Yearly Archives: 2021

God’s Contract With Abraham – Galatians 3:15-18

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

Summary:

The word “covenant” (3:15) is the Bible word for a contract. When Paul said he was speaking “after the manner of men,” that means he was comparing the covenant God made with Abraham that he’d been talking about (3:7-14) with the contracts men make with each other. Paul makes comparisons like that because of the infirmity of our flesh (cf.Rom.6:19), our infirmity being that we need comparisons like that to better understand Bible truth. Preachers call them sermon illustrations, and they are not only Biblical, they’re Pauline!

Paul begins the comparison by reminding us that contracts have to be confirmed. This is done among men either verbally, with a promise to keep your word, or with a written contract that is confirmed when both parties sign it. Paul reminds us that once a covenant is confirmed, no man can disannul it. Disannulling a contract means to make it null and void, and that’s something you can’t do unless both parties agree to it. And you can’t add to a contract either!

So let’s talk about what the Abrahamic covenant was, and how it was confirmed. On God’s part, He promised to make Abraham’s seed a great nation (Gen.12:2,3) and give them “all the land” of Israel (13:15,16). But for Abraham and the seed of his great nation to possess the land forever, they would have to live forever, so God was promising them that too—all in exchange for nothing but Abraham’s faith in God’s promise to give those things to him and his seed.

Abraham confirmed the covenant when he believed. But how did God confirm it on His part? He swore an oath that He would keep His promise, because He knew that that’s what men expected from each other (Heb.6:13-17). And to get to Paul’s point here in Galatians 3, once both parties confirmed the covenant, it couldn’t be disannulled. That wouldn’t happen, for God wouldn’t break His word, and Abraham would never relinquish eternal life, of course.

But to get to Paul’s other point in this passage, once the covenant was confirmed, God couldn’t add the law to it either. He would never tell Abraham’s seed, “Now you have to keep the law to be saved in addition to just believing Me.”

Next, in verse 17, Paul has to clarify who Abraham’s seed is, for the legalizers thought God promised them eternal life just for being his physical seed. Paul addresses that error by pointing out that Abraham’s ultimate seed was the Lord Jesus Christ. God raised Him from the dead and gave Him eternal life so He could live in the land forever (v.17cf.Acts 2:29-32). That’s a legitimate argument, since “seed” can be singular or plural, like “deer” and “moose” (cf.Deut.22:9).

But the legalists would argue that Genesis 17:7,8 proves God made those promises to the “generations” of Abraham’s seed—and He did! But not his physical generations, his spiritual generations, his believing seed, like the seed that will serve Christ in the kingdom. Psalm 22:28-30 says God will count that seed “for a generation,” and since Christ was a son of Abraham, that’s also the seed Paul is saying God made the covenant with. They are the righteous seed that will live forever in the land in the kingdom (Ps.37:28,29).

This is the same point the Lord had to make to the Pharisees (Jo.8:33-40). Later in Galatians 3, Paul will explain how Gentiles like the Galatians who have Abraham’s faith are also included in God’s promise of eternal life (Gal.3:29).

Galatians 3:17 also tells us it was “God in Christ” who confirmed the covenant with Abraham, i.e., God the Son. If God added the law to that contract, it would nullify it (Rom 4:13,14). And if He nullified the Abrahamic Covenant, that would have made Him a covenant-breaker. And that makes Him a sinner (cf. Rom.1:29). It makes Him a sinner equal with the antichrist, who will confirm the Abrahamic Covenant with Israel, probably by swearing an oath to uphold it (Gen.12:3), and then break it (Dan.9:27).

A video of the sermon is available on YouTube: God’s Contract With Abraham – Galatians 3:15-18

What does “My goodness extendeth not to Thee” mean in Psalms 16:2?

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

“I need your help to understand what the words ‘my goodness
extendeth not to Thee’ mean in Psalm 16:2.”

