SAMUEL AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

SAMUEL AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

John H. Paterson

The Lord is a God of knowledge... (1 Samuel 2:3)

IN a previous article about the Christian's knowledge of God, I suggested that this knowledge, when we gain it -- gradually and, perhaps, painfully -- is not for our personal benefit alone, but can be and should be used for the good of others. We do not acquire the knowledge of God simply to become knowledgeable, but to use our knowledge to affect events in the lives of others.

This we can evidently do, moreover, without either the awareness or the consent of the other person or people concerned. They may lack the knowledge of God themselves; yet their own ignorance is transcended by the power of God invoked on their behalf by a knowing and believing friend.

In evidence of this I cited in the last article the cases of Lot, who was delivered from Sodom as a result of the knowledgeable prayer of Abraham (Genesis 18); of Moses, who was able to "beg off" Israel, not once but several times, when they had sinned as a nation; and Job, who acted on behalf of his family repeatedly at times when he feared that they might have forgotten themselves and their reverence for God (Job 1:4-5).

There is, however, one other case study in the Old Testament which clearly illustrates the use, or usefulness, of the knowledge of God on behalf of others. It is the case of Samuel: to be more exact, it is the theme of the whole of what we call the First Book of Samuel.

This book occupies a key position in the Old Testament record of God's dealings with His people. It is a bridging book; that is, a book that straddles an enormous gap. It starts where the Book of Judges ends, and it finishes with the way clear for David to ascend the throne of Israel. But put that in another way and you will see how enormous is the gap to be bridged. It starts with that appalling last verse of Judges (21:25): "In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." If you have read through the later chapters of Judges, you will have to agree that that statement of social and moral anarchy is not overdrawn. At the other end of the book, however, comes the reign of David: the high point of Hebrew history; the Golden Age to which, even today, the Jewish people look back with longing.

For Israel, it represented a move from anarchy to world power in one short period -- little more single lifetime. And spiritually it was a move from the deepest ignorance of God's law to the rule of a king of whom it was later to be said, "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will" (Acts 13:22).

What a transformation -- not only in the fortunes of the nation but also in the spread of the knowledge of God! And at once we find ourselves asking: how did it come about? What was the secret? Confronted with total ignorance of Himself among His chosen people, how would God react to restore the knowledge of Himself?

The answer to those questions was this; He would find a man -- and one man would be enough -- to whom He could reveal the knowledge of Himself, and through that one man He would eventually restore the vision and the understanding of the whole nation.

That is the solution as the First Book of Samuel reveals it to us. And it certainly fits in with a number of small and apparently random clues in the book itself. Knowledge generally comes to us through the faculties of seeing or hearing and, if [3/4] you step to think about it, there is quite a scattering of references in this book to both. There is Eli whose eyes were dim so that he could not see (4:15) -- in more senses than one. There is Samuel who said, "Speak, for thy servant heareth" (3:10). These were times when (3:1) "the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision" (R. V. margin, no widely-spread vision). And when the Lord wanted to warn Samuel of Saul's impending arrival, He "uncovered his ear" (9:11 R. V. margin).

So knowledge -- of God and His will -- was going to be the central issue for Israel and her leaders and, as time went on, they found themselves grouped into two: the "knows" and the "don't knows"! In the first group were Samuel and David, together with those two remarkable women in our story, Hannah and Abigail. In the second group, tragically for Israel, were Eli and Saul. And stuck rather miserably between the two groups was Jonathan, Saul's son. He knew all too well (23:17) that David, and not he, would be the next king, but he stood by his father and, in the end, died with him.

The Greatness and Glory of God's Name

By T. Austin-Sparks

      There are certain truths and concepts which dominate the whole Bible, and which are gathered into a single word. They are like a bunch of keys which, if you possess them, unlock the entire revelation of the mind of God. The most inclusive of these is the word 'Name' as relating to God. You have only to look at the pages of a concordance where the word occurs and you will feel overwhelmed by the number of occurrences in every book. And not just the number of occurrences, but the immense associations and connections of the Name. I wonder how many books would be needed to write something on all these statements about the Name! Here is indeed a theme that would keep preachers going for years! It is not only the titles of the Lord; that is wonderful enough; but it is what is meant by the Name of the Lord. We can do no more than approach it; never exhaust it.

      WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE LORD?

      1. The Name of the Lord is the full content of His character. It is what He is by nature and constitution.

      This has always been an idea in naming. Sometimes it is prophetic. The Lord led to the giving of a name because the named would be what the name meant or implied. The Bible has much on that line, both as to people and places. Sometimes He changed names with the implication of a changed nature. Without giving a specific designation, such as Jehovah, El Shaddai, etc., on numerous occasions it is just: "the name of the Lord", "My name", "My great name", "My holy name", and so on, meaning just what and who God is.

      Allied to this concept God is shown to be exceedingly jealous for His Name. Indeed, the great things which God is on record as having done for or against those concerned are said to have been acts of jealousy for His Name. The effectual ground of appeal to God for intervention and help has been that of His Name, His very character. God MUST be true to His character. To 'take the Name of the Lord in vain' is to use it out of harmony with His character. 

God has a reputation and He cannot allow that reputation to be injured. He called a people out of the nations for His Name, which meant showing forth what God is like. When that people, in character and conduct, violated the principle of the Name, He flung them from Him and no more called them "My people".

      This was the one and sole burden of the Prophets. They were raised up and anointed for the sole purpose of dealing with what was contrary to the Name - the character of God. The Name of the Lord is a solemn and glorious trust, a trust to be guarded and honoured. But we must remember that it is not only the TITLE of a Person, but the very character of the Person, which is to be guarded as a most sacred deposit or entrustment!

      This is the clue to Jesus Christ. Note His jealousy over His Father's Name! Note how that affected His own walk in this world. He came in and for His Father's Name, reputation, honour, glory and rights. His life and His work had His Father's vindication as all-governing. God has taken two thousand years to answer the discrediting of His Name as embodied in His Son. Israel has been, and is, God's terrible example of God's jealousy over this fact: that Jesus Christ bore, lived, died and wrought for the Name of God. He was a revelation of what God is like and THEY SLEW HIM! This is a clue to Christianity. Christians are said to be "baptized into His Name", and to have His Name called upon them. (Matthew 28:19 James 2:7). Hence, God is jealous over those who TRULY bear His Name. To touch them is to touch Him!


