The Bible Truth Review #14
The Bible Truth Review
Issue No. 14 (May/June 10, 1991)
In This Issue
"The Joy of Faith." by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor
circa 1912-13. Do we know experimentally the joy of faith?
Here's how.
"Judging #5. Who Should Be Judged?" by J. McEown in Bible
Explorations, Vol. 1 No. 11, Nov. 1987. An interesting
conclusion is drawn from the epistles of Paul.
"Love No. 1" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa
1914-15. First in a series on the grace and fruit of love.
"The Parables. No. 9. Matt. xv. 10-20." by Charles H. Welch in
The Berean Expositor circa 1914-15. Things which defile a man.
"The Sovereignty of God #8" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today,
Vol. 40 No. 12, April 1991. The place of the Lord in the
sovereignty of God.
Subscription Information and Permission to Distribute by Leo
Wierzbowski, editor of The Bible Truth Review.
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"The Joy of Faith" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor.
We have heard of the "work of faith," and realize increasingly
the necessity there is to remember that "faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone." We have heard that "faith worketh
patience," and can understand even by our own small experiences
that as we realize by faith all the goodness, grace and glory
laid up by virtue of redemption, patience is no effort, but is
rather one of the precious fruits of faith.
We seem, however, to hear little of the "joy of faith." All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. All
Scripture comes to us with a demand for conformity to its
teaching. What of the "joy of faith"? Can we have the real faith
of the epistles if it is a joyless faith? We know the "faiths"
or "creeds" of man's construction (even though framed with the
Word in view) often become grievous burdens, and shackle those
who subscribe to them as with fetters of iron. We want none of
these joyless creeds, but still let us ask, Do we know
experimentally "the joy of faith"?
The expression is found in Phil. i.25. The apostle writes, "I
know that I shall abide and continue with you all, for your
furtherance and joy of the faith." J. N. Darby in a note says,
"Progress and joy go together, not 'progress -- and joy in
faith.'" Whatever the exact meaning of the apostle may be in
this passage, the truth which we feel we must emphasize is that
to believe the truth of the mystery, to realize the fact of
acceptance in the Beloved, to know that we have been raised
together and made to sit together in the heavenlies, in Christ,
to know that we have been delivered out of the authority of
darkness, and translated into the kingdom of the beloved Son of
God, this "faith" surely must bring "joy" with it (the very
writing of the words stirs our heart with joy), and a furtherance
or progress in this faith, while it may deepen our love, increase
our sympathy, perhaps cause us much conflict and many tears, yet
seeing of Whom it speaks, and the untold riches of grace and
glory that it reveals, cannot but bring with it joy.
Already in Rom. xv.13, with reference to other things, the
apostle had written, "Now the God of the hope (namely of verse
12, trust being hope) fill you with all joy and peace in
believing." Or again, in 2 Cor. i.24, he had written, "Not for
that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers of
your joy, for by faith ye stand." "Joy" is a fruit of the Spirit
mentioned early in the wondrous cluster, "love, joy, peace," &c.
Peter was not a stranger to the "joy of faith," for speaking of
the Lord Jesus Christ he said, "Whom having not seen, ye love, in
Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with
joy unspeakable, and full of glory."
What is the ground of this joy? A reading of either Philippians,
or I Peter, will dispel the idea that external circumstances
contributed to this joy of faith. In both epistles suffering and
sorrow are emphatic, yet in the midst of it all there breathes a
pure unconquerable joy. "Joy" and "rejoice" are keywords of
Philippians.
One point of deepest significance, which must not pass unnoticed,
arises out of the connection of the theme of the "joy of the
faith" with the peculiar object of this epistle. "Philippians"
assumes that the blessed teaching of "Ephesians" is known and
believed. On that basis the apostle speaks of working out our
own salvation with fear and trembling (working out, not working
for), and has in prospect a prize not attained but sought. It is
not until he wrote 2 Timothy that he knew he had finished his
course, and that henceforth there was laid up for him a crown.
In Acts xx. he had said that he counted not his life dear unto
himself, but that he desired to finish his course with joy. This
therefore is the reason why in Philippians the apostle passes
from salvation by faith, or justification by faith, to speak of
the joy of faith, the anticipation of the crown or prize. The
idea may be found in the well-known words of Matt. xxv.:-
"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord."
This joy, connected as it is with reward for faithfulness, may be
seen in Heb. xii.1,2:-
"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking
unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, Who for the joy
that was set before Him endured a cross, despising the shame, and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
When the apostle spoke of the fulfilling of his joy it was in
respect to the good of others,and not of his own ease or comfort.
"Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love,
being of one accord" (Phil. ii.2). Or again in iv.1, "Therefore,
my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so
stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved." Look at the first
six occurrences in the prison epistles of the word "rejoice."
"What then? Notwithstanding every way (and some of these ways
were humanly hard to endure), whether in pretense or in truth:
CHRIST is preached, and therein I do rejoice, yea, and will
rejoice" (Phil. i.18).
Had the apostle thought of himself, thought upon the baseness and
ingratitude that moved some in their preaching to suppose they
thereby added affliction to his bonds, what cause would he have
found for rejoicing? He had learned, however, a little of the
mind that was in Christ Jesus, he thought of others rather than
of himself. He who could say, "Christ shall be magnified in my
body, whether it be by life or death," could rejoice in the fact
that Christ was preached, even though some who preached sought
his injury. Again, this utter regardlessness of self is
manifested in his words of ii.17,18:-
"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your
faith, I joy and rejoice with you all. For this cause also do ye
joy and rejoice with me."
What words are here! The apostle willing to be poured out as a
drink offering over the sacrifice and service of their faith, and
they, seeing his utter abandonment to the service and glory of
his Lord, rejoicing together with him. Can earth furnish such
joy as this? A joy which no tears can blind, but which, the
rather, through those tears will take on added lustre as the
rainbow from the storm. His "finally" is still the same blessed
theme, "Finally, my brethren rejoice in the Lord" (iii.1); "and
again I say, rejoice" (iv.4). If we rejoice in our attainments
we shall fall into grievous error and sorrow. If we rejoice even
in the increased light shed upon the Word we must remember the
One Who alone is to be praised for the opened eye to see. Let
our rejoicing be "in the Lord," then it will be real and full.
Are we joyful enough? We seek grace to manifest the fact that we
are fellow-members of the One Body, we seek grace to exhibit all
lowliness and meekness, to walk worthy of the calling, but let us
not forget "joy." We may in times past have been misled into
believing that a solemn face, a funereal air, a joyless, sunless,
rigid demeanour, glorified the Lord. Thanks be to God for
deliverance from such things. Let us be glad and rejoice in the
Lord. The faith which is ours to hold is full enough to fill us
all to the brim with "joy unspeakable." We need not be trivial,
frivolous or emotional to experience and shed abroad something of
the radiance that should be evident in those who "rejoice in the
Lord alway," and who have received the truth in the love of it,
and the faith in some measure of its joy.
Moses "wist not that his face shone," but it was evident he had
been with the Lord. So, in like manner, may it be ours to
reflect something of the radiance of the "joy of faith."
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"Judging #5. Who Should Be Judged?" by J. McEown in Bible
Explorations.
In Scripture, the word judge is from the Greek word meaning to
sift or separate, and man has had to separate (judge) good from
evil ever since his first parents took in knowledge of both. He
can easily be deceived in judging, but God has provided a new
mind and His Word so that His children can discern between the
two. But what are they to judge and what are they to do with
what they discern?
At first glance, Scripture seems to give opposing commands,
saying in some places to judge others and in other places saying
not to judge others. Each reference must be examined in its
immediate context and in the greater context of all Scripture.
Sometimes hypocrites are addressed and sometimes sincere saints
are addressed. Sometimes God's kingdom on earth is the subject
and sometimes His kingdom above the heavens is the subject.