 

We know that this is a messianic psalm, for Psalm 16:10 speaks of Christ’s resurrection (cf. Acts 2:27-31). The Lord’s “goodness” was His righteousness (cf. Psa. 145:7). The word “extendeth” means to give or impart, as when God promises to extend peace to Jerusalem (Isa. 66:10-12). David is prophetically quoting something the Lord Jesus would say when He was here on the earth “unto the LORD” (His Father). He predicts that the Lord would pray and say that His righteousness wasn’t something that He needed to give or impart to His Father, for He had His own righteousness. The next verse goes on to say that His righteousness extended “to the saints that are in the earth” instead. They needed the righteousness that only the Lord could give them. Verse 3 calls them “the excellent” because once the Lord imparted righteousness to them, it could be said of them that “the righteous is more excellent than his neighbor” (Prov. 12:26). The Lord says of the saints in Jerusalem, “in whom is My delight” (v. 3) because once the Lord makes them righteous, He can say of Jerusalem, “the LORD delighteth in thee” (Isa. 62:4).
—Pastor Ricky Kurth

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

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

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

The Comparison of Abraham – Galatians 3:6-14

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

 

Summary:

Paul just finished reminding the Galatians that they’d received the gifts of the Spirit by faith without having to keep the law (v.5), gifts that proved they were saved. This happened “even as Abraham” received salvation by faith without the law (v.6) the moment he believed (Gen.15:5,6).

The legalists were citing Moses to insist they keep the law, as they did in Acts 15:1,5, so Paul cites a source legalists revered more Abraham! They would object that a Jew’s salvation could have no bearing on the salvation of Gentiles like the Galatians, so Paul adds in Galatians 3:7 that any man who shared Abraham’s faith was his child (Rom.4:9-13).

Galatians 3:8 says the Scriptures foresaw this. But books can’t foresee things, only men can (Pr.22:3). But God often identifies Himself with His Book (Ex.9:13,16 cf. Rom. 9:17). So Galatians 3:8 is saying God knew He’d justify Gentiles “through” faith without works, just as He justified Jews “by” faith plus works (Rom.3:30). God foreknew that, but He didn’t foretell it in the Scriptures because it was part of the mystery revealed to Paul (Col.1:26,27).

But to prepare for it, God preached the gospel to Abraham, saying the world would be blessed in him (v.8cf.Gen.18:18). But how? There were two answers one the Scriptures fore-told, and one they didn’t. They foretold the nations would be blessed in a son of Abraham (Ps.72:17) in Christ, the ultimate son of Abraham, in the kingdom (72:8,9,11,14,17, 18). But if the nations want Abraham’s blessing of salvation in the kingdom, they’ll have to keep the law (Isa.56:3-7). But according to the mystery, Gentiles are saved without the law, as Paul is pointing out here. The word “faithful” in Galatians 3:9 means full of faith, not full of faith and the law.

The law curses men (3:10) because they can’t keep it perfectly (James 2:10,11). Paul is quoting a verse (Deut. 27:26) where the law itself curses men if they can’t keep much more than just the ten commandments (15-26). They had to continue to keep all 613 commands in the law (Gal.3: 10) or be cursed, i.e., all your life without ever breaking one!

But God doesn’t curse men just so they walk around feeling cursed. He curses men to get them to see they need a Savior! But after the Savior saves you, the law doesn’t stop cursing you. So if you put yourself under the law, you’re going to feel cursed by the law instead of blessed with Abraham.

To prove his point, Paul quotes another verse (Ps.143:2cf. Gal.3:11), then quotes Habakkuk 2:4 to prove that even under the law men could “live” by faith alone. We know “live” means live eternally because in quoting it Paul doesn’t say, “We’re not justified by the law, we’re justified by faith.” He says, “We’re not justified by the law, we live by faith.”

“The law is not of faith” (Gal.3:12) because if you could keep it well enough to be saved, you wouldn’t need faith. But when Paul tries to prove his point by quoting Leviticus 18:5, that verse makes it sound like men could be saved by keeping the works of the law, and so do Nehemiah 9:29 and Ezekiel 20:11,13. Even the Lord sounded like He thought that too (Lu.18: 25-28) even Paul sounded that way (Rom. 2:6,7). But those verses are just saying God is fair. If any man can earn eternal life by never breaking the law, God will give him what he earned! But there are no takers to that offer.

And because there are no takers, all of us need the cross Paul mentions in Galatians 3:13. Christ redeemed us on the “tree” (cf.IPe.2:24) by being made a curse for us, by being made the thing that the law curses sin (IICor.5:21). God did that, “that the blessing of Abraham might come on us” (Gal. 3:14), i.e., the blessing of eternal life. Not through Israel or the law, as Gentiles were saved in the Old Testament, but “through Jesus Christ.” We also get the Spirit God promised Israel as well. What an unfathomable spiritual deal!