      But this is a trust and it should be an incentive to life and conduct worthy of Him. It should be the motive in our attitude toward ANY situation which involves His honour. A proof of this principle of the Christian life is that ANY TRUE Christian cannot hurt the Lord's Name and character without the Holy Spirit giving a sense of grief. The Holy Spirit is the present custodian of the Lord's Name and honour, and He is VERY sensitive to His trust. A mark of spiritual maturity is an increasing sensitiveness to the pleasure or displeasure of the Lord; just as a mark of immaturity is that things contrary to the Lord - in speech, act, conduct, dress, appearance, discourtesy, vulgarity, rudeness, etc. - can be indulged in and repeated without that inward sense of shame. To bear the Name of the Lord means a jealousy on our part for the honour of the Lord, and "They that honour me, I will honour, saith the Lord". As Christians who carry the Name of the Lord, to be true to that Name we ought to be progressively taking on the character of the Lord. Paul said: "And they glorified God in me." The Name, therefore, is a challenge to character.

The Call to Service

A Retrospect: Chapter 2 - The Call to Service

By J. Hudson Taylor

      THE first joys of conversion passed away after a time, and were succeeded by a period of painful deadness of soul, with much conflict. But this also came to an end, leaving a deepened sense of personal weakness and dependence on the LORD as the only KEEPER as well as SAVIOUR of His people. How sweet to the soul, wearied and disappointed in its struggles with sin, is the calm repose of trust in the SHEPHERD of Israel.

      Not many months after my conversion, having a leisure afternoon, I retired to my own chamber to spend it largely in communion with GOD. Well do I remember that occasion. How in the gladness of my heart I poured out my soul before GOD; and again and again confessing my grateful love to Him who had done everything for me--who had saved me when I had given up all hope and even desire for salvation--I besought Him to give me some work to do for Him, as an outlet for love and gratitude; some self-denying service, no matter what it might be, however trying or however trivial; something with which He would be pleased, and that I might do for Him who had done so much for me. Well do I remember, as in unreserved consecration I put myself, my life, my friends, my all, upon the altar, the deep solemnity that came over my soul with the assurance that my offering was accepted. The presence of GOD became unutterably real and blessed; and though but a child under sixteen, I remember stretching myself on the ground, and lying there silent before Him with unspeakable awe and unspeakable joy.

      For what service I was accepted I knew not; but a deep consciousness that I was no longer my own took possession of me, which has never since been effaced. It has been a very practical consciousness. Two or three years later propositions of an unusually favourable nature were made to me with regard to medical study, on the condition of my becoming apprenticed to the medical man who was my friend and teacher. But I felt I dared not accept any binding engagement such as was suggested. I was not my own to give myself away; for I knew not when or how He whose alone I was, and for whose disposal I felt I must ever keep myself free, might call for service.

      Within a few months of this time of consecration the impression was wrought into my soul that it was in China the LORD wanted me. It seemed to me highly probable that the work to which I was thus called might cost my life; for China was not then open as it is now. But few missionary societies had at that time workers in China, and but few books on the subject of China missions were accessible to me. I learned, however, that the Congregational minister of my native town possessed a copy of Medhurst's China, and I called upon him to ask a loan of the book. This he kindly granted, asking me why I wished to read it. I told him that GOD had called me to spend my life in missionary service in that land. "And how do you propose to go there?" he inquired. I answered that I did not at all know; that it seemed to me probable that I should need to do as the Twelve and the Seventy had done in Judaea--go without purse or scrip, relying on Him who had called me to supply all my need. Kindly placing his hand upon my shoulder, the minister replied, "Ah, my boy, as you grow older you will get wiser than that. Such an idea would do very well in the days when CHRIST Himself was on earth, but not now."

Resurrection, the Hallmark of Sonship (1974)

Resurrection, the Hallmark of Sonship (1974)  by T. Austin-Sparks In the terrible darkness of the Cross, Jesus uttered the cry of desertion and forsakenness in which He could only use the term:  "My God..." (Matthew 27:46), but before He died He was able to say: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). After He had risen from the dead, among the first words that He spoke were these: "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father..." (John 20:17). The battle was won. All that the first cry meant of sonship being obscured, had been set aside. In perfect tranquillity the Lord could not only speak of His Father but of our Father too. Such passages as: "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee", and "declared to be the Son of God... by the resurrection from the dead" can make for intellectual difficulty. What about the eternal Sonship? Was He not God's Son before the resurrection? The words: "This day have I begotten thee" evidently refer to the resurrection, as the first two chapters of the letter to the Hebrews confirm. In what way is the Lord Jesus God's Son by virtue of resurrection? Let us at once state that this is related to the first and the last Adam. The first Adam was called God's son (Luke 3:38) and in a sense this was true, but that sonship was never fully realised - all its meaning, all its potential, all the divine intention, was never known. It was sonship on probation which never attained to determination. In the case of the Lord Jesus, however, we are told that He was "determined the Son of God..." (Romans 1:4 m.). The first Adam failed, and in him the whole race lost its sonship. That was why the Lord Jesus went to the Cross as representative of the whole race, to meet the final consequences of that lost sonship. Those consequences were known in that eternal period of unspeakable agony, when there was the awful consciousness of what it means to be abandoned by God. By nature we are out of Christ, without God and without hope in this world, but we are not fully aware of it nor of what it involves. In that phase of the Cross, the Lord Jesus was, so to speak, projected into the full realisation of that complete consciousness of what God-forsakenness really means, that which is the very terrible destiny of all deliberate rejectors - to find themselves rejected. Well, having suffered that judgment, and having carried all the agony of it to the disrupting of His soul and the breaking of His heart (for when the soldiers came to inspect, they found that He was dead already, while those crucified with Him were still alive) - when that was accomplished He came to the moment of consciousness that the judgment was past, and so could return again to use the word, "Father". Now, however, He used it with a meaning that it had never borne for man until that time, so that the last word of the cross is not "forsaken", but "Father". Sonship had now come on to a new ground of resurrection, restoration; the alienation of the race had been overcome. Restoration is made for the race in Christ, and so everything begins with "Father". What a wealth there is in the phrase: "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" when it is seen in the light of the Cross! It is the ground of our approach, our appeal. It carries with it the full meaning of the triumph of His Cross over all the alienation that had come to the human race with the loss of God's meaning of sonship.

