A message from the 1980 Berean Bible Fellowship Conference.
Monthly Archives: February 2017
The Purpose of Peace and Quiet – 1 Timothy 2:3-7
Summary:
Paul says that “God our Savior” would have “all men to be saved,” but God wasn’t always the Savior of all men. The word “thy” in Isaiah 49:26 is singular, meaning in time past God was the Savior of the Jews only. And that didn’t change as we come to the New Testament (Acts 5:30,31).
“Does that mean back then God didn’t want all men to be saved?” It sounded that way (Isa.46:13), even in the New Testament (John 4:22), until you remember verses like Isaiah 45:22. But as you may know, God placed salvation in Jerusalem because He intended to get the Jews saved, then use them to reach the Gentiles (Micah 5:7). So He didn’t just put salvation in Jerusalem, He put it in the Jews themselves (Joel 2:32), and the Gentiles were supposed to come to God in response to the light that shone off Israel when she rose to receive the Lord (Isaiah 60:1-3).
When the Jews refused to be God’s channel of blessing to the Gentiles, God raised up Paul and introduced a new program under which salvation went to the Gentiles through Israel’s fall (Rom.11:11), not her rise. God also gave Paul a whole new truth for us to come to a knowledge of, a truth now available to all men. In time past only the Jews had the knowledge of the truth (Rom.2:17-20) in the law. But now that God has revealed that He wants all men to be saved, the truth that God wants men to come to a knowledge of resides in Paul’s epistles (ITim.2:5-7).
“What’s new about the truth that ‘there is one God’ (v.5)?” Just that that the “one God” who used to save Jews “by faith” (Rom.3:30) plus the works of the law like circumcision, sacrifices and baptism now saves Gentiles “through faith” without works (Romans 3:30 cf.Tit.3:5). But there is more new truth. Christ used to only be the mediator between God and Isaiah’s people (Isa.53:8), who were also the Lord’s people (Mt.1:21), the Jews. But to become a Jew to die for the Jews, the Lord had to become a man to die for men (Heb.2:14-17). So while Christ was only supposed to be the one mediator between God and the Jews, the Jew Christ Jesus, Paul broke the news that He was the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
All men are in bondage to sin (John 8:34) and need to be ransomed, but it wasn’t until the “due time” of Paul’s ministry that God testified Christ would “ransom” the Gentiles too (ITim.2:6). We pay ransom money to kidnappers, but Bible ransoms were paid to God (Ex.30:12) because they had to do with redemption (Ps.49:6,7; Jer.31:11). Christ didn’t die to satisfy Satan’s greed, He died to satisfy God’s holiness.
Before Paul, all anyone knew was that Christ was to die a ransom for the “many” in Israel (Mt.20:28), but Paul broke the news He was the ransom “for all” (ITim.2:6). It is “whereunto” he was made an apostle (v.7). This was news that would have come out in the kingdom when Gentiles started coming to Israel’s light and getting saved, but Paul was born “out of due time” (ICor.15:8) in part to break this news.
Paul is the only New Testament writer who swears oaths like the one in v.8 because other writers could quote the Old Testament to authenticate what they said, but Paul preached things like Christ’s ransom for the Gentiles and other things that were not in the Old Testament. So he’s the only one who had to swear an oath to authenticate what he said.
If you’re not saved, you should know that just because God “will” have all men to be saved (ITim.2:4) doesn’t mean all will be saved. God doesn’t always do what He wants, He rather always does what is right. And it wouldn’t be right to let you into heaven without your sins being paid for. Even Job knew you can’t sit down with God and work something out with God about your sins (Job 9:32,33). He knew God’s holiness demanded perfection, perfection that he couldn’t give. He knew his only hope was a “daysman,” a mediator who could put his hands on both God and man and mediate the dispute of sin. He knew that if God found such a one that He could be gracious to those who would believe in Him (Job 34:24).
It’s No Contest!
During his recent visit to the United States, the pope stirred up quite a bit of controversy when he canonized an 18th-century friar named Junipero Serra. The pontiff sought to recognize the friar for his work in bringing Catholicism to California, but there are some who claim he treated Native Americans harshly. This explains why a statue of Serra was vandalized after his elevation to sainthood was announced. As you can see, when your sainthood depends on your conduct, there will always be someone who will stand up to contest it.
How different it is with the saints mentioned in Scripture! The Corinthians were known for their carnality (I Cor. 3:1), yet Paul calls them “saints” (I Cor. 1:2). If you are wondering how this could be, it is because Paul knew that the verb form of the noun “saint” is sanctify, and while the Corinthians were carnal in their conduct, they were “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (I Cor. 1:2). In the Bible, men are “sanctified by the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:16), not by any earthly church. They are “sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ” (Heb. 10:10), and not by their behavior. Rome awards sainthood to men who are known for good works, but the Lord says that men are “sanctified by faith that is in Me” (Acts 26:18).
So it is that while the canonicity of all Rome’s saints can be contested by men, not even the devil himself can contest the sainthood of the believer in Christ. It’s no contest! Just remember, sainthood is a high calling, so make sure “that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Eph. 4:1).
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 is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.
Spiritual Aristocracy
Pastor Stam used to call the Bereans “the spiritual aristocracy of their day” because they “received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:10,11). Knowing that he was a wordsmith who chose his words carefully, I looked up “aristocracy,” and sure enough, one of the definitions is, “those who rise above the rest of the community in any important respect, as in wealth, knowledge, character, etc.”