A video of the sermon is available on YouTube: The Comparison of Abraham – Galatians 3:6-14

Did Paul Have the Option to Live or Die?

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

“How did Paul have the option to live or die in Philippians 1:22?”

Paul wasn’t thinking of taking his life, for that would have violated the commandment “thou shalt not kill.” God purposely left that commandment open-ended to include suicide. That is, He didn’t say, “Thou shalt not kill others,” because He wanted us to know that taking your own life is one of the forms of killing He meant to prohibit.

But Paul was a master logician and tactician, and could easily have gotten himself executed in prison by saying the wrong thing to the king. He couldn’t keep himself alive forever, of course. Tradition says that he was eventually put to death. But he could definitely have brought himself under the executioner’s axe more immediately by pushing the king’s buttons.

In your follow-up question, you ask if this wouldn’t be akin to what’s known as “suicide by cop,” but the two do not equate. In suicide by cop, a man decides to end his life by committing a crime in order to draw fire from the police. Paul was tempted to present the truth to the king in a way that would elicit a death sentence.

We might compare how God wanted Moses to be a prophet, so He responded to his every objection with patience and longsuffering. But God didn’t want Pharaoh to let Israel go, so He instructed Moses to answer his objections in ways that were an affront to his pride, something that angered him and resulted in his death. We know there is nothing sinful about this approach, for it was God Himself who implemented it. And Paul wasn’t contemplating anything sinful when he considered mimicking how the Lord handled Pharaoh.

Like you, I used to wonder why it wouldn’t be okay for a terminally ill person to choose suicide. But an unsaved person would be denying himself the opportunity to live long enough to get saved, and a saved person would be denying himself the opportunity to share the gospel with someone he might meet the very next day. In this case and in all
others, God is more concerned with eternal matters than He is with temporal matters, no matter how difficult the temporal matter is.

And Paul reflected this same eternal outlook in making the choice that he made to remain alive (Phil. 1:24,25). He chose to live for the spiritual benefit of others rather than end his life to alleviate the physical suffering and mental weariness that decades of hardship had wrought on his “weak” frame (2 Cor. 10:10).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

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

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

There’s No Fool Like a Grace Fool – Galatians 3:1-5

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

Summary:

The law used to be God’s truth, but now it is grace, so to go back to the law as the Galatians had done is to disobey the truth (3:1). But grace is more than just a gospel to believe to be saved. It is an entire program that tells us how to live now that we’re saved, found in Paul’s epistles, that we’re to stand in (Rom.5:1,2). They had fallen for the law instead.

The law was the gospel the Jews had to believe to be saved, but it was also an entire program to tell them how to live once they were saved, one that said God would bless them with material blessings if they obeyed Him (Lev.26; Deut.28). That’s 180 degrees opposite of grace, that says God has al-ready blessed us with spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph.1:3) and then asks us to walk worthy of Him (Col.1:10). God is not blessing His people materially today, so falling for the law will make you think God doesn’t keep His promises.

The Galatians fell for the law because someone “bewitched” them (3:1). Simon bewitched people by giving out that he was some great one (Acts 8:9,11), and some allegedly great one had no doubt bewitched the Galatians the same way.

Paul was crucified with Christ (Gal.2:20) by being identified with Him in His death (Rom.6:3,4), and that’s how He’d been evidently set forth crucified among the Galatians too (3:1). But evidence is proof (cf.Jer.32:11), so where’s the proof that was “set forth” before the “eyes” of the Galatians that they’d been crucified with Christ? Well, Galatians 3:5 says God ministered the Spirit to them (cf.IThes.4:8) and worked miracles among them by the Spirit (cf.ICor.12:7-10). That’s what gave them visual evidence they’d been saved and crucified with Christ, just as it was “manifest” that the Corinthians had the Spirit (ICor.12:7-10).

Paul asked those Gentile Galatians if they received the Spirit after doing the works of the law awhile, or right away after they heard the gospel and put their faith in Christ (3:2), knowing they’d have to admit that they’d received the Spirit and His gifts right away, like the Gentiles in Acts 10:44.

