Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

men"resurrection,"alone."rags"suffering."salvation,"means,"and spiritual measurement, and abandon them he does gladly, because ofthe new life which faith has openedbefore him.A NEW STANDARD OF VALUEPaul was no materialistic worldlingbefore becominga Christian, no seekerafter gain and pleasure. He was morefarsighted, sacrificing and denying self,in order to perfect obedience beforeGod. But when that light, exceeding thebrightness of the sun, shone into hissoul he found that what he hadcounted as near perfect, was in God'ssight as total loss, unworthy to be preserved, fit only to be gotten rid of.The chief difference between theoutlook of a Christian and that of aworldlyperson is not that the one hasattained a higher level of moral excellence than the other. In fact, in rarecases the Christian mayappear to beless righteous than the other. The chiefdifference is the standard by whichhe measures value. No matter how rare,costly or esteemed human exploits maybe, they are loss as opposed to being merely of smaller or less valuebecause not yielded to the rule ofChrist. A person who has faith in Christmeasures value by the degree of devotion and heartiness of love towardJesus Christ.A NEW STANDARD OF CONDUCTPaul not only counted his formertreasured obedience to God's law as loss.He actuallysuffered the loss of allthose things. His brilliant mind andfanatical zeal, extendingto madnesswhich gave approval to murder, hadalready brought recognition and profitto him beyond many of his own age. Hewas in the position which led upwardsto higher honors in the Jewish community. Doubtless he had a comfortable home and income and that without pulling laboriouslyat the tentmaker'sneedle. Doubtless he was addressedRabbi,"on the street, "Rabbi, and washeld in public admiration. But now hehad no certain dwelling place,and oftenlabored with his own hands to supplythe necessities of life. He became a"gazingstock,""a spectacle unto theworld, and to angels, and to(Heb. 10:33; I Cor. 4:9). He was scourged, he was beaten with rods, he wasstoned, he was shipwrecked, in continual peril (II Cor. 11:24-28)."Faith without works is dead" (Ja.2:17; see also 1:22). "If ye love mecommandments"keep my(John 14:15).Obedience is the test of faith and oflove.But this obedience is not merefollowing of the letter of the law. Paulhad much of that kind of obedience asa Pharisee. For measuring that kind ofobedience the traditions of the eldersJuly 28, 1954had been devised, an ingenious butcomplicated device, but as a standardfor measuring "the obedience of faith"(Rom. 1:5; 16:26)adequate.it was utterly inBy faith we see that the outwardact of obedience to the perfect law ofGod, must be inseparably united to aloyal and devoted heart prompting theobedience.The place of good works is sadlymisunderstood, even by many Protestants who would be offended if it weresuggested that they have slipped fromthe anchor of "salvation by faithProfessing faith, they excuse or in somecases justify conduct which violatesthat professed faith, on the ground thatsomeone else is so unreasonable or sinful that it makes this conduct necessary.It isn't "suffering the loss of all things,"to say, when the bread and butterjob seems to require of us violation ofour covenant vows, "Well, a man hasto live," or "Most Christians do this,and I don't think they're alllost."Faith in Jesus Christ presents a newstandard of conduct in that our eyesare opened to see blessings of purity,holiness, worship and fellowship withGod, that are wholly unseen by theunbeliever, blessings that are to begained regardless of what may be theloss of other things.A NEW STANDARD OF ASPIRATIONThe finest record of human obedienceto the law of God imaginable, was nolonger Paul's aspiration. Now, becauseof faith in Jesus Christ, nothing shortof His perfect righteousness appealedto him. No doubt, his own best effortsnow appeared to him "as filthy(Jer. 17:9), because he had seen JesusChrist. He desired a more completeknowledge of Him, and set himself immediately after his conversion to gainit. Having no contact with the discipleswho had been Jesus' companions forthree years, he had gone to Arabia,possibly to Sinai, there to study andmeditate on the law that was spokenthere by the voice of God, though healready knew it as well as it may belearned in school. Then he returned towitness to Jesus Christ, apparentlyknowing Him better than even thoseeleven who had the privilege of personal instruction at Jesus' feet, for hewas chosen to write almost half thebooks of the New Testament. (Johnwrote five, Peter two, Matthew one.)Yet it was still his chief aspiration toknow Himin power and in suffering.What is your present standard of aspiration? Most Christians are at leastmildly desirious of having "the powerof Hisbut not so manyare willing to couple with this desire,that of knowing "the fellowship of HisA NEW STANDARD OFSATISFACTIONPaul says later in this epistle that hehas learned in whatsoever state hemight find himself, therewith to be content. He is speaking there of beingsatisfied with God's providences. Herewe find him exerting himself to theutmost to the attainment of greaterspiritual blessing. Whether this 11thverse refers primarily to the "firstresurrection"(as John 5:24-26)or tothe resurrection of the body (as John5:28, 29), is not important. Paul appears to consider the blessings of theresurrection of the just in their totality.In this verse as well as in thosethat follow Paul is not expressingdoubt that he shall have a part in theblessings of salvation in the world tocome, but well illustrates the earnest,dogged perseverance that characterizedthis saint, even when his attainmentswere already far beyond those of manywho are complacent.It should be arebuke to those who are "sure of theirbut who take it as theirright, with no suggestion of need orof desire for strenuous effort in theChristian life. "If by anycarries the idea that, whatever means orsacrifice may be called for, by God, he,Paul, finds it in his heart to give itnot as a price he will pay for salvation,but as a willing thank offering he desiresto render in return for salvation. Thatis evidence of saving faith.FOR DISCUSSION:1. Distinguish, Faith, Object of faith,Historical faith, Implicit faith, Temporary faith, Saving faith.(See BlueBanner Faith and Life, 1951, pp. 17, 177,and Confession of Faith ch. 14.)2. Have the good deeds of the unbeliever any enduring value?3. What does covenant unfaithfulnessreflect concerning faith?4. What does the current movementtoward church union reveal concerningthe faith of the Church?If you start a thing, finish it.WHITE LAKEHenry Ford.COVENANTER CAMPWhite Lake, New YorkA weekend retreat,with emphasis"PRAYER"onFriday evening, August 20 toMonday morning, August 2361