I thought of all this when I recently came across Proverbs 25:2 again in my daily Bible reading:
“It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”
It was truly the glory of God that He could conceal the Mystery from the devil. After all, it was said of the Antichrist, “thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee” (Ezek. 28:3), an arrogance he will learn from his master. Since that was Satan’s boast as well, imagine how humiliated he was when Paul went forth heralding “the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19), the secret of the gospel, and he learned that the Cross he thought spelled his greatest victory was actually the thing God would use to rescue sinners from his clutches!
Then, as the apostle began to unfold “the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles” (Col. 1:27), how Satan must have gasped as God’s secret plan to reclaim the rule of the heavens from the “spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12) caused him to realize that there was a secret that had been hidden from him, one that spelled his complete defeat! No wonder Paul concludes his greatest chapter on the mystery by saying of the Father who concealed this matter, “unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus” (Eph. 3:21).
But while it is the glory of God that He could conceal such a great thing, “the honour of kings is to search out a matter.” You may not be a kingpin in the world, but you prove yourself to be part of the spiritual aristocracy of your day when you search out the depths of the mystery that God concealed from Satan so effectively since before the world began. What an honor it is to plumb the depths of this great truth, and to “be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of that which “passeth knowledge” (Eph. 3:18,19), “that ye might be filled with all the fullness 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 is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.
My First Lesson in Rightly Dividing
An Exhortation to Pray – 1 Timothy 2:1-3
Summary:
Paul charged Timothy to “war a good warfare” (1:18) but exhorts him to pray (2:1), but don’t assume from this that he is not as serious about praying.An exhortation from God is a serious thing. Peter exhorted the Jews to save them-selves from that generation in Israel (Acts 2:40) because the Lord was going to hold them responsible for the death of all prophets (Luke 11:50,51). So Peter’s exhortation was serious, and so was Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to pray.
After telling Timothy to war a good warfare, Paul exhorts Timothy “therefore” to pray (2:1). Every soldier prays before going into battle! This is why after describing the armor of the believer Paul mentions prayer (Eph.6:10-20), since that’s what soldiers do after putting on their armor. We must pray before going out to battle the false doctrines believed by those we wish to witness.
“Supplication” (2:1) is asking for things (IKi.8:52; Esther 4:8). It’s okay to ask for things under grace (Phil.4:6). If you’re wondering what the difference is between supplication and the “prayers” Paul mentions next (2:1), don’t tell anyone, for that would mean you think all prayer is asking for things! Prayer is just talking to Him!
“Intercessions” (2:1) are just prayers for other people (Rom.8:26,27,34). “Giving of thanks” needs no explanation but it could use some exhortation! You’re probably thankful for some things, but Paul says you should be thankful for “all” things (Eph.5:20), even the bad things, as Job did. When he “blessed” God (Job 1:21), he thanked Him (cf. ICor.14;15,16). You are probably also thankful for some of the people in your life, but Paul says to thank God for “all men.” Even the rude and obnoxious ones? How else will you learn patience and longsuffering? Even thank God for enemies? How else will you learn grace? (Rom.5:10).
These four types of prayer are in an order that reflects spiritual maturity. When you were first saved you were always asking for things. Then you began to just pray, then inter-cede for others. Giving thanks is the highest form of prayer.
After telling Timothy to pray, Paul knows he is least likely to want to pray for civil rulers, so he singles them out (2:2). Timothy lived under Nero, a horrible ruler. What kind of supplication can we pray for rulers? How about Psalm 72:1? You can’t pray God will open their heads and pour in good judgment as He did with Solomon in that psalm, but you can pray the Word will have free course (IITh.3:1) all the way to Washington.
If you don’t feel like interceding for your rulers, consider that God told Israel to pray for the rulers that conquered them for in the peace of their city they would have peace (Jer.29:1-7), just as we are to pray for our rulers that we too might live peaceable lives (2:2). When the Jews were re-leased from captivity, Darius remembered they’d prayed for their captors, and that God had blessed Babylon for it, so he gave them money so that they would continue to pray for their rulers now that he was their ruler (Ezra 6:1-9). If you draw the line at giving thanks for rulers (2:2). Well, remember, rulers are God’s “ministers” (Romans 13:3,4), and if you thank God for our ministry at Faith Bible Church, you should thank God for the ministry of rulers.
“Quiet and peaceable” are words used to describe Solomon’s kingdom (I Chron.22:1-9), which was a type of the kingdom (Acts 1:6). That’s why Isaiah used those words to describe the kingdom (Isa.32:18).So when Paul says to pray for rulers so we can have a quiet and peaceable life, he’s saying if you pray for your rulers you can enjoy a bit of heaven on earth! Rulers are less likely to persecute people who they know are praying for them, and you’re less likely to spend all your time complaining about the government. Which means praying for your rulers will give you a quiet and peaceable life in your life. And you’ll live a life in all godliness, for you won’t do something ungodly like rebel against the government, and you’ll live a life in all honesty, for you won’t cheat then in your taxes.
God “our Savior” (2:3) is pleased with this for the gospel can go forth with free course easier in a quiet and peaceable land than in a land of oppression and persecution.
Berean Searchlight – February 2017
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