Paul calls the law “the flesh” (3:3) because the law is heresy under grace, and heresy is a work of the flesh (Gal.5:19-21), our religious flesh. Going back to the law satisfies a believer’s religious flesh, but it’s a “voluntary humility” that God didn’t ask for (Col.2:18,20-23) and rejects.

The legalists told the Galatians the law would “perfect” their faith (3:3), but Paul says preaching Christ does (Col.1:27, 28). But not like the 12 preached him! They preached the law! Only preaching Christ according to the mystery perfects us (Rom.16:25); according to grace, not law (Rom.6:15)!

The Galatians immediately began to be persecuted when they started preaching grace (cf.Gal.5:11), and Paul reminds them if they go back to the law, they’ll have suffered that in vain (3:4)—“if it be yet in vain.” That is, if it wasn’t too late; and it wasn’t! If it were, he wouldn’t bother to write them.

The Corinthians prove men didn’t receive the Spirit and His gifts in those days by the law (Gal.3:5), for they were carnally living in sin, not living by the law, yet they came behind in no spiritual gift (ICor.1:7).

The other way Simon bewitched those people was by sorceries (Acts 8:9-11). Satan used sorceries to bewitch people back then because he always imitates what God does, and God was working miracles then. But today, God is teaching doctrines, so Satan has men teaching “doctrines of devils” (ITim.4:1)—like commanding to abstain from certain meats (v.3). That’s the law! Today, the law is a doctrine of devils. Just as God’s serpent (Num.21:6-8) became Satan’s serpent (II Kings 18:4) once God stopped using it to save people, so God’s law became Satan’s once God stopped using it to save people eternally. See how important rightly dividing is?

A video of the sermon is available on YouTube: There’s No Fool Like a Grace Fool – Galatians 3:1-5

Our Light, Momentary Afflictions

Posted on by Pastor Kevin Sadler

Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) wrote, “Christians can rejoice even in the deepest distress; although trouble may surround them, they still sing; and, like many birds, they sing best in their cages. The waves may roll over them, but their souls soon rise to the surface and see the light of God’s countenance; they have a buoyancy about them which keeps their head always above the water, and helps them to sing amid the tempest, ‘God is with me still.’”1

A Glorious Treasure

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Cor. 4:7).

In the context, the “treasure” of verse 7 refers to “the glorious gospel of Christ” of verse 4, and “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” of verse 6. In God’s eyes, the gospel of the grace of God is a glorious treasure. It is of infinite value. And we are to view it the same way as God does. Through this treasure we have the forgiveness of all our sins, the gift of righteousness, and eternal life. By this treasure, we are rich in Christ (2 Cor. 8:9). And God wants us to spread the wealth!

This treasure has been committed to us, who are “earthen vessels,” that it be made known to this world. God has poured the treasure of His gospel of grace into us who have trusted Christ as Savior so that we might, through God’s strength, pour it out to others.

An “earthen vessel” is an earthenware jar, a common clay pot. These are weak, fragile, brittle containers. This picture depicts humanity and is meant to remind us of our weakness. Paul saw himself for what he truly was: a fragile man of clay who had been entrusted with a glorious treasure to make known by the power of God.

It’s good to have a proper perspective on ourselves and our service. Written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, God reminds us here how we are weak, earthen vessels, who need Him, and that it is only by Him working through us that we are empowered to carry out the gospel ministry for His glory. It is God’s life and power working through us that produces any and all positive results in the Lord’s work. The victory is entirely the Lord’s in every way, and He deserves the praise.

God has entrusted His message to earthen vessels, so that the “excellency,” the surpassing greatness, “of the power may be of God, and not of us.” God uses us, who are common, fragile vessels, to make His message known so there is no mistaking the source of the power of the gospel: God, and not us and our strength.

Oswald Chambers put it well: “God can achieve His purpose either through the absence of human power and resources, or abandonment of reliance on them. All through history God has chosen and used nobodies, because their unusual dependence on Him made possible the unique display of His power and grace.”2

The Faithful God

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9).

