Monthly Archives: August 2018
An Apostle According to the Truth
“Paul…an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to…the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness” (Tit. 1:1).
There’s a reason why Paul says he was made an apostle according to “the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.” It is because if you’re after godliness in your life, that is, if godliness is your life’s goal, you need to follow the truth that is after godliness.
Now, the truth that is after godliness used to be the Law of Moses. Under the Law, if you kept the sabbath, and kept Israel’s seven feasts, and didn’t eat unclean foods, and did all the other things the Law demanded of you, you were godly. But the Law is not the truth that makes men godly in the dispensation of grace, and Paul was made an apostle to get men to acknowledge that dispensational change.
The word acknowledge means to admit that something is true—usually something that you don’t want to admit is true! For instance, no one likes to acknowledge it when they’ve sinned against God (cf. Hos. 5:15), and many people don’t like to admit that the Law is no longer the truth that makes men godly either. Here at Berean Bible Society, we often hear from people who tell us that we are not godly because we don’t insist that men keep the sabbath (cf. Col. 2:16), and because we don’t call food that God has cleansed unclean (Acts 10:15). Those things used to constitute godliness under the Law, but they don’t under grace!
Godliness today doesn’t consist of resting on the sabbath, it consists of resting in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did for us on the cross! The sabbath was just a type, a symbol, of such rest. Godliness today also no longer consists of viewing certain foods as unclean. The only reason it was godly under the Law to view certain foods as unclean was because under the Law certain people were unclean—the Gentiles (Lev. 20:24,25 cf. Acts 10:15,28). So godliness today consists of recognizing that we have the liberty to eat foods that were once unclean because we recognize that Gentiles are no longer unclean in God’s sight.
In addition, while observing Israel’s feasts made a man godly under the Law, godliness today understands that Christ is the fulfillment of the Law’s seven feasts. “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (I Cor. 5:7), so there is no need for us to keep the feast of passover. And because Christ our passover is sacrificed for us, “we have now received the atonement” (Rom. 5:11), so we don’t have to observe the Day of Atonement either.
In short, “the truth which is after godliness” has undergone a dispensational change from what it was under the Law to what it is today under grace. And Paul was made an apostle to get men to acknowledge that dispensational change. If you will acknowledge it, I guarantee it will revolutionize your Christian life, and make you eternally glad you did!
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.
Paul the Beggar – Philemon 10-12
Summary:
Onesimus’s name was a Greek word that meant profitable, so he was most likely a Gentile. Jews like Paul (Phil. 3:5) hated Gentiles and called them dogs, but Paul called Onesimus “my son.” The answer to racial tension is getting people saved and helping them to grow in grace!
It is popular in grace circles to say that members of the Body of Christ are not born again, but Paul says he had “begotten” Onesimus (1:10). This is significant in that the purpose of the book of Philemon isn’t to teach grace doctrines, it is to illustrate them, and the new birth is illustrated here.
“Time past” and “but now” (1:11) should make you think of Ephesians 2:11-13. Onesimus was profitable as a servant to Philemon. Remember, his name means profitable. But when he ran away, he became unprofitable. This illustrates how the Gentiles were profitable to God when they brought Him pleasure (Rev.4:11) but became “unprofitable” (Rom. 3:12).
Under Roman Law, Philemon could have Onesimus executed for running away. That illustrates what God could have done with the Gentiles when they became unprofitable servants (Mt.25:30). Instead He was merciful to them (Tit.3:3-5). And Paul is asking Philemon to treat Onesimus as God treated him as a Gentile when he was unprofitable and be merciful. That’s what Christianity is all about!
Ask an unbeliever, or even most Christians, the best way to treat others, and they’ll quote the Golden Rule (Mt.7:12). The Lord was alluding to the old covenant of the Law (Lev. 19:18) and the law was glorious, but new covenant grace exceeds in glory (II Cor. 3:6-9) because it says to treat others as God has already treated you.
The word “again” (1:12) means back, as in Exodus 15:19 and Hebrews 13:20. Paul didn’t have to send Onesimus back to his master twice!
But why would Paul send a slave back to his master? Under the Law you weren’t supposed to do that (Deut. 23:15). If you’re thinking you wouldn’t send a runaway slave back, would you give him the best spot on your land to live (v.16)?