Resurrection, the Hallmark of Sonship (1947)

Resurrection, the Hallmark of Sonship (1947) 

by T. Austin-Sparks

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46).

"And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"(Luke 23:46).

"God hath fulfilled the same unto our children, in that he raised up Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee" (Acts 13:33).

"Who was declared (to be) the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord " (Rom. 1:4).

"For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?" (Heb. 1:5).

The matter which is brought before us by these passages is more for meditation than for speaking about: it is something to dwell upon quietly and thoughtfully. I shall do little more than bring it before you with a few observations for further meditation on your part.

Going back to those passages in the Gospels, we have first of all the cry of desertion and forsakenness and the term used by our Lord at that moment was "My God, my God..." In the next passage, we come to the last cry, the final cry of the Lord on the Cross, and the term used was "Father..." When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, among the first words that He spoke, as far as we can tell, were these: "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God (John 20:17), bringing both of these cries from the Cross together. "My Father... my God"; "your Father... your God." Therein lies a whole wealth of wonderful spiritual truth.

b

In the first of those two cries - "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" sonship has been suspended, it is not there; the cry is "My God." At the last cry, the battle is won; all that the former cry meant of sonship being obscured has been set aside. In perfect tranquility, peace, rest, it is now "Father"; sonship is back. Now it is "My Father and your Father, My God and your God." Both "God" and "Father" were eclipsed; but later it is "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Sonship in Resurrection in a Representative Man

There must, I think, have occurred to your minds at some time a difficulty over these passages - the passage from the second psalm, quoted in the New Testament: "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee and declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead." Probably the intellectual difficulty is this - was He not always the Son of God? What about the eternal Sonship? Was He not God's Son before the resurrection? If so, in what way is He Son in resurrection? What does it mean, "This day have I begotten thee"? These words quite evidently refer to His resurrection, and that is borne out without any question, I think, by the first and second chapters of the letter to the Hebrews. If you look at the context, there is no room for any doubt about it, that "this day" is the day of His resurrection, and on that day He was begotten and on that day He was called "Son." Where then is the difference? Was He not Son? If so, in what way is He Son in resurrection?

Let us say at once that the matter is altogether related to the first and the last Adam. The first Adam was called God's son in the genealogy - "Adam, the son of God" (Luke 3:38). There is a sense in which the first Adam was the son of God, but there is a sense in which that sonship was never fully realised - all its meaning, all its potentiality, all the Divine intention, was never known. It was sonship on probation before determination. (You notice the marginal word in Rom. 1:4 - "determined the Son of God with power"). Well, the first Adam failed, and in him the whole race lost its sonship. As we so well know, in the Cross the Lord Jesus came into that position as representative of the whole race in Adam, to meet the final consequences of that lost sonship. Those consequences were known in that eternal period of unspeakable agony when there was the awful consciousness of what it means to be abandoned by God. By nature we are out of Christ, without God and without hope in this world, but we are not aware of it fully nor of the full extent of what it involves. In that phase of the Cross, the Lord Jesus was, so to speak, projected into the full realisation of that complete consciousness of what God-forsakenness really means, that which is the terrible, terrible destiny of all deliberate and conscious rejectors - to be rejected. There He stood in a relationship to lost sonship in its full and final meaning, and suffered the consciousness of being abandoned by God.

Well, having suffered that judgment, that consequence, and having carried all the agony of it to the extent that He died not by crucifixion but by the very disrupting of His soul and the breaking of His heart (for when the soldiers came to inspect they found He was dead already, while those crucified with Him were still alive) - bwhen that was accomplished He came to the moment, shall we say the eternal moment, of consciousness that judgment was past, it was all borne, and He could return and use again the word "Father," but now with a meaning which it never bore for man before that time; and the last word of the Cross is not "forsaken" but "Father." Sonship has come now on to a new ground of resurrection, restoration; the alienation of the race has been overcome in Christ, restoration is made for the race in Him, and so it is "Father" with which everything begins; it is "God" and "Father." "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:3) - what a wealth that phrase holds when you look at it in the light of the Cross! It is the ground of our approach, our appeal. It is the full meaning of the triumph of His Cross over all the alienation that had come to the race with the loss of God's meaning of sonship.

The More Abundant Life

By J. E. Davis


Carnegie Hall, Wednesday Afternoon, October 12.


The more abundant life is the kernel of the teachings of Jesus. The Father's law of life on creation morn, that life should multiply and fill the earth, was the principle Jesus applied to moral force. According to Jesus, "except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone."

The rich young ruler was taught to sell all he had and give to the poor, and come and give his life in wholesome service for the salvation of the world. The inheritance of eternal life in him was to become the fruitfulness of the kingdom in behalf of others. Nor would Jesus suffer the eye of a disciple to be turned aside from this fruitfulness, but each one must leave all to follow him. A man who would put his hand to the plow and look back can not fruitfully abound in the kingdom of God, and is refused by Jesus.

The abundant life is the fruitful life. Spiritual, mental and bodily force once spent in temporal lustful pursuits is now spent in zealously extending the kingdom. Such is the true mark of discipleship. "Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit: and so shall ye be my disciples." Again, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." And yet again, "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit." Barren trees are cursed, and fruitless branches burned. Thus fruitfulness, evangelism, missions, giving, is the true earmark of discipleship.

John Wicklif was a disciple of the abundant life, and the fruitfulness of his labors leaped from isle to mainland, found good soil in Prague, the Bohemian capital, and brought forth John [128] Huss and Jerome. Martin Luther was a disciple of the abundant life, and his disciple spirit turned Wittenberg into a Jerusalem, and set all Germany singing the songs of a Protestant evangelism. The fruit of his discipleship was a saved Germany. John Wesley and George Whitefield were disciples of the abundant life, and their soul-winning spirit was the fruit-bearing power among Kingswood colliers, the London rabble at Moorfields and Kennington Common. Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, Barton W. Stone, "Raccoon" John Smith, Knowles Shaw, and others who labored with them, were disciples of the abundant life, and their passionate zeal for the salvation of men kindled the mightiest evangelistic company of either Old or New World fame since the days of the apostles. Their hope of uniting the religious forces of Christendom on the New Testament basis for the salvation of the world was a stupendous undertaking and a vision of the larger life.