Because examining each reference would take more time and space
than feasible for this paper, we shall consider two principles
about judging which are constant throughout God's Word. Firstly,
we will consider the believer's judging of himself and secondly
his judging of others.
Since the unregenerate, without the new mind, cannot understand
God's Word and distinguish right from wrong, he is not
accountable. He is judged already for failure to believe on the
Son of God (Jn 3:18). But we who have believed on the Son of
God, can understand God's Word and are accountable for our
handling of that Word and for lives lived equal to our knowledge
of it. Paul said, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the
faith." (ICo 11:28). And again, "if we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged." He wrote to believers whose behavior was
wrong by God's commands. Later he prayed that the Philippians
would, "approve things that are excellent." (Php 1:10). A
rendering of this, closer to the Greek is, "distinguish things
that differ." They had entered a new and different
administration of God and needed to sift the instructions and
promises to Israel which they had embraced before from the
instructions to the church of all nations to which they now were
called. Finally, to us also, members of that church, it is
written, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in
the Lord: walk as children of light...Proving (testing) what is
acceptable unto the Lord." (Eph 5:8,10). Learning what is
acceptable to the Lord today is each individual's responsibility.
No one can discern for us. We alone can sift our own beliefs and
wrong behavior by testing them by the Scriptures and "approving
things that are excellent."
As to what others believe in their hearts, only the Lord can
judge. He knows how much understanding they have, what intents
and desires they have, and what barriers befront them. But the
believer with the new mind and God's Word as his guide, can
detect good from evil in acts and words and he has a
responsibility to respond to such. The Apostle Paul said to
follow him as an example as he followed Christ (ICo 4:11). We
find his manner was to encourage the good he found and endeavor
to dispel the evil. His epistles show that when he knew of
other's wrong doing his first effort was prayer, then he wrote
letters, sent messengers, spoke face to face at times and finally
he withdrew from those who repeatedly refused to hear warnings.
He spent three years with the Ephesians where he said, "...I
ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." (Acts
20:31). Rather than condemning wrong doers we find him
beseeching and warning of the consequences of evil, as one who
loved them would.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul first said he gave thanks,
"that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." (Rom
1:3). But he also addressed a segment there and told them they
were inexcusable for condemning fellow saints for the very things
they did themselves (Rom 2:1).
He wrote the Corinthians that he longed to teach truths which he
could not because of their envy and bickering, and he sent
Timothy to them, "...who shall bring you into remembrance of my
ways which be in Christ..." (ICo 4:7). The Corinthian saints
were also told not to keep company with any who claimed to follow
Christ and lived in immorality; and we are told in IITi 2:19,
"Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity."
Judging the words and acts of others as Paul did, should then
evoke prayer, encouragement, beseeching, warning and even
withdrawing on our part, but never may we speak evil of a saint
(Tit 3:12). Michael, Israel's archangel, dared not make an evil
judgment on the devil (who so obviously deserved it), but he left
that to the Lord (Jude 9). How much less are we qualified to
condemn one of our family members in the Body of Christ.
Who should be judged? We conclude that no person should be
judged, but rather, our own beliefs need sifting sometimes, and
the words and acts of all God's children need separating
sometimes by that living instrument, the Word of God.
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"Love No. 1" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor.
"Though I . . . . understand all mysteries . . . . and have not
love, I am nothing" (I Cor. iii. 2).
We are daily adding to our knowledge of the deeper teaching of
the Word; fresh beauties shine forth from the sacred page; we
seek increasingly "rightly to divide the Word of truth," and with
this increased knowledge and light one might be led to imagine
that spiritually nothing much was left to be desired. As we read
the Scriptures, however, light and knowledge are not put fort-
most, love is first and greatest and must be in all times the
criterion of our true spiritual advancement. When the Lord was
questioned by the lawyer as to which was the great commandment in
the law, He replied:-
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets" (Matt. xxii. 37-40).
It should be observed that heart love comes before that of the
soul, or of the mind. It is comparatively easy to love with the
mind, to love in "word," or in "tongue," but to love "in deed and
in truth" (I John iii. 18) necessitates the activity of the
heart. When we notice the prayers of the apostle Paul in
Ephesians i. and iii., we find that while "the knowledge of Him"
and "to know what is the hope of His calling" are prominent in
the first prayer, love figures very largely in the second,
"rooted and grounded in love," and "to know the knowledge-
surpassing love of Christ." In the practical section of
Ephesians (iv.-vi.) the apostle exhorts the believer to a worthy
walk, and the central occurrence of the word "walk" in that
section is the exhortation to:-
"Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweetsmelling savour" (Eph. v. 2).
This high standard is the basis of the apostle's appeal in Eph.
v. 25, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, and
gave Himself for it." When the apostle would pray for the
advancement of the Philippians, although he desired them to have
"discernment" and ability to "try the things that differ," these
were not the initial petitions. The Spirit of God knew only too
well that discernment without love is withering and harsh, and
knowledge without love but ministers to pride; therefore the
apostle was led to pray first and foremost for the overflowing of
their love, "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more
and more" (Phil. i. 9). In the Epistle to the Colossians the
apostle speaks of putting on the new man, and as a climax says,
"And above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of
perfectness" (Col. iii. 14).
Let it be the earnest desire of every reader that our love shall
keep pace with our advance in knowledge, otherwise our words must
be written off as "sounding brass," and our knowledge as nothing
worth. As space allows in subsequent issues we hope to consider
some of the aspects of this chief of graces, and first of the
Spirit's fruits, "ABOVE ALL . . . . LOVE."
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"The Parables No. 9" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor.
We have now concluded our consideration of the parables of Matt.
xiii. As we have seen,these parables of the mysteries of the
kingdom form a complete line of teaching by themselves. After
this series of parables was concluded the Lord Jesus revealed the
fact that He must not only be rejected, but be crucified, die,
and be raised again the third day. The parables of the second
section accordingly take a somewhat different turn. One parable
is spoken after chapter xiii. before the revelation of the Lord's
death in Matt. xvi. After this the second series of parables
follows, ending in the prophetic words of Matt. xxiv. and xxv.
This series makes a complete set marked by a special aspect of
dispensational teaching, just in the same way that the parables
of Matt. xiii. are marked by a special aspect of dispensational
truth.
Before considering this group, however, we will look at the
parable recorded in Matt. xv. 10-20. It throws light upon the
nature of the opposition, and the forces at work which had
rejected the kingdom and finally would crucify the King. It
arose out of the question of the Scribes and Pharisees concerning
eating with unwashen hands. The Lord does not here, as He does
in Matt. xxiii., fully and unreservedly strip off their mask of
hypocrisy, for His hour had not yet come. In parable form,
however, He enforces the lesson of the previous words addressed
to the Scribes and Pharisees. These formalists were far more
concerned about ceremonial washings, than about fruit of heart
love. The transgression of some minute point of rabbinical
tradition was far more serious in their eyes than the breaking of
the law of God.
In answer to the question, "Why do Thy disciples transgress the
tradition of the elders?" the Lord said, "Why do ye also
transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Opposition
had been gathering, and many attempts to entrap the Lord had been
made. His free intermingling with the publicans and sinners
wounded the pride of the teachers of the law. His freedom
regarding the sabbath was much resented and opposed. It appears
that on some occasion the Pharisees had noticed that the
disciples had not observed the tradition regarding washings
before meals, and this supplied them with a weapon of attack.