Bible commentator William Barclay paraphrased these two verses this way: “We are sore pressed at every point, but not hemmed in….We are at our wit’s end, but never at our hope’s end…. We are persecuted by men, but never abandoned by God….We are knocked down, but not knocked out.”3

Paul’s first-hand assessment shows the trials of his ministry, but it also shows God’s presence, power, guidance, and mercy in Paul’s life. The demands of ministry had brought Paul into difficult circumstances, but God was faithful and His power was exhibited through this earthen vessel.

Paul wrote that he was “troubled on every side” or surrounded by trouble and being pressed hard by it. The Greek word translated “distressed” means hemmed in or pressed for room, and Paul says he was not “distressed” or completely cornered. God didn’t allow trouble to crush Paul or break him.

Paul wrote he was “perplexed,” or in doubt, at a loss, not knowing which way to turn. However, Paul says he was “not in despair,” or never despondent or utterly at a loss, because the Lord helped and guided him and showed him the way.

Paul wrote that he was “persecuted” or pursued, put to flight, and mistreated by enemies of the gospel. However, Paul states that he wasn’t “forsaken.” He was never deserted or abandoned, because God was always there. Like Charles Spurgeon said, Paul could know in all his trials, “God is with me still.”

Paul wrote that he was “cast down,” or he was physically struck to the ground in his persecution. However, Paul says he was not “destroyed,” or he didn’t stay down; he got back up by the power of God, and continued to serve the Lord.

Life and Death

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you” (2 Cor. 4:10-12).

“A man goes to the doctor and says, ‘Doctor, wherever I touch, it hurts.’ The doctor asks, ‘What do you mean?’ The man says, ‘When I touch my shoulder, it really hurts. When I touch my knee—OUCH! When I touch my forehead, it really, really hurts.’ The doctor says, ‘I know what’s wrong with you. You’ve broken your finger!’”4 Everywhere Paul touched on his body, it probably hurt. Later in this letter, Paul detailed the stripes, beatings, imprisonments, hardships, and stoning that he sustained (2 Cor. 11:23-27).

Paul puts it here in verse 10 of chapter 4 that he was “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus.” Paul was “bearing” the marks of battle that he fought for Christ. He bore real, physical marks and scars on his body from his sufferings for Christ. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul told them, “…I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal. 6:17).

It’s been said well that “We need men of the cross, with the message of the cross, bearing the marks of the cross.”5 This was Paul’s testimony. But Paul points out that the outward marks on his body were a proof of Christ’s life within him. Through Paul’s weakness, Christ’s resurrection life was “manifest” and put on display. Christ’s life was made apparent and clear to others through what Paul endured for his Savior in making the gospel known.

Paul further wrote, “For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:11a). Paul was continuously exposed to death in the cause of Christ, which in truth was the result of attacks against the Lord Jesus. Paul assumed these risks so that others would know of Christ’s life and the “treasure” of the gospel within him.

And in verse 12 Paul points out the blessed fruit of his sufferings in making the gospel known: “So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” As a result of dying to self and being exposed to physical death as he spread the gospel, Paul reminded the Corinthians that they have life, life eternal in Christ.

A Confident Faith

“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you” (2 Cor. 4:13-14).

In this passage, Paul quoted Psalms 116:10: “I believed, therefore have I spoken….”  he remainder of this verse in Psalms reads, “I was greatly afflicted.” Paul and the Psalmist had something in common: they were both afflicted in their lives. But Paul felt as the Psalmist did, by stating that they had “the same spirit of faith…we also believe, and therefore speak.” In spite of his affliction, Paul believed, and therefore he spoke “the glorious gospel of Christ.”

As a result of what Paul believed with conviction, he spoke for Christ, even in the face of those who would persecute him, strike him to the ground, or try to kill him. Because of what he knew to be true, Paul refused to allow his sufferings to keep him from telling others the truth.

The basis for his confidence and boldness was “knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus.” Paul knew he could submit himself to the danger of death because of Christ’s resurrection, knowing he had hope of his own resurrection “by Jesus.” This gave Paul boldness to take the gospel to the world in spite of persecution.

Paul told these Corinthians in his first letter to them that “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (1 Cor. 15:14). But Christ is risen from the dead, thus our faith is true, and our preaching is not vain or fruitless. The fact that Christ lives caused Paul always to press forward in his ministry in spite of difficulties and afflictions. He knew that none of his labors were ever in vain, and what he did for Christ had meaning and would echo into eternity

Abundant Grace

“For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:15,16).