And such disciples, rich in the abundant life, were Morrison, Judson, Carey, Wharton, Livingstone, and others. A life overflowing, poured out for others, an evangelistic, a missionary life, an abundant life in Jesus Christ our Lord, was theirs. In all these, the abundant life flowed out profusely, watering barren continents and races, and bringing forth bountiful harvests to the Lord. Theirs was passionate living. Men who have been enlivened by the spirit of Jesus no longer live themselves, but Jesus Christ lives in them. Persuaded by the personal example of Jesus, they present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Their biographers bear them record that first of all, in their abounding life, they "gave themselves" to the Lord.

Nor is this abundant living to heralds of the gospel alone. The rope-holders, the supporters of missionaries, have it to their record that "beyond their power" have they succored the laborers and the needy. Deprived of the privilege of giving "utterance" to their hope, they "abound in faith, knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in love to one another," and also in the grace of giving. They have labored and believed that it is His will that the abundance of the Christian life in everything shall become a supply at this present time to minister to the need of others. They have joined the great cloud of missionaries, evangelists and martyrs in presenting their bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord, counting it only a reasonable service. Such are not in bondage to the tithe system. They may give, not less, but more, than a mere tithe to God.

William Carey, when superintendent of an indigo factory at Mudnabatty, at a salary of $300 per year, gave $100 to missions. Later, when Professor of Bengali, in the Government college at Calcutta, he received a salary of $3,000 per year, $2,800 of which was given to missions. When he finally assumed the labors of three languages in the same school and his emoluments rose to $7,500 per annum, he still lived on $200 and gave $7,300 to missions.

When John Wesley's income was $150 he lived on $140 and gave $10 away. When his salary was increased to $600, he still lived on $140 and gave $460 to missions. Like the Corinthians, "in a great trial of affliction the abundance of his joy abbbnd his deep poverty abounded unto the riches of his liberality."

The Sufferings of Christ

By Rees Howells


There are sufferings still left for the Church, to be fulfilled in us, but you cannot come to Christ's sufferings until you have finished with your own. The afflictions of Christ are the afflictions of the kingdom and he is afflicted with us in them. As Isaiah said, "in all their afflictions he was afflicted and the angel of his presence saved them." In my intercessions I never once thought that he would allow me to suffer anything that he did not suffer with me.

There is a great difference between self-affliction and the affliction for the sake of others. The sufferings of Christ are the sweetest thing on earth. The apostle Paul told the Colossians that he rejoiced in his sufferings for their sake, and his word to the Philippian church was "that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death." This is intercession.

"(He is Lord of all)" (Acts 10:36)

INSPIRED PARENTHESES (9)

"(He is Lord of all)" (Acts 10:36)

THIS particular parenthesis may not seem to warrant more than casual notice. In the setting of a Spirit-empowered proclamation of the great gospel truths of life, death and resurrection, it may almost appear that this is just a passing reference to Christ, as though Peter felt it right to add this little comment that of course Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

It was not in this spirit, though, that the apostle uttered the words. Right as it may have been for the transcriber to enclose them in brackets, they in fact present the very heart and core of Peter's ministry. To him the Lordship of Christ was much more than an essential matter of doctrine; it was a burning reality, brought right up-to-date in his own personal experience. "He is Lord of all."

Peter should know. Not long before, he had thrice voiced the biggest contradiction of all time. Our version renders it: "Not so, Lord", but this is much milder than Peter's refusal. "Never, Lord" was what he said, "By no means", "Surely not"! Sincerely believing in the theory of Christ's Lordship, he dared to take issue with Him, trying to assert that in this matter of sacred and profane he knew better than his Master. To him this distinction of the clean or common was a matter of natural instinct, of conscientious conviction and of scriptural regulation. "Never," he insisted, "no, not ever, will I accept this sweeping away of age-long barriers."

BUT he did! He went into the Gentile house. He took six witnesses to support him, but all the same he went. He went with his mind seething with problems about what was lawful, but he went. And God was with him. God gave him grace to set aside Jewish prejudices which still lingered even in a leading Christian, in favour of the over-riding fact that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.

"Is Jesus Lord of the Gentiles, Peter? All right then, go and preach to them. Is He Lord of the Jerusalem judaizers? If so, then defy them and leave your case in His hands. Is He Lord of your life, Peter? Really your Lord, not only when it is agreeable and convenient, but when you are given an assignment which you dislike and fear? If He is Lord indeed, then you must go 'without gainsaying'."

Peter was making history, though he did not realise it. He was about to witness one of the greatest marvels of all time -- the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the nations. Everything, however, seemed to hang on his willingness to stop arguing and yield to the sovereign government of Christ. He did so yield, and this very fact gave an awesome power to the words which he spoke in that Roman household. The terms of his message were simple, but the effect of it was a sensational break-through for God.

OF course Peter was challenged and criticised. His choice of no less than six companions revealed how keenly he anticipated such a reaction. His greatest vindication, however, was not by men but by the Holy Spirit of God, who made it perfectly clear that this was no mere sermonising by man but a divine utterance. He is Lord of all! When this is first experienced in life and then proclaimed in words, the ground is clear for heaven to give its own attestation to the glorious fact.

Peter was on sure ground when he challenged his accusers with the question: "Who was I, that I could withstand God?" Who indeed? It may be a painful experience but it is a most privileged one to have to yield to the sovereign command of the One who is Lord of all, and then to be used by Him to bring life and blessing to others. As believers we may argue. We may find God's ways difficult to understand, and pass through inward suffering as our own set ideas have to be abandoned. We may well have to meet criticism even from our fellow believers. Provided, however, that we capitulate to Christ as Lord of all we can leave the responsibility with Him and go forward to prove the power of the Spirit's working. We need to learn Peter's secret which was to obey "without gainsaying" (10:29).