The oral tradition laid peculiar emphasis upon these ceremonial
ablutions. No doubt we have all heard of Rabbi Akiba, who when
imprisoned and supplied with only enough water to maintain life,
chose rather to perish with thirst and hunger than to eat without
the necessary washings. What a pitiable misconception! What a
God these people had invented! We can imagine the feelings with
which these men came down with this charge upon the disciples of
the Lord. They did not expect the Lord to reveal the superficial
nature of their teaching, which He did so incisively by his
reference to their despicable gloss in relation to "the first
commandment with promise :-
"Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you saying, This
people draweth nigh with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their
lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do
worship Me (solemn words for all dispensations), teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt v. 7-9).
Turning from these votaries of littleness, the Lord called the
people together and said:-
"Hear and understand. Not that which goeth into the mouth
defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this
defileth a man" (Matt. xv. 10, 11).
In these few words the Lord brushed aside the external and the
ceremonial, establishing in their place the real and the
essential. The record in Mark vii. 15 should be compared:-
"There is nothing from without a man that, entering into him can
defile him, but the things which come out of him, these are they
that defile a man"
These words were sufficiently understood by the Pharisees to
offend them, but the Lord in His reply shows how little He
thought of man's judgment, "Let them alone; they be blind leaders
of the blind." Peter now asks for an explanation of the parable,
and Matt. xv. 16-20 contains the Lord's answer:-
"And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding, that
whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is
cast into the draught? but those things which proceed out of the
mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,
thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which
defile a man, but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
Mark gives one or two additional statements which are too
important to pass over unnoticed:-
"Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth
into the man, it cannot defile him, because it entereth not into
his heart" (Mark vii. 18).
Thus the whole subject revolves around the words "not into his
heart" and "out of the heart." "Their heart is far from Me."
The A.V. continues, "but into the belly, and goeth into the
draught, purging all meats." The last clause has caused a great
amount of unprofitable matter to be written. The true meaning is
given in the R.V., "This He said, making all meats clean," i.e.,
abolishing for ever the scrupulosities of mere ceremonial
distinctions. The list of evil things is different from that
given in Matt. xv.:-
"Evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness" (Mark vii. 21, 22).
We would now draw attention to one or two important words and
expressions used in this parable, and then show the light it
casts upon the times and circumstances of this closing section of
Matthew's Gospel.
DEFILED (koinos).--It must be remembered that the subject of
defilement or uncleanness in this parable is ceremonial, it in no
wise touches upon the desirability of having clean hands at meal
times, neither does it teach that we may eat anything with
impunity. If we perceive the truth nothing can make us
ceremonially unclean, but some things may do us a deal of harm
physically. The word koinos has nothing whatever to do with
uncleanness in a physical sense; it means defilement only in a
ceremonial sense. The following are its occurrences:-
Koinos.
"*Defiled* (That is to say unwashen) hands" (Mark vii. 2).
"All things *common*" (Acts ii. 44; iv. 32).
"*Common* or unclean" (Acts x. 14, 28; xi. 8).
"There is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth
anything to be *unclean*, to him it is *unclean*" (Rom. xiv. 14).
"The *common* faith" (Titus i. 4).
"An *unholy* thing" (Heb x. 29).
"The *common* salvation" (Jude 3).
Koinoo.
"*Defile* a man" (Matt. iv. 11, 18, 20; Mark vii. 15, 18, 20,
23).
"Call not thou *common*" (Acts x. 15; xi. 9).
"Brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath *polluted* this
holy place" (Acts xxi. 28).
"Sprinkling the *unclean*" (Heb. ix. 13).
"There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that *defileth*"
(Rev. xi. 27).
It will be seen by the above passages that the idea defile must
be considered from the ceremonial standpoint. The apostle does
not hesitate to speak of the "common faith," not because there
was anything unclean about it, but because it was not the
exclusive possession of a privileged few, it being now proclaimed
to the Gentile as well as the Jew. The ceremonial ablutions were
jealously guarded and observed not so much out of a desire for
holiness or personal cleanliness, but out of a cramped, narrow
and bigoted pride. To the pharisaic mind there was but one
class, "the elect," all others were either "Gentile dogs," or
"the people who know not the law" who are cursed. This narrow
exclusive spirit was a fundamental cause of the great rejection,
for in Matt. xxiii. 13 the first woe uttered by our Lord touches
this very point:-
"But woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut
up the kingdom of heaven against men, for ye neither go in
yourselves, neither do ye suffer them that are entering to go
in."
Luke xi. 52 adds another weighty word:-
"Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge, ye
entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye
hindered."
The reference to "the blind guides" in Matt. xxiii. 16 is a
further link with Matt. xv. So also the sentiment of verses 23-
27. The charge is very severe, and must have caused, as indeed
we know it did, intense hatred. These men, who were so
scrupulous about the outside as in Matt. xv., were within "full
of all uncleanness."
HEART.--The way in which the Lord uses the word "heart" is full
of deep teaching. In the Beatitudes He had said, "Blessed are
the pure in heart," the word "pure" being the Greek word
katharos. The next time the Lord uses the word in Matthew it is
in direct continuance of this passage in Matt. v. :-
"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup
and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also" (Matt.
xxiii. 26).
The clean in heart, not the ceremonially and externally clean,
not as the whitewashed sepulchres, these and these alone should
see the kingdom. So superficial had become the ideas of men at
the time of Christ, that He early disturbed the self-righteous
complacency of those who thought that they were safe:-
"Ye have, heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not commit adultery, but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart" (Matt. v. 28).
"The tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can
ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. xii. 33, 34).
Thus the Lord would teach that just as the fruit of a tree
indicates the nature of the tree itself, so the fruit of the lips
will show the nature of the heart which gives that fruit origin.
Once again, in answer to the lawyer's question, the Lord puts the
heart in the first place:-
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matt xxii. 37).
Heart first, mind last. The mere intellectualism which always
accompanies a pharisaical spirit is placed by its advocates
foremost, while the heart is placed last. Not so, in the Lord's
estimate. He does not call upon us to quibble over the petty
details which occupied the little minds of these formalists, but
urges love of heart first and foremost.
The words of the R.V. of Mark vii. 19, "This he said, making all
meats clean," should be noted. These words are the inspired
comment upon the Lord's teaching. It indicated the trend of His
teaching and the effect of His work. It lifted the one who
believed Him above the sphere wherein such observances were of
service. It entirely discountenanced the teaching of the
Pharisees. The spirit of the lesson is echoed in an apocryphal
addition to Luke vi. 5 found in the Codex Bezae:-
"On the same day, seeing one working on the Sabbath, He said to
him, O man, if indeed thou knowest what thou doest, thou art
blessed, but if thou knowest not, thou art accursed and a
transgressor of the Law."
Let us now examine the list of sins which the Lord said did
defile a man, coming as they did out of the heart.
EVIL THOUGHTS.--The word "thought" is dialogismos:D
"When Jesus perceived their *thoughts*, He answering said unto
them, What *reason ye* in your hearts?" (Luke v. 22).
"The Scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on
the Sabbath day, that they might find an accusation against Him,
but He knew their *thoughts*" (Luke vi. 7, 8).
So also Luke ii. 35; ix. 46, 47; xxiv. 38; and James ii. 4. The
word "evil" is poneros:D
"Wherefore think ye *evil* in your hearts" (Matt. ix. 4).
"O generation of vipers, how can ye (Pharisees, see verse 24),
being *evil* speak good things? for out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh . . . . An *evil* and adulterous
generation" (Matt. xii. 34, 39).
It seems fairly clear that the Lord had the Pharisees and Scribes
in view when He uttered the words in the parable concerning evil
thoughts.
MURDERS (phonos).--The word occurs in connection with Barabbas in
Mark xv. 7 and Luke xxiii. 19, 25. "Destroyed those murderers,
and burnt up their city" (Matt. xxii. 7). Refer back to the
related parable in Matt. xxi. 38, 39 for the full force of this
passage: note verses 45 and 46, and xxii. 15, and see how the
Pharisees realize that the Lord meant to indicate them under this
awful title. Matt. v. 21 has already made it clear how "murder"
may be charged against these plotting enemies of the Lord. The
Pharisees and Scribes are again charged with this foul crime in
Matt. xxiii. 31-39.