This was high spiritual ground! We know the Gentile nations weren’t doing that, for a runaway slave begged David not to send him back to his master (I Sam. 30:15).
So why did Paul send Onesimus back? He knew we are not under law, but under grace (Rom. 6:15). The book of Philemon doesn’t teach that, it illustrates it.
When Paul instead returned Onesimus, that illustrated another grace doctrine, for Paul was obeying Roman law, and believers today are supposed to obey the laws of our country as well (Titus 3:1).
If you’re thinking we’re supposed to obey the government unless they tell us to do something wrong, and returning a slave to his master is wrong, it’s because you think slavery is evil. We know it isn’t because God allowed His people to own them (Lev. 25:44,45). There were legitimate reasons why people were slaves. If they ran up too much debt, they had to work as slaves to pay it off (II Ki. 4:1). But the slavery that we had in the United States was evil (Exodus 21:16).
When Paul says he “sent” Onesimus (1:12) instead of dragging him, that illustrates a tremendous doctrine of grace. Once Onesimus left Paul behind, he didn’t have to go where Paul sent him. But salvation had made him not care about being a slave (I Cor. 7:21). That illustrates the power of grace
Grace can show you how to not care that you’re in the prison that you are in. What grace? Onesimus learned that there are no slaves in Christ, we are all equal (I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28). He focused on seeing himself as God saw him, and stopped focusing on his difficult circumstances. Grace can make you care not about your circumstances as well if you do the same. When Paul tells Philemon to receive Onesimus as his own bowels (1:12), he meant to receive him as Paul’s own biological son (cf. II Sam. 16:11). That illustrates how God receives us as His own Son (Eph. 1:6), and how we should receive one another the same way (Rom. 15:7).
Miracles at Calvary
An Apostle According to the Faith
In his epistle to young Pastor Titus, the Apostle Paul spoke of his apostleship in a unique way, saying,
“Paul…an apostle…according to the faith of God’s elect…” (Titus 1:1)
What could Paul have meant when he said that he was made an apostle “according to the faith of God’s elect?”
Well, the word “elect” means chosen, of course. When we have an election, we choose a candidate to be our leader. And when it comes to God’s elect, even the Lord’s enemies knew that He was God’s chosen (Lu. 23:35). You yourself became part of God’s elect when you believed the gospel and God placed you “in Christ” (I Cor. 1:30). That’s how it has always worked, in every dispensation. Isaiah identified the Lord Jesus as God’s elect (Isa. 42:1 cf. Mt. 12:18,19), but later identified believers in Israel as God’s elect (65:9,22).
But when Paul said that he’d been made an apostle according to the faith of God’s elect, that can’t be talking about the faith that we put in Christ to become part of the elect. Our faith didn’t come along until long after Paul was made an apostle, so he couldn’t have been made an apostle according to that faith. Whatever faith he’s talking about here, it must have existed before Paul was an apostle, and he was made an apostle according to it.
Here it helps to remember that the phrase “the faith” can refer to a body of truth, as it does when Paul and Barnabas “returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch…exhorting them to continue in the faith” (Acts 14:21,22). We see this same definition of the phrase “the faith” when Paul later helped some churches become “established in the faith” (Acts 16:5). In these verses “the faith” clearly referred to the body of truth given to Paul. That’s the thing in which believers should be established, and that’s the thing in which they need to continue, as those verses—and others—insist (cf. Rom. 16:25; Acts 13:43, I Tim. 4:16, II Tim. 3:14).
And that’s what the phrase “the faith” means in Titus 1:1 as well. The body of truth that was given to Paul existed in the mind of God before the world began, and Paul was made an apostle according to it. That is, he was made an apostle to reveal that faith and preach it, and make known that body of truth. Paul calls it “the faith which should afterwards be revealed” (Gal. 3:23) because while it existed in the mind of God before the world began, he says that God “manifested His word through preaching, which is committed unto me” (Tit. 1:3). It is the message of God’s grace, and it is the reason Paul wrote that he had “received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations” (Rom. 1:5).
Have you been obedient to the faith, and “obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you” through Paul (Rom. 6:17)? Paul says that God will impute His very own righteousness to us “if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
“Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:24,25).