----------------

THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD

THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD
T. Austin-Sparks

"The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live." (John 5:25)

STUDENTS of John's Gospel will know that chapter 10 marks the end of a series of spiritual truths and principles which are largely individual, and that from then onwards those truths are taken up in a collective way. From chapter 12 the Lord Jesus is found more particularly occupied with the corporate life of His people. Chapter 11, therefore, stands exactly halfway, with ten chapters on either side, and this is the chapter in which Lazarus hears the voice of the Son of God and lives.

After the raising of Lazarus a little group is found with him gathered around the table at a feast made for the Lord Jesus. This company suggests two entities: Israel and the Church. Israel's history will be exactly that of Lazarus. There will be a sickness in which Christ will not intervene. He will deliberately remain away from Israel (as such), even though she is greatly beloved, waiting until there is no further hope except the miracle of resurrection. Israel will "stink" in the nostrils of the world. There will be no ordinary remedy for her. Only by a resurrection as from the dead by the voice of the Son of God will the nation have its glorious future.

Since, however, there is always a double view of the truth in John's Gospel, we may say that Lazarus brings the Church into view typically. The company gathered around Christ after the raising from the dead of Lazarus typifies the Church as the company of those who have their very being by reason of the resurrection miracle. This is quite clearly stated in the most "Church " part of the Bible, the letter to the Ephesians. "You did he quicken when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins ... and made us to sit with him in the heavenlies" (Ephesians 2:1 & 6), which is illustrated by the fact that "Lazarus was one of them that sat at meat with him " (John 12:2). The very heart of this message is found in Christ's words: "The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God".

FIRSTLY, it is obvious that something more than a typical faculty of hearing is in mind. The dead have no such faculty. There must be a hearing which is not natural, which is deeper and more inward than the natural. Nor is it just that by God speaking some actual result occurs. There must be a hearing for there to be a result. Briefly, then, a living relationship with Christ and its corporate expression, the Church, is the [89/90] result of a hearing of His voice, which is something more than merely human words. It is possible to hear the verbal statement of truth, and to do so many times and over many years, but never really to have heard the Lord's voice. It is possible, after having heard those truths so often and so long, suddenly to hear that Voice, with the result so new and wonderful that it is as though we had never before heard at all.

Living relationship with Christ is not an emotional or intellectual reaction to a presentation of gospel truths, it comes not merely by signing a card or making a "decision". This may have an apparent effect and be overruled and used by the sovereignty of God, but it not seldom adds to what is one of the Church's most difficult problems, namely an unworthy regard for the Christian life with a number of people who claim to have tried it and found that it did not work. The fact that there is much indifference to Christianity today is partly due to the message having been cheapened and vitiated. No, the New Testament insists that the basis of all true spiritual life is by the voice of the Son of God being heard deep down in the human spirit. This may or may not be a matter of actual spoken words, but when it happens the one concerned is truly able to say: "The Lord has spoken to me" or "I know that the Lord has made me aware of His will". It is a voice -- a power -- through words, but it is something more than words.

Contemplation of Jesus

By Alan Redpath

      I saw in Him the glory of a life lived in total abandonment to the sovereign will of His Father in heaven. I saw a life lived in utter poverty yet in absolute contentment. I saw a life triumph over every point where I have failed. I have seen Him come so near the poor, to those who are sick, and to   those who are in need. I have seen Him holy, separate, harmless, and undefiled; so close to the sinner yet never contaminated. Ah, but most of all I have seen His tears, I have heard His crying, and I have listened to the cry which said, "Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt.a 26:39). I have seen the nail prints, the marks in His hands and His side; I have heard the cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). I have seen Him made sin on my behalf, God in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. I have seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and, bless His holy name, I have seen an empty tomb, an ascended Savior.

      I have had a clear view of Jesus. I have seen Him, felt Him, and I have known Him in a far deeper way than simply by the outward physical appearance; I have felt the reality of His life begin to burn in my heart. I have seen in Christ the glory of a life that is totally submitted to the sovereignty of God. That glory has begun to take hold of me, and I have begun to see that this is the one life that God expects of any man He made in His own image. I have seen the marks of the cross upon Him, and by His grace the marks of the cross have been put upon me and I am no longer my own; I am bought with a price, redeemed by His precious blood. Yes, I have seen Him--not in the outward physical sense only, but in the inward sense of a deep spiritual reality. I have had a clear view of Jesus and my life will never be the same again. . . .

      The man who gazes upon and contemplates day by day the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who has caught the glow of the reality that the Lord is not a theory but an indwelling power and force in his life, is as a mirror reflecting the glory of the Lord.

      Give up the struggle and the fight; relax in the omnipotence of the Lord Jesus; look up into His lovely face and as you behold Him, He will transform you into His likeness. You do the beholding--He does the transforming. There is no short-cut to holiness.

      " . . . Changed into the same image from glory to glory . . . " -- this is a lifelong, glorious experience, and it will be perfected one day in heaven. Paul tells us (Phil. 3:21) that He "shall change our vile body [this body of sin in which dwells no good thing], that it maybe fashioned like unto His glorious body . . . " Yes, He will do that! (Blessings Out of Buffetings, Studies in 2 Corinthians, pp. 44-48).

      But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Blessed from the World

By John Ker

      "... from faith to faith: as it is written. The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17).

      Those Christians are blessed who need to leave their simple views of childhood's faith no more than the field-lark does her nest-rising right over it to look at God's morning sun, and his wide, beautiful world, singing a clear, happy song, and then sinking straight down again to their heart's home. 

But those are not less blessed who, like the dove, lose their ark for a while, and return to it, having found no rest for the sole of their foot save there. They have a deeper experience within, and carry a higher and wider message to the world. The olive leaf in the mouth, plucked from the passing flood, is more than the song at coming daylight. It is as Paul's "Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory," compared with the children's "Hosannah."

Who has Seen Him?

Who has Seen Him?

By Alan Redpath

      "I have had a clear view of Jesus. I have seen Him, felt Him, and I have known Him in a far deeper way than simply by the outward physical appearance; I have felt the reality of His life begin to burn in my heart. I have seen in Christ the glory of a life that is totally submitted to the sovereignty of God. That glory has begun to take hold of me, and I have begun to see that this is the one life that God expects of any man He made in His own image. I have seen the marks of the cross upon Him, and by His grace the marks of the cross have been put upon me and I am no longer my own; I am bought with a price, redeemed by His precious blood. Yes, I have seen Him--not in the outward physical sense only, but in the inward sense of a deep spiritual reality. I have had a clear view of Jesus and my life will never the be same again."