ADULTERERS (moicheia).--"The Scribes and Pharisees brought unto
Him a woman taken in adultery" (John viii. 3). These hypocrites
were not concerned about the evil of the act (for they were
guilty themselves, see verse 9), they simply desired to catch the
Lord and involve Him in His words (verse 6). The exceeding
looseness with which many of the Pharisees held the marriage tie
involved them in the sin of adultery before God (see Matt. v. 31,
32, and xix. 3-9). As with murder, so with adultery, the desire
of the heart constituted guilt (see Matt. v. 27, 28). On several
occasions the Lord denounced these evil men as "a wicked and
adulterous generation" (see Matt. xii. 39 and xvi. 4).
FORNICATIONS (porneia).--It is a remarkable fact that this plague
figures more conspicuously in the Epistles and in the Revelation
than in the Gospels. Once the enemies of the Lord use it (John
viii. 41), an insult which His holy nature must have felt keenly,
but how gracious and calm was His reply! Although specific
instances of this sin are not given in the Gospels, we know the
Lord sufficiently to imagine that He would not use a word so
foul, unless He knew only too well that the charge was actually
true. Its prominence in the Apocalypse, and the practical
absence of adultery, throw a vivid light on the character of the
last days.
THEFTS (klope).--This word occurs nowhere else except in the
parallel passage of Mark. The cognate word kleptes ("thief") is
used in John x. 1, 8, 1O, and includes the Scribes and Pharisees,
as the context shows. The devouring of widows' houses (Matt.
xxiii. 14; Mark xii. 40; and Luke xx. 47), the traditions (Matt.
xv. 5, 6), and the turning of the House of Prayer into a den of
thieves (Matt. xi. 13), involve the Pharisees in this sin.
FALSE WITNESS.--This word in all its hideous nakedness is written
against the "chief priests, and elders, and all the council"
(Matt. xxvi. 59) in relation to the deep-laid plot against the
life of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the more significant when
we consider the fact that these two passages contain all the
occurrences of the word in the N.T.
BLASPHEMY.--Mark iii. 29 shows that the Scribes were guilty of
the most unpardonable blasphemy.
We will not go through the list given in Mark, readers should
make a study of the words there given. One thing is prominent in
this parable. The Pharisees were guilty of breaking the very law
in which they boasted so much. Listen to our Lord's summary of
the Law:-
"Jesus said (observe the order here and in Matt. xv.), Thou shalt
do no *murder*, thou shalt not commit *adultery*, thou shalt not
*steal*, thou shalt not bear *false witness*. Honour thy father
and thy mother (cf. Matt, xv. 4-6), and thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself (Matt. xix. 18, 19).
How weak, how beggarly, the petty observances and mere trifling
externals of the Pharisees appear when seen from the standpoint
of love. The apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, seems to have
the pharisaical spirit before him. First in Rom. ii. we read:-
"For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself . . .
. Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and
makest thy boast of God, and knowest His will, and approvest the
things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law,
and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind (cf.
Matt. xv. 14), a light of them which are in darkness, an
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which have the
FORM of knowledge and of the truth in the law (cf. 2 Tim. iii.
5); thou therefore that TEACHEST another, *teachest thou not
thyself*? thou that PREACHEST a man should not steal, *dost thou
steal*? thou that SAYEST a man should not commit adultery, *dost
thou commit adultery*? thou that abhorrest idols, *dost thou
commit sacrilege*? thou that makest thy boast in the law,
through breaking the law *dishonourest thou God* . . . . who by
the *letter* and *circumcision* dost transgress the law? (Matt.
xv. 3). For he is not a Jew who is one *outwardly* (see Matt.
xiii. 28) . . . . circumcision is that of the HEART in the
spirit, and not in the letter (cf. 2 Cor. iii. 6), whose praise
is not of men, but of God."
The sequel is found in Rom. xiii. 8-1O:-
"Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit
adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt
not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet, and if there be any
other commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying,
'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'"
Returning to the parable of Matt. xv. with the knowledge we have
now gained, do we not see that it foreshadowed that spirit which
manifested itself in all its hollowness and sham, and whose
loveless creed culminated in the basest act that the world has
ever witnessed. The second set of parables in Matthew's Gospel
becomes luminous in the light of this one. Into what a ditch
these blind guides led that poor blinded people! The Lord
disowns them, they were never planted by Him, they were sown by
the Devil, they shall be rooted up (Matt. xiii. 29). They are
the tares, the children of the wicked one. The burden of guilt
rested chiefly upon the rulers and leaders of the people. They
neither entered into the kingdom of the heavens themselves, nor
allowed the common people, who desired to enter, to do so.
While it is of the utmost importance to realize the
dispensational setting and bearing of this parable, it is
essential to our joy and peace that we take to heart the solemn
teaching for ourselves. May we remember that the mere observance
of ceremonies is nothing. Love is the fulfilling of the law.
Our walk is to be "in love." Let us take heed and beware of the
"leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees."
================================================================
"The Sovereignty of God #8" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today.
In all our study we must be careful that we give due honor to the
Son, for if one does not honor the Son, then he does not honor
God. We understand from the Scriptures that the Son is none other
than God in flesh.
In Genesis 1 we learn that Adam was made in the likeness of the
image of God. This image is Christ (Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb.
1:3). According to Daniel 2, an image in the likeness of man was
used to show forth the idea of dominion. And so in Genesis 1 we
see that man was given dominion over the creatures of the earth.
In the matter of dominion, Adam was a figure of Him that was to
come, the One who will have all dominion (Romans 5:14).
This dominion is further spoken of in Psa. 8 where it still
refers to man and the earth. But this same passage is quoted in
Heb. 2:5-8 and we see that there it refers to Christ. The
dominion is universal.
This universal dominion of our Lord is further expanded in many
other passages. In 1 Cor. 15:27 we learn that all things are put
under His feet with the dispensational addition that He is the
Head of the church.
Our Lord is able to subdue all things unto Himself (Ph'p.3:21).
This is His power. And in Matt 28:18 He claims that all power
was given Him in heaven and in earth. So the subjection is to be
universal, for we do not see all things subdued to Him as yet
(Heb. 2:8). The student must be very careful here not to include
too much. At the time that He takes His power He will subdue all
things to Himself which are existing at that time. There is no
promise of resurrection in this statement.
In Matthew 11:27 the Lord claimed that all things were delivered
unto Him of the Father. The context is judgment, revelation of
truth, and an invitation to come unto Him.
Another angle is presented in Eph. 1:10. There all things are to
be made a unity of which Christ is to be the Head. This is more
than the church. It again is a universal dominion.
But we have been speaking primarily of power, not sovereignty.
Does the Lord have sovereignty as well as God? Surely that is
so. In Ph'p. 2:10 we discover that to this Jesus of Nazareth is
given a name that is above every name (this name can only be
Jehovah if it is to fit this description) and that to Him every
knee shall bow and every tongue confess in that day (this is what
the Jehovah says of Himself in Isa. 45:23). And in the next
verse in Ph'p.2 we find Lordship ascribed to Christ. Surely
Lordship and sovereignty are not too far apart. And the
fulfillment of this passage may be found in Rev 5:13 where every
creature in heaven and earth will confess His Lordship. And this
sovereignty extends to the right and the power to give life to
whomsoever He will (John 5:21,26).
The sovereignty of God cannot be known except due honor is given
the Son.
============================================================
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Issue No. 14 (May/June 10, 1991)
In This Issue
"The Joy of Faith." by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor
circa 1912-13. Do we know experimentally the joy of faith?