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
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.
Paul’s Bundle of Joy – Philemon 7-9
Summary:
Philemon brought Paul “great joy” (v. 7) by refreshing the bowels of the saints. The Bible uses “bowels” literally (Job 20:14) and figuratively (Lev. 26:16). New Bible versions translate “bowels” as “heart,” for we would say that our heart yearns for someone, not our bowels. The Bible uses “heart” that way too, but it uses “bowels” to express the strongest innermost feelings (Gen. 43:30; I Ki. 3:26; Phil.1:8)
Paul is using it both ways here. We know Philemon was wealthy, for the word translated “lodging” in v. 22 is translated “hired house” in Acts 28:30. His use of “a” instead of “the” (v. 22) suggests he had more than one guest house, and he had servants. I think Philemon refreshed the bowels of the saints physically be feeding them (cf. Ezek. 3:3) after the earthquake in Colosse which probably left many poor. That “refreshed” their spirits (cf. I Cor. 16:17) which brought Paul great joy as he saw God’s grace work in Philemon’s heart.
It also brought him “consolation,” a word that means comfort in distress (cf. II Cor. 1:6, 7). Paul was suffering to hear of their suffering (cf. I Cor. 12:26), and it consoled him to hear of Philemon’s relief efforts. Paul is telling him how his kindness consoled him because he’s about to ask him to be kind to his runaway slave (Phile. 1:8-10).
He begins by telling him he could have “enjoined” him to be kind. Enjoin means to order or command, but when the new Bible versions translate it that way, they lose something. It means to command with authority, as it does every time it is used in Scripture (cf. Esther 9:29-31; Job 36:22,23; Heb. 9:19-22). Paul was saying he could have ordered Philemon to be merciful to Onesimus with apostolic authority.
But doesn’t Paul say the Word of God should be the authority in our lives, not men (II Cor. 1:24)? That’s true now that the Bible is complete (Tit. 2:15), but before it was complete Paul had apostolic “authority” (II Cor. 18:8,9).
Paul could have enjoined him to do “that which is “convenient,” a word that means fitting or appropriate (Rom. 1:27,28). Homosexuality is never appropriate, but mercy is, and Paul asked Philemon to be merciful to his slave “for love’s sake.” “Sake” means reason or cause. If you can’t think of a reason to be kind to someone, do it “for mercies’ sake” (Ps. 44:26). The psalmist knew they didn’t deserve redemption, so asked for it for mercy’s sake. Paul explains how God could be merciful when he revealed Christ died for us. Then God asks us to be merciful to others (Eph. 4:32). They don’t deserve it, but neither did we!
Paul told Philemon to forgive his servant “for love’s sake,” because he loved Paul. That illustrates how we don’t forgive people because we love them but because we love Him. We give to Him financially to prove our love to Him (II Cor. 8:8, 24), but we can prove it by obeying Him in other ways as well (cf. Eph. 6:24)—like forgiving others.
Paul could have enjoined him, but chose “rather” to “beseech” him. Beseech means beg—the opposite of enjoining. “Rather” is a good grace word. The New Testament is “rather” glorious than the Old (II Cor. 3:6-8) because the Jews obeyed God because they feared Him, we obey because we love Him. It is also rather glorious because under the Law God commanded, under grace He beseeches.
It glorified God when the Lord was here healing people (Mt. 9:8; 15:31; Mark 2:12; Luke 5:25, 26; 7:15; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43 cf. Acts 4:21), but it rather glorifies Him when we’d “rather” be sick than healed if His strength is made perfect in our weakness (II Cor. 12:8,9). That proves your love for God more than receiving healing.
We know there are other ways to prove your love for God, for there are other things God beseeches us to do (Rom. 12:1; Eph. 4:1).
I’ve been saying Philemon should forgive his servant to prove his love for God, but Paul says he should do it because he is “Paul the aged.” That sounds like he should do it because of his love for Paul. But his love for Paul is a picture of his love for God. This epistle doesn’t teach grace doctrines, it illustrates them.
Replacing Malchus’ Ear
An Apostle In Hope of Eternal Life
“Paul…an apostle of Jesus Christ…in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:1,2).