The “all things” Paul refers to are all the afflictions he endured in his ministry, and he states they were “for your sakes,” or for their benefit, that they might be saved and grow in the truth.

Paul had come to realize that the more he suffered in order to make the gospel known, the more the abundant grace of God was made available to others. The more people who were saved, the more thanksgiving would be given to God. And the more thanksgiving that was given to God, the more it redounded to His glory. Paul desired that “many” be reached for Christ so that many more might lift up their thanksgiving to God for His grace. He wanted thanksgiving to God to overflow as the result of many being saved and thanking God for it.

Paul earnestly then wrote, “For which cause we faint not” (v. 16). The “cause” Paul referred to was the cause of preaching Christ and reaching souls for Him for the glory of God. The word “faint” here means to lose heart, to be discouraged, to give up. In spite of the hardships, Paul was not discouraged and he refused to give up. His desire was strong for many to be saved by God’s abundant grace.

And Paul states that he was not giving up even if his outward man, his frail, earthen vessel, was wearing down steadily as the result of aging and his many sufferings. He was not discouraged by this because his inward man was at the same time spiritually renewed day by day. Thus, he remained encouraged, invigorated, and motivated to continue on in his ministry.

The perishing and wearing down of our outward man happens to all of us whether we like it or not. Our bodies are getting older and wearing down steadily, but we too can be spiritually renewed day by day in the inward man by growing in the Word, praying, and living by faith, allowing us to remain motivated to serve the Lord and get His truth out to others.

Unseen Eternal Things

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17,18).

Paul looked at his afflictions through the eye of faith and with an eternal perspective. He
looked beyond his adversities to glory, which sustained him in and through them. As the late President of Moody Bible Institute Dr. James M. Gray (1851-1935) put it in song, “Who can mind the journey when the road leads home?”6

In light of eternity, Paul saw his afflictions as “light” and momentary. While we usually look at our troubles from an earthly perspective as working against us, Paul teaches that from an eternal perspective, they are actually working “for us.”

Think ahead one million years into eternity and look at our trials from heaven’s point of view. From that vantage point, if you were to look back at the seemingly endless trials of this life, they would seem as brief as a moment. Yet, these momentary afflictions work for us an eternal weight of glory

Again, looking at our trials from heaven’s point of view, thinking ahead one million years into eternity, and then looking back at the afflictions in this life which seemed too heavy to bear, they will seem light as a feather. Yet these light afflictions, work for us a far more exceeding weight of glory.

We will be rewarded for our service to the Lord one day. There are eternal ramifications for how we allow the Lord to use our lives now. If we live for the Lord and make His truth known, we will be given eternal glory by Christ at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). And the weight of glory will be commensurate with the extent we serve and sacrifice for Him.

Paul stated in verse 18 of chapter 4 that he looked “not at the things which are seen.” The word “look” in the original Greek means to consider or contemplate. Paul was not fixing his attention or contemplating the things which are seen in his life and ministry, “for the things which are seen are temporal.” Rather, his ability to endure his afflictions and persevere was the result of keeping his attention fixed on things not seen, for these “things which are not seen are eternal.”

We gain a proper perspective on life as we keep our focus on the eternal and the eternal consequences of our lives and service for Christ. The things which are seen are all passing away and temporal. God would have us focus on the things that no human eye has seen because they are the things of eternal value.

“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” (1 Pet. 1:8).

Most of all, as we look by faith at things “not seen,” we look at Christ our Savior, Whom we have not seen—yet. Looking to Him by faith, we “rejoice with joy unspeakable” because of all He has done for us. We look to Him for the strength, guidance, and
comfort we need in life. And we look for Him to come at any moment to catch us away to heaven at the Rapture.