Here's how.
"Judging #5. Who Should Be Judged?" by J. McEown in Bible
Explorations, Vol. 1 No. 11, Nov. 1987. An interesting
conclusion is drawn from the epistles of Paul.
"Love No. 1" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa
1914-15. First in a series on the grace and fruit of love.
"The Parables. No. 9. Matt. xv. 10-20." by Charles H. Welch in
The Berean Expositor circa 1914-15. Things which defile a man.
"The Sovereignty of God #8" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today,
Vol. 40 No. 12, April 1991. The place of the Lord in the
sovereignty of God.
Subscription Information and Permission to Distribute by Leo
Wierzbowski, editor of The Bible Truth Review.
============================================================
"The Joy of Faith" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor.
We have heard of the "work of faith," and realize increasingly
the necessity there is to remember that "faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone." We have heard that "faith worketh
patience," and can understand even by our own small experiences
that as we realize by faith all the goodness, grace and glory
laid up by virtue of redemption, patience is no effort, but is
rather one of the precious fruits of faith.
We seem, however, to hear little of the "joy of faith." All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. All
Scripture comes to us with a demand for conformity to its
teaching. What of the "joy of faith"? Can we have the real faith
of the epistles if it is a joyless faith? We know the "faiths"
or "creeds" of man's construction (even though framed with the
Word in view) often become grievous burdens, and shackle those
who subscribe to them as with fetters of iron. We want none of
these joyless creeds, but still let us ask, Do we know
experimentally "the joy of faith"?
The expression is found in Phil. i.25. The apostle writes, "I
know that I shall abide and continue with you all, for your
furtherance and joy of the faith." J. N. Darby in a note says,
"Progress and joy go together, not 'progress -- and joy in
faith.'" Whatever the exact meaning of the apostle may be in
this passage, the truth which we feel we must emphasize is that
to believe the truth of the mystery, to realize the fact of
acceptance in the Beloved, to know that we have been raised
together and made to sit together in the heavenlies, in Christ,
to know that we have been delivered out of the authority of
darkness, and translated into the kingdom of the beloved Son of
God, this "faith" surely must bring "joy" with it (the very
writing of the words stirs our heart with joy), and a furtherance
or progress in this faith, while it may deepen our love, increase
our sympathy, perhaps cause us much conflict and many tears, yet
seeing of Whom it speaks, and the untold riches of grace and
glory that it reveals, cannot but bring with it joy.
Already in Rom. xv.13, with reference to other things, the
apostle had written, "Now the God of the hope (namely of verse
12, trust being hope) fill you with all joy and peace in
believing." Or again, in 2 Cor. i.24, he had written, "Not for
that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers of
your joy, for by faith ye stand." "Joy" is a fruit of the Spirit
mentioned early in the wondrous cluster, "love, joy, peace," &c.
Peter was not a stranger to the "joy of faith," for speaking of
the Lord Jesus Christ he said, "Whom having not seen, ye love, in
Whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with
joy unspeakable, and full of glory."
What is the ground of this joy? A reading of either Philippians,
or I Peter, will dispel the idea that external circumstances
contributed to this joy of faith. In both epistles suffering and
sorrow are emphatic, yet in the midst of it all there breathes a
pure unconquerable joy. "Joy" and "rejoice" are keywords of
Philippians.
One point of deepest significance, which must not pass unnoticed,
arises out of the connection of the theme of the "joy of the
faith" with the peculiar object of this epistle. "Philippians"
assumes that the blessed teaching of "Ephesians" is known and
believed. On that basis the apostle speaks of working out our
own salvation with fear and trembling (working out, not working
for), and has in prospect a prize not attained but sought. It is
not until he wrote 2 Timothy that he knew he had finished his
course, and that henceforth there was laid up for him a crown.
In Acts xx. he had said that he counted not his life dear unto
himself, but that he desired to finish his course with joy. This
therefore is the reason why in Philippians the apostle passes
from salvation by faith, or justification by faith, to speak of
the joy of faith, the anticipation of the crown or prize. The
idea may be found in the well-known words of Matt. xxv.:-
"Well done, good and faithful servant, thou hast been faithful
over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord."
This joy, connected as it is with reward for faithfulness, may be
seen in Heb. xii.1,2:-
"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking
unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, Who for the joy
that was set before Him endured a cross, despising the shame, and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
When the apostle spoke of the fulfilling of his joy it was in
respect to the good of others,and not of his own ease or comfort.
"Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love,
being of one accord" (Phil. ii.2). Or again in iv.1, "Therefore,
my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so
stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved." Look at the first
six occurrences in the prison epistles of the word "rejoice."
"What then? Notwithstanding every way (and some of these ways
were humanly hard to endure), whether in pretense or in truth:
CHRIST is preached, and therein I do rejoice, yea, and will
rejoice" (Phil. i.18).
Had the apostle thought of himself, thought upon the baseness and
ingratitude that moved some in their preaching to suppose they
thereby added affliction to his bonds, what cause would he have
found for rejoicing? He had learned, however, a little of the
mind that was in Christ Jesus, he thought of others rather than
of himself. He who could say, "Christ shall be magnified in my
body, whether it be by life or death," could rejoice in the fact
that Christ was preached, even though some who preached sought
his injury. Again, this utter regardlessness of self is
manifested in his words of ii.17,18:-
"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your
faith, I joy and rejoice with you all. For this cause also do ye
joy and rejoice with me."
What words are here! The apostle willing to be poured out as a
drink offering over the sacrifice and service of their faith, and
they, seeing his utter abandonment to the service and glory of
his Lord, rejoicing together with him. Can earth furnish such
joy as this? A joy which no tears can blind, but which, the
rather, through those tears will take on added lustre as the
rainbow from the storm. His "finally" is still the same blessed
theme, "Finally, my brethren rejoice in the Lord" (iii.1); "and
again I say, rejoice" (iv.4). If we rejoice in our attainments
we shall fall into grievous error and sorrow. If we rejoice even
in the increased light shed upon the Word we must remember the
One Who alone is to be praised for the opened eye to see. Let
our rejoicing be "in the Lord," then it will be real and full.
Are we joyful enough? We seek grace to manifest the fact that we
are fellow-members of the One Body, we seek grace to exhibit all
lowliness and meekness, to walk worthy of the calling, but let us
not forget "joy." We may in times past have been misled into
believing that a solemn face, a funereal air, a joyless, sunless,
rigid demeanour, glorified the Lord. Thanks be to God for
deliverance from such things. Let us be glad and rejoice in the
Lord. The faith which is ours to hold is full enough to fill us
all to the brim with "joy unspeakable." We need not be trivial,
frivolous or emotional to experience and shed abroad something of
the radiance that should be evident in those who "rejoice in the
Lord alway," and who have received the truth in the love of it,
and the faith in some measure of its joy.
Moses "wist not that his face shone," but it was evident he had
been with the Lord. So, in like manner, may it be ours to
reflect something of the radiance of the "joy of faith."
===============================================================
"Judging #5. Who Should Be Judged?" by J. McEown in Bible
Explorations.
In Scripture, the word judge is from the Greek word meaning to
sift or separate, and man has had to separate (judge) good from
evil ever since his first parents took in knowledge of both. He
can easily be deceived in judging, but God has provided a new
mind and His Word so that His children can discern between the
two. But what are they to judge and what are they to do with
what they discern?
At first glance, Scripture seems to give opposing commands,
saying in some places to judge others and in other places saying
not to judge others. Each reference must be examined in its
immediate context and in the greater context of all Scripture.
Sometimes hypocrites are addressed and sometimes sincere saints
are addressed. Sometimes God's kingdom on earth is the subject
and sometimes His kingdom above the heavens is the subject.