      But who has seen Him? Is it only the giants, like Paul? ". . . we all, with open face beholding in a mirror the glory of the Lord. . . ." We all--not merely the Moses, the Elijahs, the spiritual aristocracy of the Old Testament times and the whole multitude afraid at a distance in the valley; not only Paul on his face on the Damascus road, blinded by the vision--we all, the weakest, the poorest, the most sinful, the most defiled. The spiritual aristocracy of the church of Jesus Christ is not the preacher or the prophet, but the sinner saved by grace. It is the soul who has come like the publican of old and said, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13), and it is the soul bowed before Calvary and seeing (as Paul saw) the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. As the Epistle to the Hebrews says, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh . . .; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith . . ." (10:19-22). Paul's resources are dug deep in the fact that he had a clear view of his wonderful Lord.

      . . . . You see, we all, with open face--the veil removed, rent in two by His cross--draw near in full assurance of faith, and we see Him. Have you looked into His lovely face in contemplation? Oh, not just a moment's glance . . . . but a long time in preparing the heart as you have gazed upon your lovely Lord. Have you met Him like that today? A clear view of Jesus Christ is that which is needed to take all that comes across our path (Blessings Out of Buffetings, pp. 44-45).

He That Gives To the Poor Shall Not Lack

By Rees Howells

      The first big test on giving came with a man in very poor circumstances, the lowest of the low before he was converted. One morning the Lord laid a burden on me for him and told me to pray for him because he was in difficulties. The devil was attacking him and I saw that a contest was going on for his soul. It was a very keen spiritual fight. I told the Lord, "I will give all I have to save him." That evening the man came to see me, and when I asked if he was in trouble he said that he was two years behind with his rent. 

"Oh," I said, "I will help you with half of what you need and I am sure my friend will give you the other half." On my way upstairs to fetch the money the Lord spoke to me, "What did you say to him? I thought you said this morning that you would give all you had." I turned back and told the man I would give him all he needed. Then I walked back with him to his home. 

When I left him it seemed that all the joy of heaven came down on me. It came over in waves, and I could not contain it. That night I changed in the root of my nature. I changed towards the world, towards lost souls and towards giving. From that time I could not help but give to everyone in need. I lived to give.

Transformed By Insight By Oswald Chambers

Transformed By Insight

By Oswald Chambers

      'We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image.'
      2 Corinthians 3:1

      The outstanding characteristic of a Christian is this unveiled frankness before God so that the life becomes a mirror for other lives. By being filled with the Spirit we are transformed, and by beholding we become mirrors. You always know when a man has been beholding the glory of the Lord, you feel in your inner spirit that he is the mirror of the Lord's own character. Beware of anything which would sully that mirror in you; it is nearly always a good thing, the good that is not the best.

      The golden rule for your life and mine is this concentrated keeping of the life open towards God. Let everything else - work, clothes, food, everything on earth - go by the board, saving that one thing. The rush of other things always tends to obscure this concentration on God. We have to maintain ourselves in the place of beholding, keeping the life absolutely spiritual all through. Let other things come and go as they may, let other people criticize as they will, but never allow anything to obscure the life that is hid with Christ in God. Never be hurried out of the relationship of abiding in Him. It is the one thing that is apt to fluctuate but it ought not to. The severest discipline of a Christian's life is to learn how to keep "beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord."

FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

[T. Austin-Sparks]

"And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Exodus 33:11).

"Didst not thou, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?" (2 Chronicles 20:7).

"But thou, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend" (Isaiah 41:8).

"By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; even he to whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God is able to raise up, even from the dead; from whence he did also in a parable receive him back" (Hebrews 11:17-19).

"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God" (James 2:23).


THERE are many astonishing things in the Bible. Few of them, however, are more so than this -- that God should desire a friend. [65/66]

We would think that of all things God would be able to get on quite well without having men in that relationship with Himself. I say it is an astonishing thought that God, in all His self-sufficiency, His fullness, His creative power, should want a friend, but here it is -- Abraham my friend" ... "the friend of God".

This, dear friends, is the one thing in the mind of God behind all His strange ways. Probably in all the Bible there was no one who had greater reason than did Abraham to think of God's ways as being very strange. How strange those ways were! And very rarely were they easy. Almost every step, if not every step, was fraught with perplexity. But God was governed in all His dealings with Abraham by this one idea and thought: to have a friend, and to bring a man into such a relationship with Himself as to be able to speak of him as "My friend".

You know, of course, that that title and that relationship are peculiarly and especially connected with Abraham. There are some wonderful things said about other men -- Moses, Daniel ("O man greatly beloved") -- but "My friend" is uniquely Abraham's title. To understand that we have to look again at the way by which Abraham was led and how at last he arrived in the heart of God.

While the whole life of Abraham is required to make up the full inclusiveness of this sublime fellowship, there is little doubt, I think, that consummately it was bound up with that one incident of which we have just read: the call to offer his son Isaac. Just think what that really meant where Abraham was concerned! Did God call him from Ur of the Chaldees, to leave all and come out, without telling him anything more than that He would lead him to a land? If we knew everything we would see that that was no small step, for there is every reason to believe that Abraham was a prosperous and great man in Ur. Did God lead him out? Did God promise him a son, and then go away and leave him without fulfilling His promise? Did God bind up the whole of his life with that promise and with that son? The very justification of his move from that old country, leaving everything, was focused and centred in that son. Abraham's whole life, the justification of his living at all, and everything in his life, was centred in that son. All the commands and all the guidance of God to Abraham ended in Isaac. Did God so call, so lead, so promise? Did He make Isaac the exclusive vessel of His Divine purpose and the explanation and meaning of all His promises to Abraham, so that Abraham had no alternative to Isaac? Abraham tried an alternative and found that God was not in that. He tried through Ishmael, but found that that was no way through. There was no alternative for his life for God, his knowledge of God, his history with God, but Isaac. Should Isaac not exist his faith would have been in vain, for he had nothing else. God would have failed him, and his life would have been a failure.