“For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

 

 

1. “Charles Haddon Spurgeon:: Morning and Evening, July 2nd–Morning Reading, ”Blue Letter Bible, accessed September 4, 2021, https://www.bluelettebible.org/devotionals/me/view.cfm?Date=07/02&Time=both&body=1
2. Grace Quotes, accessed September 5, 2021,
https://gracequotes.org/quote/god-can-achieve-his-purpose-eitherthrough-the-absence-of-human-powerand-resources-or-abandonment-of-reliance-on-them-all-through-history-godhas-chosen-and-used-nobodies-becausetheir-unusual-dep/
3. “William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible,” Tribulation and Triumph (2 Cor. 4:7-15), Bible Verses, accessed September 5, 2021,
https://www.primobibleverses.com/commentary/search/william-barclay/47/4/8.
4. Adapted from “Orthopedics,” Medinia, updated September 3, 2001,
https://www.medindia.net/jokes/viewjokes.asp?hid=31
5. Vance Havner, AZ Quotes, accessed September 6, 2021,
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/1137183
6. Wiersbe, Warren W., The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament Volume 1 (Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries, 2001), p. 350.

You can receive More Minutes With the Bible every week in your email inbox. This list features longer articles, including both original content and articles that have appeared in the Berean Searchlight.

Berean Searchlight – October 2021

Posted on by kevin
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Man to Man

Posted on by Pastor Kevin Sadler

“The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain” (2 Tim. 1:16).

In a verse preceding this one, Paul challenged Timothy to “be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner…” (v. 8). Following this challenge, Paul pointed out those in Asia Minor who were ashamed of Paul, the Lord’s prisoner: “This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes” (v. 15). After reminding Timothy of this dark picture of unfaithfulness, Paul brought forward a shining example of loyalty and an exception to those in Asia: Onesiphorus, a man who “was not ashamed” of Paul or his chain.

Onesiphorus is an important role model for the Church. Many are ashamed of Paul today. They do not want to associate with him or the message that Christ committed to him. Some choose to follow the prevailing doctrine of their denomination and follow Peter instead of Paul. However, Onesiphorus is an encouragement for us to follow his example of courage and resolve to stand with the Apostle Paul. This is God’s will.

“But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and
found me” (2 Tim. 1:17).

Onesiphorus made it his business to find Paul in Rome. Believers were being falsely accused, tried, and tortured to death in Rome at that time but, without thinking of himself, and not being ashamed of Paul, Onesiphorus risked his life, diligently looking high and low in one prison-barracks after another until he found Paul.

Those in Asia who turned from Paul exemplified the qualities that Paul warned Timothy against: fear and shame. In contrast, Onesiphorus demonstrated the characteristics that Paul commended to Timothy and the Body of Christ: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (v. 7).

“The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that
day…” (2 Tim. 1:18).

Paul, as a prisoner on death row, was not able to repay his friend for all his gracious help. But the Lord could. And because of the mercy Onesiphorus had shown him, Paul requested that the Lord show Onesiphorus mercy and reward him “in that day,” the day of the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). Onesiphorus is a reminder that, in that day, one will be duly rewarded for faithfulness and an unashamed stand for the message of grace that Christ committed to the Apostle Paul.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

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

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

Justified and Go Seek – Galatians 2:17-21

Posted on by Pastor Ricky Kurth

Summary:

We are “now” justified (Rom.5:1,9). The word “seek” (Gal.2:17) sometimes means to look to something (Amos 5:5,6). All Jews knew where Gilgal was, but it was filled with idols. So God told the Jews not to look to Gilgal to save them from being taken captive by the Assyrians, for Gilgal herself would be taken captive. And Paul was telling Peter they both looked to Christ to be justified, not the law (2:16).

Paul says “God forbid” to the idea that looking to Christ for justification made Him a sinner. He rather says, “I make my-self a transgressor” when I sin (2:17)—specifically if he sinned the sin Peter sinned, rebuilding “the middle wall of partition” between Jews and Gentiles (Eph.2:11-14) that Peter re-built when he stopped eating with Gentiles. Paul’s ministry of grace destroyed the law, the Lord didn’t (Mt.5:17).

So why does Paul say the Lord did (Eph.2:13-15)? Well, that was how the wall was destroyed, not when. Christ’s work on the cross didn’t go into effect until Paul’s ministry, just as November elections don’t go into effect until January. Paul’s telling the Galatians about all this because they too had gone back to the law. They thought the law would make them more holy, but Paul says it makes a man a transgressor!

Romans 7:4 says we are “dead to the law,” and here we learn we are dead to the law “through the law.” Paul calls the law a “ministration of death” (IICor.3:7) because it says sinners must die because they can’t keep the law perfectly (James 2:10,11). But Paul says we died with Christ (Rom.6:3,4).