Because examining each reference would take more time and space
than feasible for this paper, we shall consider two principles
about judging which are constant throughout God's Word. Firstly,
we will consider the believer's judging of himself and secondly
his judging of others.
Since the unregenerate, without the new mind, cannot understand
God's Word and distinguish right from wrong, he is not
accountable. He is judged already for failure to believe on the
Son of God (Jn 3:18). But we who have believed on the Son of
God, can understand God's Word and are accountable for our
handling of that Word and for lives lived equal to our knowledge
of it. Paul said, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the
faith." (ICo 11:28). And again, "if we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged." He wrote to believers whose behavior was
wrong by God's commands. Later he prayed that the Philippians
would, "approve things that are excellent." (Php 1:10). A
rendering of this, closer to the Greek is, "distinguish things
that differ." They had entered a new and different
administration of God and needed to sift the instructions and
promises to Israel which they had embraced before from the
instructions to the church of all nations to which they now were
called. Finally, to us also, members of that church, it is
written, "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in
the Lord: walk as children of light...Proving (testing) what is
acceptable unto the Lord." (Eph 5:8,10). Learning what is
acceptable to the Lord today is each individual's responsibility.
No one can discern for us. We alone can sift our own beliefs and
wrong behavior by testing them by the Scriptures and "approving
things that are excellent."
As to what others believe in their hearts, only the Lord can
judge. He knows how much understanding they have, what intents
and desires they have, and what barriers befront them. But the
believer with the new mind and God's Word as his guide, can
detect good from evil in acts and words and he has a
responsibility to respond to such. The Apostle Paul said to
follow him as an example as he followed Christ (ICo 4:11). We
find his manner was to encourage the good he found and endeavor
to dispel the evil. His epistles show that when he knew of
other's wrong doing his first effort was prayer, then he wrote
letters, sent messengers, spoke face to face at times and finally
he withdrew from those who repeatedly refused to hear warnings.
He spent three years with the Ephesians where he said, "...I
ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." (Acts
20:31). Rather than condemning wrong doers we find him
beseeching and warning of the consequences of evil, as one who
loved them would.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul first said he gave thanks,
"that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." (Rom
1:3). But he also addressed a segment there and told them they
were inexcusable for condemning fellow saints for the very things
they did themselves (Rom 2:1).
He wrote the Corinthians that he longed to teach truths which he
could not because of their envy and bickering, and he sent
Timothy to them, "...who shall bring you into remembrance of my
ways which be in Christ..." (ICo 4:7). The Corinthian saints
were also told not to keep company with any who claimed to follow
Christ and lived in immorality; and we are told in IITi 2:19,
"Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity."
Judging the words and acts of others as Paul did, should then
evoke prayer, encouragement, beseeching, warning and even
withdrawing on our part, but never may we speak evil of a saint
(Tit 3:12). Michael, Israel's archangel, dared not make an evil
judgment on the devil (who so obviously deserved it), but he left
that to the Lord (Jude 9). How much less are we qualified to
condemn one of our family members in the Body of Christ.
Who should be judged? We conclude that no person should be
judged, but rather, our own beliefs need sifting sometimes, and
the words and acts of all God's children need separating
sometimes by that living instrument, the Word of God.
===============================================================
"Love No. 1" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor.
"Though I . . . . understand all mysteries . . . . and have not
love, I am nothing" (I Cor. iii. 2).
We are daily adding to our knowledge of the deeper teaching of
the Word; fresh beauties shine forth from the sacred page; we
seek increasingly "rightly to divide the Word of truth," and with
this increased knowledge and light one might be led to imagine
that spiritually nothing much was left to be desired. As we read
the Scriptures, however, light and knowledge are not put fort-
most, love is first and greatest and must be in all times the
criterion of our true spiritual advancement. When the Lord was
questioned by the lawyer as to which was the great commandment in
the law, He replied:-
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the
law and the prophets" (Matt. xxii. 37-40).
It should be observed that heart love comes before that of the
soul, or of the mind. It is comparatively easy to love with the
mind, to love in "word," or in "tongue," but to love "in deed and
in truth" (I John iii. 18) necessitates the activity of the
heart. When we notice the prayers of the apostle Paul in
Ephesians i. and iii., we find that while "the knowledge of Him"
and "to know what is the hope of His calling" are prominent in
the first prayer, love figures very largely in the second,
"rooted and grounded in love," and "to know the knowledge-
surpassing love of Christ." In the practical section of
Ephesians (iv.-vi.) the apostle exhorts the believer to a worthy
walk, and the central occurrence of the word "walk" in that
section is the exhortation to:-
"Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweetsmelling savour" (Eph. v. 2).
This high standard is the basis of the apostle's appeal in Eph.
v. 25, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, and
gave Himself for it." When the apostle would pray for the
advancement of the Philippians, although he desired them to have
"discernment" and ability to "try the things that differ," these
were not the initial petitions. The Spirit of God knew only too
well that discernment without love is withering and harsh, and
knowledge without love but ministers to pride; therefore the
apostle was led to pray first and foremost for the overflowing of
their love, "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more
and more" (Phil. i. 9). In the Epistle to the Colossians the
apostle speaks of putting on the new man, and as a climax says,
"And above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of
perfectness" (Col. iii. 14).
Let it be the earnest desire of every reader that our love shall
keep pace with our advance in knowledge, otherwise our words must
be written off as "sounding brass," and our knowledge as nothing
worth. As space allows in subsequent issues we hope to consider
some of the aspects of this chief of graces, and first of the
Spirit's fruits, "ABOVE ALL . . . . LOVE."
==============================================================
"The Parables No. 9" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor.
We have now concluded our consideration of the parables of Matt.
xiii. As we have seen,these parables of the mysteries of the
kingdom form a complete line of teaching by themselves. After
this series of parables was concluded the Lord Jesus revealed the
fact that He must not only be rejected, but be crucified, die,
and be raised again the third day. The parables of the second
section accordingly take a somewhat different turn. One parable
is spoken after chapter xiii. before the revelation of the Lord's
death in Matt. xvi. After this the second series of parables
follows, ending in the prophetic words of Matt. xxiv. and xxv.
This series makes a complete set marked by a special aspect of
dispensational teaching, just in the same way that the parables
of Matt. xiii. are marked by a special aspect of dispensational
truth.
Before considering this group, however, we will look at the
parable recorded in Matt. xv. 10-20. It throws light upon the
nature of the opposition, and the forces at work which had
rejected the kingdom and finally would crucify the King. It
arose out of the question of the Scribes and Pharisees concerning
eating with unwashen hands. The Lord does not here, as He does
in Matt. xxiii., fully and unreservedly strip off their mask of
hypocrisy, for His hour had not yet come. In parable form,
however, He enforces the lesson of the previous words addressed
to the Scribes and Pharisees. These formalists were far more
concerned about ceremonial washings, than about fruit of heart
love. The transgression of some minute point of rabbinical
tradition was far more serious in their eyes than the breaking of
the law of God.
In answer to the question, "Why do Thy disciples transgress the
tradition of the elders?" the Lord said, "Why do ye also
transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Opposition
had been gathering, and many attempts to entrap the Lord had been
made. His free intermingling with the publicans and sinners
wounded the pride of the teachers of the law. His freedom
regarding the sabbath was much resented and opposed. It appears
that on some occasion the Pharisees had noticed that the
disciples had not observed the tradition regarding washings
before meals, and this supplied them with a weapon of attack.
The oral tradition laid peculiar emphasis upon these ceremonial
ablutions. No doubt we have all heard of Rabbi Akiba, who when
imprisoned and supplied with only enough water to maintain life,
chose rather to perish with thirst and hunger than to eat without
the necessary washings. What a pitiable misconception! What a
God these people had invented! We can imagine the feelings with
which these men came down with this charge upon the disciples of
the Lord. They did not expect the Lord to reveal the superficial
nature of their teaching, which He did so incisively by his
reference to their despicable gloss in relation to "the first
commandment with promise :-
"Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you saying, This
people draweth nigh with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their
lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do
worship Me (solemn words for all dispensations), teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt v. 7-9).