If you’re a Gentile, you should be eternally grateful that Paul, “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13), was made an apostle “in hope of eternal life.” You see, before Paul came along, we Gentiles had “no hope” of eternal life (Eph. 2;11,12)! But Paul was made an apostle to give us that hope.
The word “hope” means to expect or anticipate something that may or may not happen, depending on something else. Paul hoped to send Timothy to the Philippians, but it depended on how things would go for him (Phil. 2:19-23). But he told a Gentile named Titus that the hope of our eternal life depends on the promise of God—the God who “cannot lie.” If you think hope like that is pretty secure, say amen!
Of course, if you do think that’s a pretty secure hope, it is probably because you’ve studied the Bible all your life, so you know you can trust the God of the Bible to keep His promises. But Titus was the leader of the churches in Crete (Tit. 1:5), an island off the coast of Greece. So instead of studying the God of the Bible all their lives, the Cretians studied the gods of the Greeks. And if you want to talk about a bunch of lowdown, no good, lying scoundrels, just spend some time studying the gods of Greek mythology!
This is why in writing to the leader of the churches in Crete the apostle Paul spoke of God as the God who cannot lie. Surely Titus needed no such assurance, but Paul knew he would share his epistle with his congregations. They needed to know that this God that was offering them the hope of eternal life was not a liar like the gods they knew all too well from their past.
If you’re not saved, and you are wondering how to obtain the eternal life that God promised us Gentiles, Paul told Timothy that he was made an apostle “according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 1:1). Eternal life is found in Christ! And when Paul also wrote that “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ” (Romans 6:23), we know that God wants to give you eternal life as a free gift. And the only way to receive this gift is by believing. Speaking of God’s promise of eternal life, Paul says “that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:22).
Believe what? Believe the gospel! What gospel? The gospel that could save even the sinful Corinthians! Writing to them, Paul said,
“…I declare unto you the gospel…which also ye have received…by which also ye are saved…Christ died for our sins…and…was buried, and…rose again” (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
Now you know what to believe when Paul says,
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).
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.
Cursing a Fig Tree
A Killer Who Found Hope
The story is told of an innocent man who was accused of killing someone, and was on trial for murder. The man was innocent, but the case against him was strong, and his brother was afraid he’d be convicted. So he decided to bribe a seemingly slow-witted man serving on the jury, offering him $10,000 to convince the other jurors that his brother was guilty of manslaughter instead of murder. Well, it worked, and as he paid the slow-witted man the money, he asked him if it had been difficult to convince the other jurors. “It sure was,” he replied, “they all thought he was innocent and wanted to let him go!”
As you may know, the Epistle of Titus was written by a killer named Saul of Tarsus, who not only got saved and quit killing people, he became a servant of God and an apostle of Christ:
“Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness” (Titus 1:1).
The first thing we notice about this reformed killer is that after he got saved he preferred to be called Paul. Now, most killers who change their name do it so they can escape their past and blend in with society. Back in 1988, a man in England was convicted of killing two young girls and incarcerated. When they finally released him in 2017, he changed his name. Of course, his name was Vile Pitchfork, and that’s not an easy name to forget—making it hard to blend in with society!
But Saul didn’t change his name to try to escape his past. He couldn’t have done so if he had tried. You see, he was the most notorious persecutor of the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ of his day! But if he wasn’t trying to hide from his past, why did he start going by a new name?
Well, “Saul” was a Jewish name. He was named after Israel’s first king. But when he got saved, the Lord told him, “I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21). So Saul began to go by his Gentile name (Acts 13:9) to reflect how God had sent him to the Gentiles.
You know, it wouldn’t hurt all of us to examine ourselves to see if everything in our lives reflects the fact that we have been sent by Christ—not to be His apostles, but to be His ambassadors (II Cor. 5:20). There’s probably no reason to change your name now that you’re saved, but some changes in your conduct might be in order if an examination of your life shows that you could be a little more godly, a little more kind, or a little more patient with others. Things like that will always reflect well on the One who saved us by His blood, and then sent us forth to represent Him.
Is this something you should pray about? If so, there’s no time like the present to talk to God about your desire to represent the Lord in a way that will bring more honor to 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 is now available on Alexa devices. Full instructions here.