Naturally, if Isaac did not exist, or if he died, there would be some tremendous implications. The obvious implication would have been that Abraham had been misled, deceived, and followed a false line; that God had mocked him and brought him into a trap. He had followed God in a way which he had believed with all his heart to be God's way for him, and he had committed himself without reserve to what he believed to be the way of God for his life. And all that centred in Isaac.

All of life's aiming and striving

(J.R. Miller)

"He who says he abides in Him, ought himself also to walk just as He walked." 1 John 2:6 

Character grows as the baby matures into manhood. Every day something is written on our character, some mark made. 
The mother writes something; 
the teacher writes something; 
every day's experiences write some words;
every touch or influence of other lives, leaves some mark;
temptation and struggle, do their part in filling the page;
books, education, sorrow, joy, companions, friends — 
all of life touches and paints some line of beauty — or scratches some mark of marring on our character. 

Our final character, is the result of all these influences which work and co-work upon our life. In the end, we shall be altogether like Jesus; hence all of life's aiming and striving should be towards His blessed beauty.

"For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son!" Romans 8:29

A complementary kiss

(Thomas Watson, "The Peace of Christ")

"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed
 in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment.
 Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 2:12 

Kiss Christ with a kiss of obedience. This is to kiss Christ
—when we submit to Him, when we obey His laws, when
we are under His jurisdiction. There are many who give
Christ a complementary kiss. They seem devout—they
bow and cringe. O but they don't obey the Son! They kiss
Christ as their Savior—but they will not submit to Him as
their King. The truth is, they would have Christ and their
lusts together. They would embrace His promises—but
they will not obey His commands. O kiss the Son with
a kiss of subjection!

Those who will not have Christ's laws to rule them—shall
never have Christ's blood to save them! He who has no
part in the blood of the Lamb—will have a part in the wrath
of the Lamb, "They called to the mountains and the rocks
—Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on
the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!"

Those who will not be ruled by Christ's royal scepter, His
scepter of grace—shall be broken by His rod of iron. "You
will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay
pots!" Psalm 2:9. Those who oppose Christ, shall be as so
many ripe clusters of grapes to be cast into the great
winepress of God's wrath, to be trodden by the Son of
God until their blood flows out.

The Lord Jesus shoots His arrows very deep into the very
hearts of His enemies, "Your arrows are sharp, piercing
Your enemies' hearts." Psalm 45:5. The Persians dip their
arrows in poison—to kill more mortally. So Jesus Christ
shoots His arrows of poison; and because they cannot
endure the wrath of the Lamb all at once, they will be
enduring it to eternity. Here is terror to all those who
do not kiss the Son.

"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed
 in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment.
 Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 2:12

The Basis of Authority

The Basis of Authority  by T. Austin-Sparks Reading: Psalm 45:1-7; Hebrews 1:8,9. "My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the kings enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows." "But unto the Son He saith, 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows.'" The Conflict Between Two Kingdoms May I just say here, for the sake of the setting of everything, that what we are seeking to see in these meditations is that the cosmic conflict between the two great kingdoms, the kingdom of God, of darkness and of death and life, is heading up in a very intense and comprehensive way at this time unto the end, and that the Lord's people everywhere are involved; and in a very real sense the conflict rests upon them for its issue. The Church is the eternally chosen instrument and vessel in and through which the absolute supremacy of the Lord Jesus is to be manifested and administered. Unto that a deep spiritual preparation has to be made on very practical grounds and along very practical lines, for these kingdoms are not just systems set up in an objective, external way. They are not political; they are not economic; they are not earthly in any sense. They are spiritual; and the very essence of their nature and strength and existence is a spiritual state, and that state is found within the very constitution of those who belong to the two kingdoms respectively. We have sought to see that the kingdom of Satan is really within man by nature. It is there in man's own nature that Satan now has his strength. On the other hand, the kingdom of the heavens is an inward thing. It is within you, and it is therefore a matter of inward constitution. Therefore one thing which arises for us is as to whether this kingdom, the kingdom of the heavens within the life of the people of God, is really going to manifest and express its supremacy, its ascendency; and that is what we are called unto, and that is really the challenge of these meditations. Righteousness The Expression of The Righteous One Now, if the kingdom of Satan is based upon sin, and if sin is what we have said it is - rebellion, perversity, with all its outworking: pride: self in all its forms; unto enmity against God, separation from God, and utter impotence and helplessness to redeem itself - if that is the basis of the kingdom of Satan, then the kingdom of God is based on righteousness; that is, upon that which is exactly the opposite of sin. If Satan is the embodiment of sin, then Christ must be the embodiment of righteousness, when rightly understood. The point is that it is something personal, not abstract or something in itself. Do not talk about sin as some abstract thing. Sin is the expression of a person. Satan is sin, and all that emanates from him is sin. In like manner; Christ is righteousness, and the righteousness which is of God is Christ, Who is made unto us from God righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30). He is the Righteous One (Acts 3:14). It is personal. We need to say that and emphasize it, so that we shall not get any kind of mentality that we are dealing with things. We are dealing ultimately with persons, and therefore with kingdoms. On both sides it resolves itself into 'Who?' not 'What?' Who is going to have the kingdom? Now if the 'Kingdom' suggests dominion, authority, power - as, of course, it does - then dominion, authority, power, rest upon - spring from a nature. They are not official, exercised and asserted by an appointment. They spring from the nature of the person or persons concerned; that is, you and I will know no more of Divine power than we know of Divine nature, of Divine likeness. Our spiritual power, dominion, authority over the power of the enemy, depends, upon nothing other than our nearness to God, and our likeness to Him. Any system of teaching about authority which takes up a certain kind of phraseology and begins to throw about phrases at the enemy without a deep knowledge of the basis of authority is a most dangerous and pernicious thing, and will involve all concerned in inevitable trouble from which it will not be easy to extricate them. This is not just a statement of ideas, this is fact. Some of us have seen the devil make awful havoc of people who stood up talking about Satan being a defeated foe, and throwing at him phrases from the Bible. The end of that has been scattering and shattering. But that does not mean that there is no such thing as authority over the enemy. What I am trying to emphasize is that it is necessary to know the basis of authority, and that basis is what is here meant by righteousness.

