcile us to Himself (Col. 1:20,21), anyone who says we shouldn’t eat blood because the life of the flesh is in the blood must believe that the blood of animals still atones for men’s souls, for this is the only reason eating blood was prohibited.

This is similar to God’s prohibition against eating unclean animals. The only reason God said some animals were unclean (Lev. 11) was to teach Israel that some people were unclean, i.e., the Gentiles (Lev. 20:24-26 cf. Acts 10:9-16,28). That means anyone who says certain foods are unclean today must believe that the Gentiles are still unclean. And anyone saying we shouldn’t eat blood “for the life of the flesh is in the blood” must still believe that the blood of animals atones for men’s souls.

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."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The Readiness of Paul – 2 Timothy 4:6-8

 

Summary:

Paul calls his death a departure (4:6) because when we die our soul and spirit departs our body (Gen. 35:18; Eccl. 12:7). The Greek word for “depart” is analusis, from which we get our word analyze, which means to break something down into its component parts—like our body, soul & spirit.

Paul also called his death an offering (4:6). Israel’s priests offered the lives of animals to pay for sins (Heb. 5:1), but Paul knew better than to think his death paid for his sins. Of course, religion doesn’t! One religion says that dying for the Lord makes you a martyr and you don’t have to pay for your sins in Purgatory. Paul knew there’s no Purgatory (Heb. 1:3; 10:12), so why’d he call his death an offering?

It was because he knew that after you are saved by faith in Christ’s sacrifice you can offer your life to God as “a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1). To do that, you have to sacrifice a lot of things, like any animosity you might feel toward others (Eph. 4:32-5:2). The Lord loved your brethren enough to die for them. Can’t you love them enough to forgive them? You have to sacrifice your pride to do that, but Paul compares that sacrifice to the smell of Christ’s sacrifice. He made the same comparison to the financial gift the Philippians gave him (Phil. 4:18). They offered themselves as living sacrifices in doing so (IICor. 8:1-6).

Sometimes we are called upon to be dying sacrifices like Paul. You might be “ready” to die too if you’d been to heaven like Paul (Acts 14:20; II Cor. 12:2-4). If you’ve ever wondered if heaven is all it is cracked up to be, take it from someone who has been there, it is “far better” (Phil. 1:23).

Who makes the bigger sacrifice, one who dies for the Lord or one who lives a long life for Him? If God allowed boasting in heaven, you can imagine how men would boast that the sacrifice they made was bigger. Since God doesn’t allow boasting in heaven, people there are probably telling others that they made bigger sacrifices. Wouldn’t it be heavenly if men did that here? Paul thought so. He said if he poured out his life as a dying sacrifice, that would just be the drink offering on top of the living sacrifice the Philippians had made (Phil. 2:17 cf. Num. 15:5). He rejoiced to think of things that way. And they rejoiced to feel the same way (Phil. 2:18)! This is an example of “let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil. 2:3).

Paul wasn’t ready to die because he was “aged” (Phile. 1:9), but because he knew if his imprisonment furthered the gospel, imagine how his death would embolden the brethren (Phil. 1:21-25)! He was also ready because he had finished his course (II Tim. 4:7), all the preaching God gave him to do and all the epistles He needed him to write. Israel’s priesthood was divided into “courses” (II Chron. 31:2), offering animal sacrifices. Paul’s life was a course (Acts 20:24) of offering his life a living sacrifice and then a dying one. When John finished his, his ministry was done (Acts 13:24,25), and so was Paul’s. Paul knew God would protect him till he finished his course (II Tim. 4:17).

“The faith” Paul kept (4:7) is the body of truth given to him (cf. Rev. 14:12). He also “fought” for it (4:7). He told Timothy to fight “the” fight of the faith, but he fought “a” good fight. He’s talking about how well he fought the good fight. Because of that he’d receive the reward (I Cor. 3:13, 14) of a “crown” (4:8) if he strove for it “lawfully” (II Tim. 2:5) by not mixing in the rules of the kingdom gospel.

The crown symbolizes how we’ll “reign” (II Tim. 2:12) over the angels (I Cor. 6:3). Paul says his reward was there “henceforth,” from that time onward. It was there waiting for him (cf. Mt. 6:19,20). It is a “crown of righteousness” because we earned it. That’s different from “the gift of righteousness” we got when we got saved (Rom. 5:17). It’s a crown of righteousness because without an old nature we’ll always judge righteously. The Lord is called “the righteous Judge” because men could charge Him with unrighteousness for making men with dark histories like Paul and ourselves rulers over men. Paul says otherwise! He says all who love His appearing” (v.8) will receive a reward, because only those who live for the Lord love His appearing. Those who live for themselves dread it, for they know they will have to give account of themselves to God.

Find It In His Grace

When asking for forgiveness, the world has an expression they frequently use. They say, “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?” But to paraphrase an old saying, they are asking others to look for forgiveness in all the wrong places! “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). Any forgiveness that someone finds there is likely to come with conditions and many strings attached.

If you are finding it difficult to forgive someone, rather than trying to find it in your heart, find it in God’s grace.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Eph. 4:32)

Perhaps you are thinking, “Pastor, you don’t know how this brother offended me.” It’s true, I don’t. But was it more than how your sins offended God? Yet He forgave all of your sins by His grace, and now asks you to forgive your brother by grace. God was “satisfied” with the payment Christ made on the cross for your brother’s offense (Isa. 53:11), and has forgiven him for what he did to you. If you fail to forgive him by God’s grace, that means your standards are higher than His.