Turning from these votaries of littleness, the Lord called the
people together and said:-
"Hear and understand. Not that which goeth into the mouth
defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this
defileth a man" (Matt. xv. 10, 11).
In these few words the Lord brushed aside the external and the
ceremonial, establishing in their place the real and the
essential. The record in Mark vii. 15 should be compared:-
"There is nothing from without a man that, entering into him can
defile him, but the things which come out of him, these are they
that defile a man"
These words were sufficiently understood by the Pharisees to
offend them, but the Lord in His reply shows how little He
thought of man's judgment, "Let them alone; they be blind leaders
of the blind." Peter now asks for an explanation of the parable,
and Matt. xv. 16-20 contains the Lord's answer:-
"And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding, that
whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is
cast into the draught? but those things which proceed out of the
mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,
thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which
defile a man, but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."
Mark gives one or two additional statements which are too
important to pass over unnoticed:-
"Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth
into the man, it cannot defile him, because it entereth not into
his heart" (Mark vii. 18).
Thus the whole subject revolves around the words "not into his
heart" and "out of the heart." "Their heart is far from Me."
The A.V. continues, "but into the belly, and goeth into the
draught, purging all meats." The last clause has caused a great
amount of unprofitable matter to be written. The true meaning is
given in the R.V., "This He said, making all meats clean," i.e.,
abolishing for ever the scrupulosities of mere ceremonial
distinctions. The list of evil things is different from that
given in Matt. xv.:-
"Evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness" (Mark vii. 21, 22).
We would now draw attention to one or two important words and
expressions used in this parable, and then show the light it
casts upon the times and circumstances of this closing section of
Matthew's Gospel.
DEFILED (koinos).--It must be remembered that the subject of
defilement or uncleanness in this parable is ceremonial, it in no
wise touches upon the desirability of having clean hands at meal
times, neither does it teach that we may eat anything with
impunity. If we perceive the truth nothing can make us
ceremonially unclean, but some things may do us a deal of harm
physically. The word koinos has nothing whatever to do with
uncleanness in a physical sense; it means defilement only in a
ceremonial sense. The following are its occurrences:-
Koinos.
"*Defiled* (That is to say unwashen) hands" (Mark vii. 2).
"All things *common*" (Acts ii. 44; iv. 32).
"*Common* or unclean" (Acts x. 14, 28; xi. 8).
"There is nothing unclean of itself, but to him that esteemeth
anything to be *unclean*, to him it is *unclean*" (Rom. xiv. 14).
"The *common* faith" (Titus i. 4).
"An *unholy* thing" (Heb x. 29).
"The *common* salvation" (Jude 3).
Koinoo.
"*Defile* a man" (Matt. iv. 11, 18, 20; Mark vii. 15, 18, 20,
23).
"Call not thou *common*" (Acts x. 15; xi. 9).
"Brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath *polluted* this
holy place" (Acts xxi. 28).
"Sprinkling the *unclean*" (Heb. ix. 13).
"There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that *defileth*"
(Rev. xi. 27).
It will be seen by the above passages that the idea defile must
be considered from the ceremonial standpoint. The apostle does
not hesitate to speak of the "common faith," not because there
was anything unclean about it, but because it was not the
exclusive possession of a privileged few, it being now proclaimed
to the Gentile as well as the Jew. The ceremonial ablutions were
jealously guarded and observed not so much out of a desire for
holiness or personal cleanliness, but out of a cramped, narrow
and bigoted pride. To the pharisaic mind there was but one
class, "the elect," all others were either "Gentile dogs," or
"the people who know not the law" who are cursed. This narrow
exclusive spirit was a fundamental cause of the great rejection,
for in Matt. xxiii. 13 the first woe uttered by our Lord touches
this very point:-
"But woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut
up the kingdom of heaven against men, for ye neither go in
yourselves, neither do ye suffer them that are entering to go
in."
Luke xi. 52 adds another weighty word:-
"Woe unto you lawyers! for ye took away the key of knowledge, ye
entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye
hindered."
The reference to "the blind guides" in Matt. xxiii. 16 is a
further link with Matt. xv. So also the sentiment of verses 23-
27. The charge is very severe, and must have caused, as indeed
we know it did, intense hatred. These men, who were so
scrupulous about the outside as in Matt. xv., were within "full
of all uncleanness."
HEART.--The way in which the Lord uses the word "heart" is full
of deep teaching. In the Beatitudes He had said, "Blessed are
the pure in heart," the word "pure" being the Greek word
katharos. The next time the Lord uses the word in Matthew it is
in direct continuance of this passage in Matt. v. :-
"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup
and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also" (Matt.
xxiii. 26).
The clean in heart, not the ceremonially and externally clean,
not as the whitewashed sepulchres, these and these alone should
see the kingdom. So superficial had become the ideas of men at
the time of Christ, that He early disturbed the self-righteous
complacency of those who thought that they were safe:-
"Ye have, heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt
not commit adultery, but I say unto you, that whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart" (Matt. v. 28).
"The tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can
ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of
the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. xii. 33, 34).
Thus the Lord would teach that just as the fruit of a tree
indicates the nature of the tree itself, so the fruit of the lips
will show the nature of the heart which gives that fruit origin.
Once again, in answer to the lawyer's question, the Lord puts the
heart in the first place:-
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind" (Matt xxii. 37).
Heart first, mind last. The mere intellectualism which always
accompanies a pharisaical spirit is placed by its advocates
foremost, while the heart is placed last. Not so, in the Lord's
estimate. He does not call upon us to quibble over the petty
details which occupied the little minds of these formalists, but
urges love of heart first and foremost.
The words of the R.V. of Mark vii. 19, "This he said, making all
meats clean," should be noted. These words are the inspired
comment upon the Lord's teaching. It indicated the trend of His
teaching and the effect of His work. It lifted the one who
believed Him above the sphere wherein such observances were of
service. It entirely discountenanced the teaching of the
Pharisees. The spirit of the lesson is echoed in an apocryphal
addition to Luke vi. 5 found in the Codex Bezae:-
"On the same day, seeing one working on the Sabbath, He said to
him, O man, if indeed thou knowest what thou doest, thou art
blessed, but if thou knowest not, thou art accursed and a
transgressor of the Law."
Let us now examine the list of sins which the Lord said did
defile a man, coming as they did out of the heart.
EVIL THOUGHTS.--The word "thought" is dialogismos:D
"When Jesus perceived their *thoughts*, He answering said unto
them, What *reason ye* in your hearts?" (Luke v. 22).
"The Scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on
the Sabbath day, that they might find an accusation against Him,
but He knew their *thoughts*" (Luke vi. 7, 8).
So also Luke ii. 35; ix. 46, 47; xxiv. 38; and James ii. 4. The
word "evil" is poneros:D
"Wherefore think ye *evil* in your hearts" (Matt. ix. 4).
"O generation of vipers, how can ye (Pharisees, see verse 24),
being *evil* speak good things? for out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh . . . . An *evil* and adulterous
generation" (Matt. xii. 34, 39).
It seems fairly clear that the Lord had the Pharisees and Scribes
in view when He uttered the words in the parable concerning evil
thoughts.
MURDERS (phonos).--The word occurs in connection with Barabbas in
Mark xv. 7 and Luke xxiii. 19, 25. "Destroyed those murderers,
and burnt up their city" (Matt. xxii. 7). Refer back to the
related parable in Matt. xxi. 38, 39 for the full force of this
passage: note verses 45 and 46, and xxii. 15, and see how the
Pharisees realize that the Lord meant to indicate them under this
awful title. Matt. v. 21 has already made it clear how "murder"
may be charged against these plotting enemies of the Lord. The
Pharisees and Scribes are again charged with this foul crime in
Matt. xxiii. 31-39.