Of course, once a criminal is executed, the law that condemned him to death can’t condemn him any more. And the law of Moses can’t condemn us any more now that we died with Christ. So now we can “live unto God” (Gal.2:19). The Galatians thought the law would help them live to God, but God gave the law to make sin worse (Rom.7:13), to strengthen sin (ICor.15:56), so unsaved men would know they need a Savior. It wasn’t made for righteous believers (ITim.1:9).

So how are we supposed to “live unto God” (Gal.2:19)? The answer is: under grace, knowing that Christ died for us makes us want to stop living sinfully for ourselves and live unto Him (IICor.5:15). But the Galatians seemed to have forgotten that, so Paul reminds them in Galatians 2:20.

Of course, the only way a crucified man can say “I live” (2:20) is if he rises from the dead—and we were raised with Christ (Eph.2: 4,5). When Paul adds, “yet not I, but Christ liveth in me,” he’s not saying it’s no longer him living, he’s saying it’s both.

This is similar to what happens when a woman becomes “one flesh” with her husband (Gen.2:24). They become one life. In speaking of Adam and Eve, God called “their” name Adam (5:2) because she lost her identity in her husband. She still had her own identity, but now she also had Adam’s. And we still have our old life, but we also have Christ’s.

That’s why Paul says we are “dead to the law…that we should be married to…Him…that we should bring forth fruit unto God” (Rom.7:4). We couldn’t bring God “fruit unto holiness” (6:22) when we were married to the law, but we can now!

But we need the Lord’s help. That’s why Paul says he lived his new life by the faith “of” Christ (Gal.2:20), i.e., His faith-fulness to intercede for us (Rom.8:33,34). Without that, the law could lay plenty of sins to our charge and condemn us!

Clamoring for the law like the Galatians did frustrated God’s grace (Gal.2:21). The word “frustrate” means to defeat (cf. Ezra 4:1,5). Grace can help you live unto God, but the law will defeat God’s grace in that endeavor, because no law can make men righteous (2:21cf.3:21).

A video of the sermon is available on YouTube: Justified and Go Seek – Galatians 2:17-21

Suggestions for Helping You to Forgive

Posted on by Pastor Ken Lawson

1. Make sure that you understand and believe the gospel of grace (Rom. 3:19-28). Without the indwelling Holy Spirit and the love He sheds abroad in our hearts, you will not be able to forgive in a way which is acceptable to God (Rom. 5:5).

2. Recognize that an unforgiving attitude is emanating from the flesh and is sinful (1 Thes. 5:15; Rom. 12:17-21).

3. Do not indulge the flesh but judge it (Rom. 13:8-14).

4. Consider the depths of sin from which you have been forgiven and what it must have meant to our Lord Jesus to die for you in order to obtain that forgiveness for you. Your sin against a holy God is infinitely greater than any sin others may commit against you.

5. Consider what your unforgiving attitude is doing to your inward soul life in the form of anger and bitterness (Heb. 12:15). You are doing yourself much more damage in the form of a darkened soul than you could ever do to the person who has wronged you.

6. Forgive the person as an act of the will in obedience to Christ. This is love in action. Do not wait until you “feel” like forgiving. Do not waste time trying to work up kind or affectionate feelings toward the offender. Forgiveness is first extended and then feeling will eventually follow.

7. Pray every day for the spiritual welfare of the offender. It is extremely difficult to remain bitter against someone for whom you consistently pray. God promises a “peace which passes all understanding” as we present all our requests to Him (Phil. 4:6,7).

8. Be prepared for the reappearance of a root of bitterness. These destructive feelings may return for awhile, especially if the offender remains unrepentant or the offense is repeated. Don’t dwell on them. Repeat the above steps and fill your mind with the precious things of Christ (Phil. 4:8). You can control what you think.

9. Use the situation as a spiritual opportunity to allow the Lord to conform you to the image of His Son Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:28,29). What a marvelous opportunity for you to take your Christianity out of the closet and let it shine before men!

10. Understand the difference between personal forgiveness and personal reconciliation. The former can be a unilateral decision based upon knowledge of God’s grace. The latter has to involve both parties and can take much time and effort. Forgive first and then work toward reconciliation if possible (Rom. 12:14-21).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

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

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