He and He Alone

By Martyn-Lloyd Jones       We stand here face to face with one of the sublimest and greatest statements ever made, even by this mighty Apostle of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. There is a sense in which anyone who faces this verse must feel that he stands on very sacred ground. Indeed, I am ready to admit that I would almost regard it as sacrilege to approach a verse like this in an unworthy manner.  Here we have not only the statement of an experience which was true, which was a fact and a reality, but at the same time, and for that reason, we also find ourselves face to face with a standard of judgment. Any God-given experience is sacred, and nothing is further removed from the spirit of the New Testament than approaching a statement like this in a purely objective manner, handling it with our rough hands, bringing our critical or dissecting apparatus to bear upon it. There is something so sublime about it, so delicate and pure, that one is - as always with such verses - confronted with a kind of dilemma. On the one hand, one is afraid of handling it in a detached, so-called scientific manner yet, on the other hand, of course, there is also the danger that, if we do not analyse it up to a point, we fail to realise its inner meaning and its true purpose. One is compelled to do both - to analyse it and try to understand it, while always remembering that it is a living experience and a statement of fact which puts us under judgment.       Now Paul, as we have seen, is comforting the Philippians who were concerned and troubled about him. He has told them how this imprisonment of his has turned out 'rather unto the furtherance of the gospel', and added, you remember, that it was his earnest expectation and hope 'that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.' That is the background of the statement. Paul means that as far as he is concerned, it is immaterial whether he is to be put to death, or whether he is to go on living. The two possibilities are there and he does not know which it is going to be, but, he says, it is all right. He is not concerned and they need not be either, for, 'to me to live is Christ and to die is gain'. And then he proceeds to work it out a little further, for he says that if he were to express his own personal preference, it would be to depart, yet for their sakes it is better for him to remain. At this point, however, we are concerned with this particular statement that the Apostle makes with respect to life and to the meaning of living.       In these words we are surely brought face to face with the most important questions that can ever confront us - What is life? What is living? What does it mean to us? What is it all about? Is it not one of the major tragedies of life, indeed, is it not the greatest of all tragedies, that amid all our concerns about life, all our intellectual activity, all our discussions, the one thing which men and women are never concerned to face is the first and most obvious thing of all, namely life itself, and living. Not only is this a most important question in itself, but I want to go further and point out (and this, indeed, is especially the burden of this study) that here we stand face to face with the most thorough test we can ever encounter of our profession of the Christian faith. Because, of course, this is a word which is more or less meaningless to someone who is not a Christian. It speaks especially to those who claim to be Christians, and that is why I am so anxious not to deal with this subject in an objective manner.       The temptation at this point, of course, is to look at it as Paul's experience only, but, my dear friends, we are speaking about ourselves, not just about Paul. It is true of Paul first and foremost, but what is true about Paul should be true of every other Christian. The last man to recognise any essential difference between himself and every other Christian was the Apostle Paul. He never claimed that there was one kind of Christianity for him and another kind for everybody else. To me, one of the most subtle dangers confronting most of us is that for some extraordinary reason, though we have been Protestants and have rejoiced in Protestantism for 400 years, we still seem to appropriate some of those false Roman Catholic distinctions between Christians and non-Christians. We have seen how they draw an essential difference between saints and ordinary Christians. The saints, they say, are special people, or 'spiritual Christians', as opposed to 'worldly Christians', and that is why they ask these worldly Christians to pray to the saints. But that is a distinction which is never recognised in the New Testament; indeed, it is a distinction which it denounces.    Of course, we recognise that there are differences in gifts and in offices; you see that in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 and in other places in Scripture. But while there are differences in the ministries that are given to Christians by the Holy Spirit, as children of God, through Jesus Christ, we are all the same and all our lives must show this. That is why the Apostle talks so constantly about 'we'. What is true of him is true of others, and here in this statement we are faced with the most searching and thorough test which we can ever apply to ourselves. Can we say honestly with this man that to us living means Christ? Is that true of us? I have no doubt at all but that the greatest thing in the Church and therefore in the world today is that Christian people should be able to say that. It is when they have spoken like this that they have counted in this world; it is when they have been consumed by this passion for their Lord that their very lives are radiant and the whole world has known that something has happened to them.       So let us look at these words first in terms of the Apostle's own experience, and then let us apply them to ourselves. There Paul is in prison and he raises this problem. 'I may live another twenty years,' he says in effect, 'or I may be put to death tomorrow. But you know,' he continues, 'I find myself in such a state and condition that really it is immaterial to me, because if I am going to live another twenty years that means Christ, and if I am going to be put to death at once, it still means Christ; whichever it is to be, it comes to the same thing. Christ means living, living means Christ.' I repeat, the vital question for us all is whether we can say the same. Paul here makes a vital, fundamental distinction between those who are Christians and those who are not and the thing that characterises the Christian is that to him living means Christ.       What, then, is life? What is living? Perhaps the best way of approaching this is to consider some of the answers that have been given to this question. Now there are, of course, large numbers of people who never think at all about the meaning of life. Life to them just means existence, a kind of animal condition, or a state almost like that of a plant or flower. There are many people who have no philosophy whatever. Here they are in this amazing thing called life; they have this astounding gift of being, and yet they go through without contemplating it. They never stop to ask what it means, they just go on from day to day, eating and drinking, without any such thoughts at all.       Then there is what we might well call the Epicurean view of life, which can best be summed up by the phrase: 'Let us eat, drink and be merry.' The Epicurean attitude to life was very familiar in the time of Paul, as, indeed, it is today. It centres on the living rather than on the life; it means pleasure: eating, drinking, dancing, or whatever it may be. Now there is a very definite philosophy which covers that kind of life and there are people who really believe in it. I do not want to tarry with these preliminary considerations but it is amazing to notice the numbers of people who, if they answered honestly, would have to say that to them that is life - that round of one pleasure after another. It is tragic, but it is true. How often have we heard of people leaving the provinces and going to live in the big cities because they want to see 'life'. They pity the people whom they have left behind because life to them means an opportunity for pleasure.