ADULTERERS (moicheia).--"The Scribes and Pharisees brought unto
Him a woman taken in adultery" (John viii. 3). These hypocrites
were not concerned about the evil of the act (for they were
guilty themselves, see verse 9), they simply desired to catch the
Lord and involve Him in His words (verse 6). The exceeding
looseness with which many of the Pharisees held the marriage tie
involved them in the sin of adultery before God (see Matt. v. 31,
32, and xix. 3-9). As with murder, so with adultery, the desire
of the heart constituted guilt (see Matt. v. 27, 28). On several
occasions the Lord denounced these evil men as "a wicked and
adulterous generation" (see Matt. xii. 39 and xvi. 4).
FORNICATIONS (porneia).--It is a remarkable fact that this plague
figures more conspicuously in the Epistles and in the Revelation
than in the Gospels. Once the enemies of the Lord use it (John
viii. 41), an insult which His holy nature must have felt keenly,
but how gracious and calm was His reply! Although specific
instances of this sin are not given in the Gospels, we know the
Lord sufficiently to imagine that He would not use a word so
foul, unless He knew only too well that the charge was actually
true. Its prominence in the Apocalypse, and the practical
absence of adultery, throw a vivid light on the character of the
last days.
THEFTS (klope).--This word occurs nowhere else except in the
parallel passage of Mark. The cognate word kleptes ("thief") is
used in John x. 1, 8, 1O, and includes the Scribes and Pharisees,
as the context shows. The devouring of widows' houses (Matt.
xxiii. 14; Mark xii. 40; and Luke xx. 47), the traditions (Matt.
xv. 5, 6), and the turning of the House of Prayer into a den of
thieves (Matt. xi. 13), involve the Pharisees in this sin.
FALSE WITNESS.--This word in all its hideous nakedness is written
against the "chief priests, and elders, and all the council"
(Matt. xxvi. 59) in relation to the deep-laid plot against the
life of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the more significant when
we consider the fact that these two passages contain all the
occurrences of the word in the N.T.
BLASPHEMY.--Mark iii. 29 shows that the Scribes were guilty of
the most unpardonable blasphemy.
We will not go through the list given in Mark, readers should
make a study of the words there given. One thing is prominent in
this parable. The Pharisees were guilty of breaking the very law
in which they boasted so much. Listen to our Lord's summary of
the Law:-
"Jesus said (observe the order here and in Matt. xv.), Thou shalt
do no *murder*, thou shalt not commit *adultery*, thou shalt not
*steal*, thou shalt not bear *false witness*. Honour thy father
and thy mother (cf. Matt, xv. 4-6), and thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself (Matt. xix. 18, 19).
How weak, how beggarly, the petty observances and mere trifling
externals of the Pharisees appear when seen from the standpoint
of love. The apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, seems to have
the pharisaical spirit before him. First in Rom. ii. we read:-
"For wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself . . .
. Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and
makest thy boast of God, and knowest His will, and approvest the
things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law,
and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind (cf.
Matt. xv. 14), a light of them which are in darkness, an
instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which have the
FORM of knowledge and of the truth in the law (cf. 2 Tim. iii.
5); thou therefore that TEACHEST another, *teachest thou not
thyself*? thou that PREACHEST a man should not steal, *dost thou
steal*? thou that SAYEST a man should not commit adultery, *dost
thou commit adultery*? thou that abhorrest idols, *dost thou
commit sacrilege*? thou that makest thy boast in the law,
through breaking the law *dishonourest thou God* . . . . who by
the *letter* and *circumcision* dost transgress the law? (Matt.
xv. 3). For he is not a Jew who is one *outwardly* (see Matt.
xiii. 28) . . . . circumcision is that of the HEART in the
spirit, and not in the letter (cf. 2 Cor. iii. 6), whose praise
is not of men, but of God."
The sequel is found in Rom. xiii. 8-1O:-
"Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loveth
another hath fulfilled the law. For this, thou shalt not commit
adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt
not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet, and if there be any
other commandment it is briefly comprehended in this saying,
'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'"
Returning to the parable of Matt. xv. with the knowledge we have
now gained, do we not see that it foreshadowed that spirit which
manifested itself in all its hollowness and sham, and whose
loveless creed culminated in the basest act that the world has
ever witnessed. The second set of parables in Matthew's Gospel
becomes luminous in the light of this one. Into what a ditch
these blind guides led that poor blinded people! The Lord
disowns them, they were never planted by Him, they were sown by
the Devil, they shall be rooted up (Matt. xiii. 29). They are
the tares, the children of the wicked one. The burden of guilt
rested chiefly upon the rulers and leaders of the people. They
neither entered into the kingdom of the heavens themselves, nor
allowed the common people, who desired to enter, to do so.
While it is of the utmost importance to realize the
dispensational setting and bearing of this parable, it is
essential to our joy and peace that we take to heart the solemn
teaching for ourselves. May we remember that the mere observance
of ceremonies is nothing. Love is the fulfilling of the law.
Our walk is to be "in love." Let us take heed and beware of the
"leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees."
================================================================
"The Sovereignty of God #8" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today.
In all our study we must be careful that we give due honor to the
Son, for if one does not honor the Son, then he does not honor
God. We understand from the Scriptures that the Son is none other
than God in flesh.
In Genesis 1 we learn that Adam was made in the likeness of the
image of God. This image is Christ (Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb.
1:3). According to Daniel 2, an image in the likeness of man was
used to show forth the idea of dominion. And so in Genesis 1 we
see that man was given dominion over the creatures of the earth.
In the matter of dominion, Adam was a figure of Him that was to
come, the One who will have all dominion (Romans 5:14).
This dominion is further spoken of in Psa. 8 where it still
refers to man and the earth. But this same passage is quoted in
Heb. 2:5-8 and we see that there it refers to Christ. The
dominion is universal.
This universal dominion of our Lord is further expanded in many
other passages. In 1 Cor. 15:27 we learn that all things are put
under His feet with the dispensational addition that He is the
Head of the church.
Our Lord is able to subdue all things unto Himself (Ph'p.3:21).
This is His power. And in Matt 28:18 He claims that all power
was given Him in heaven and in earth. So the subjection is to be
universal, for we do not see all things subdued to Him as yet
(Heb. 2:8). The student must be very careful here not to include
too much. At the time that He takes His power He will subdue all
things to Himself which are existing at that time. There is no
promise of resurrection in this statement.
In Matthew 11:27 the Lord claimed that all things were delivered
unto Him of the Father. The context is judgment, revelation of
truth, and an invitation to come unto Him.
Another angle is presented in Eph. 1:10. There all things are to
be made a unity of which Christ is to be the Head. This is more
than the church. It again is a universal dominion.
But we have been speaking primarily of power, not sovereignty.
Does the Lord have sovereignty as well as God? Surely that is
so. In Ph'p. 2:10 we discover that to this Jesus of Nazareth is
given a name that is above every name (this name can only be
Jehovah if it is to fit this description) and that to Him every
knee shall bow and every tongue confess in that day (this is what
the Jehovah says of Himself in Isa. 45:23). And in the next
verse in Ph'p.2 we find Lordship ascribed to Christ. Surely
Lordship and sovereignty are not too far apart. And the
fulfillment of this passage may be found in Rev 5:13 where every
creature in heaven and earth will confess His Lordship. And this
sovereignty extends to the right and the power to give life to
whomsoever He will (John 5:21,26).
The sovereignty of God cannot be known except due honor is given
the Son.
============================================================
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