The Triumph of the Gospel
Table of Contents
The Triumph of the Gospel: Part 1
OM 1:16{In the book which God has graciously given to us, and which addresses itself to every creature under heaven, a few plain facts are stated which will enable you, dear reader, if you so desire it, to take a true account of yourself, and see where you are, and how you stand in relation to God. Nothing, surely, can be of greater importance than this. Life is uncertain. There is nothing in this poor world upon which you can safely rely. The heart of man instinctively longs for that which is stable and abiding; and the anxious cry is going forth from many a weary soul today, "Who will show us any good?" (Psa. 4:6.)
In Gen. 1. God is seen diligently working for the benefit and blessing of His creatures. In chapter 2 a "garden of delights" is planted, eastward in Eden, and there God placed the man whom He had formed for His own pleasure. In chapter 3. man, listening to Satan's lying insinuations, revolts from God; and, conscience-stricken, seeks a hiding-place from his Maker among the trees of the garden; he is there challenged, exposed, convicted, and subsequently driven out of Paradise. Thus, briefly, the Spirit of God sums up for us the "present situation." "By one man sin entered into the World, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that All Have Sinned." Solemn picture! Have you honestly faced it, reader? There is no way of return to an earthly Eden (Gen. 3:24), and the sentence of death is upon all who are born outside of it (Rom. 6:23; Heb. 9:27). Gloomy enough would this outlook be were it not that God Himself has intervened on man's behalf. No sooner had sin cast its withering blight upon His fair creation, than the voice of God is heard in the garden, announcing the fact that the woman's seed, should bruise the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15), and following quickly upon this blessed intimation, Adam and Eve were clothed with coats of skin, signifying that a victim had been slain, and sinful man accepted in the life of another. In that innocent animal, put to death to cover the nakedness and guilt of ruined man, God's mighty triumph over the powers of evil is typically declared, and the all-atoning sacrifice of Christ shadowed forth. And from that moment onwards, until the Son of God was manifested, the slain victims at the altars bore continuous witness to faith's only ground of approach to God.
But in the death of Jesus, where man's guilt and enmity reached their culminating point, God 's righteousness was established and His love fully expressed. Jesus laid down His life, to end forever, as before God, the sad history of man "in the flesh" (Gen. 6:13; Rom. 8:3). His holy soul was "made an offering for sin." The waves of judgment, in all their fury, spent themselves upon Him who came to do the will of God (Isa. 53:10; Psa. 40:7, 8). But death could not hold Him (Acts 2:24). He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father" (Rom. 6:4). The everlasting gates were opened wide to welcome the mighty Conqueror into the courts of glory (Psa. 24:7, 8). God has placed Him at His own right hand (Rom. 8:34). The sacrifice of Christ has come up as a sweet savor to God: and now-
"The river of His grace,
Through righteousness supplied,
Is flowing o'er the barren place
Where Jesus died."
(To be continued.)
The Triumphs of the Gospel: Part 2
Dear reader, has this blessed report reached you? All power in heaven and earth is committed to God's beloved Son. All that God has, or ever will have for man in the way of blessing, is dispensed by Jesus, the true "Zaphnath Paaneah" (Gen. 41:44-57). Have you learned that God expects nothing from you; but that He comes out towards you today in the character of a Savior-God, a Giver? "There is one mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:3-6). The gospel addresses itself to all, without exception. Friend, whatever your condition may be, there is only blessing in the heart of God towards you. Take Him at His word, and claim the blessed Savior as your own, and you will know, in the deep experience of your soul, what it is to have peace with God, the forgiveness of your sins, and an inheritance among all "the sanctified" (Acts 13:38; Rom. 5:1; Eph. 1:11; 1 Peter 1:3, 4).
But the day of God's long-suffering is drawing to a close. Soon the last gospel message will be told out, and the last sinner brought under the peaceful sway of Christ. The Savior will come into the air to meet His saints. The sleeping ones will be raised, and the living changed, and all taken up to be "forever with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16-18). What a blessed consummation! What a glorious prospect to look forward to! What a stimulus for happy service in the great harvest-field of human souls! But if the coming of the Lord crowns the blessedness of the believer's portion, what of those who are so absorbed with the things of this life that they are utterly unconcerned about eternity and the interests of their souls? Like Belshazzar in Dan. 5, and the wealthy farmer in Luke 12:16, they are set upon making everything of "the present," and leaving God and the great hereafter out of their reckoning. Their language is, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years: take thine ease; eat, drink, and be merry" (Luke 12:19).
Friend, if this is the road you are traveling upon, may God awaken you from your sleep of death. Remember the handwriting on the wall of "Belshazzar's palace, and that mighty monarch's sudden doom (Dan. 5:27-30). Think of God's solemn announcement to that prosperous worldling, in the midst of his brilliant daydreams: "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee" (Luke 12:20). It is the dark death-knell of a lost eternity. Listen to the voice of wisdom: "Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of man. Riches and honor are with me, yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold: and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance: and I will fill their treasures" (Prov. 8:4, 18-21). The speaker in these verses is the same blessed Person who came into this world to do, a Savior's part for you, poor sinner, in spite of your folly, and waywardness, and sin. You, have been "weighed" in God's balances, and are "found wanting" (Dan. 5:27). But Jesus went into the storm of judgment that you might know the rest, and peace, and enjoyment of the love of God.
Life's little day for you here will soon be ended, and a long eternity begun. The One whom man has slighted, and refused, and cast out, is coming to reign over this earth, where once He had "nowhere to lay His head." "Every eye shall see Him" (Rev. 1:7). Every knee shall bow to Him. Universal homage shall be His. "The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." All who have found a refuge in Christ in this day of grace, will then be associated with Him in glory.
(Continued from page 231.)