So don’t be like the world, looking for forgiveness in all the wrong places. If your brother’s sin “abounded” against you, let God’s grace “much more abound” (Rom. 5:20), even as it did when God forgave you. “Receive not the grace of God in vain” (2 Cor. 6:1). Let it abound in your life to others. Be a grace believer in the highest sense of the name.

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."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Kingdom Rewards in Heaven or on Earth?

“How can Matthew 5:12 talk about rewards in heaven for kingdom saints if their future will be here on earth?”

This verse is not alone in promising heavenly rewards to kingdom saints (Matt. 6:20; 19:21; Heb. 10:34). But Peter wrote to them about “an inheritance… reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:4). Jews would understand from this that he wasn’t saying they would go to heaven to receive their inheritance. They would have known he meant that their inheritance would come to them on earth in the kingdom. The Lord told a parable in which…

“A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom, and to return…And…when He was returned, having received the kingdom…” (Luke 19:12,15).

The nobleman represents the Lord (cf. Mark 13:34). The “far country” to which He traveled after His resurrection was Heaven. When He returns for Israel, He will return “having received the kingdom” that He will establish on earth for them. But in the meantime, all of the “treasures” of the Jewish kingdom saints are “reserved” there in Heaven with Him.

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."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.


Two Minutes with the Bible lets you start your day with short but powerful Bible study articles from the Berean Bible Society. Sign up now to receive Two Minutes With the Bible every day in your email inbox. We will never share your personal information and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Preach the Word! – 2 Timothy 4:1-5

 

Summary: 

The “word” Paul wanted preached (4:1,2) was the inspired Word of God that he just finished talking about (3:16,17).

This is so important God (through Paul) charges pastors to do it. It was important for Abraham to go to the Promised Land and start the Hebrew race so God charged him to do it (Gen. 26:2-5). It was important for Moses to lead that race out of Egypt into the wilderness, and it was important that that race be led out of the wilderness into the Promised Land, so God charged men to do these things too (Ex. 6:13; Deut. 3:28). It was important for the angels to protect the Lord till He could finish training the 12 before dying for our sins so God charged them to do it (Ps. 91:11,12). And it must be just as important to preach the Word if God uses that same word “charge” to tell pastors to do it. If you’re not a pastor, you must clamor for it (IPe. 2:2).

When you charge someone before someone else it makes you accountable to them (Num. 27:18,19). Pastors are charged “before God, and the Lord Jesus” to preach the Word (4:1), and we will give account of ourselves at the Judgment Seat of Christ. There the Lord will judge “the quick and the dead” (4:1 cf. II Cor. 5:9,10).

The “kingdom” Paul mentions (4:1) is not the kingdom of heaven on earth, that’s Israel’s hope. It is the kingdom of heaven in heaven we’ll be raptured to (I Cor. 15:50-52). That kingdom will begin for us at the Rapture, and our place in it will be ascribed at the Judgment Seat, where we’ll learn at what level we’ll “reign” with Christ (II Tim.2:12).

So we should preach the Word “instant” (4:2). What does that mean? Well, being “instant in prayer” (Rom. 12:12) means ready to pray instantly (Neh. 2:4,5), so preaching the Word instant means to be able to preach instantly. To prepare for that, pastors must give themselves “wholly” to the Word (I Tim. 4:15). The Lord did, and so was able to instantly jump on a word to witness to a woman (John 4:9,10). You can do that too if you immerse your mind in the Word.

“In season” (4:2) means “at all seasons” (Ex.18:26). People don’t always have problems at convenient seasons, as those judges learned, and they don’t always ask Bible questions at convenient seasons either, as Timothy would learn.

When people don’t want to listen to the Word pastors must “reprove” them (4:2). You too can reprove people by not joining in their sin (Eph. 5:11). “Rebuke” (4:1) is what you give people who oppose the program of God (Ps. 106:9; Lu. 8:24; Mark 8:33). Today Paul’s gospel is the program of God. Of course, the more pastors “exhort” people (4:2) the less they’ll have to reprove and rebuke them!

This must be done “with all longsuffering” (4:2). Parents don’t give up on kids who don’t listen, and pastors shouldn’t give up on Christians who don’t listen. They must also do it with “doctrine” (4:2). Of course, not listening to doctrine is why they need reproof and rebuke, but God doesn’t have a “Plan B.” If people don’t listen to doctrine, they must be reproved and rebuked with doctrine.

“Itching ears” (4:3) are ears that are itching to hear what they want to hear instead of the Word they need to hear (cf. Micah 2:11). “Fables” (4:4) are stories, they’re what you hear when you hear most preachers preach. But there’s no power in stories, the power of God is in the Word of God.

To guard against all this, pastors must “watch” (4:5). Not watch the people for signs of itching ears, for that wouldn’t change what a pastor is supposed to do, preach the Word. He must watch himself (cf. I Tim. 4:16) for signs of weakening and giving in, and giving people what they want instead of the Word they need. Pastors must also endure the afflictions that Satan will make sure come if you preach the Word (4:5), especially if they “do the work of an evangelist” (4:5).