No. 801
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” (1 Cor. 15:34)
As with all of the Apostolic writings, this text is not addressed to the world of sinners, but to Christians. Those in the School of Christ recognize that the Lord is teaching and preparing them for a great work in the future. According to the Bible, the work of the Church during the incoming age is to be as kings, priests, and judges, as God’s representatives in the Messianic Kingdom. As kings, they will be sharers with our Lord Jesus in the ruling of the world. As priests, they will share in the work of healing, instructing, and sympathizing with the world. As judges, they will administer justice, giving stripes or rewards to mankind during the thousand years of Messiah’s Reign. Therefore, it is manifestly proper that whoever hopes to be one of these kings, priests, and judges should now attain the qualifications of heart and mind which will make him competent for the work, for we may be very sure that God will not appoint any who are not properly qualified.[1]
It is for this reason that God has been calling His Church out from the world during the Gospel Age, and has been giving them the glorious instructions of our Lord Jesus and the Apostles, and of the Law and the Prophets. All these things have been for their upbuilding in the qualities of heart and mind which will fit them for the great service to which God has called them.
God does not test His children according to their imperfect bodies, for He knows that they cannot do the things they would like to do: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (Gal. 5:17) He instead deals with their spirits, their minds. He gives them a new mind through the transforming influence of His Word, and it is this new mind which He receives into His family. They accept the will of God, instead of their own wills, and divine arrangements instead of their own plans and purposes. God thus deals with them as His children, according to this new relationship into which they have come by faith and obedience, and through Christ our Lord they are reckoned perfect in God’s sight.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL
How can we be perfect in will when our bodies are imperfect? We answer as did the Apostle: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” (Rom. 7:18) Paul did not always succeed in carrying out his will for righteousness, and so it is with everyone who seeks to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We all know how to will right, but how to do right is the problem.
Gradually we learn that God will not judge us according to the imperfections of our flesh, for so long as we remain faithful, these blemishes are covered with the robe of Christ’s imputed righteousness. Therefore, we do our best to show our Heavenly Father that we are trying hard to do right in every act, word, and thought. And since He expects every member of His family to have a perfect will, it becomes a personal question for us to learn what is the will of God for us: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [know] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Rom. 12:1-2)
Proving what is God’s will means coming to a knowledge of His will and putting it into practice. If we are faithful, we progress in this more and more as the days go by. We first have a little knowledge and put this into practice. As we grow in grace and in knowledge, we become better acquainted with the will of God, and we must put this increased knowledge into practice also. We do not obtain this knowledge of God’s will in any supernatural way. Rather, we gain it through the study of the Bible. (2 Tim. 2:15)
Whoever has come into the family of God has given up his own will and has accepted God’s will instead. Whoever has not given up his own will to the Lord is not His child. As the Apostle declared, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Rom. 8:9) The spirit of Christ is the spirit of full surrender to the Father’s will, and as we come to this same condition, we give up our own wills and take instead the divine will. We do this because it is the proper course for all who desire to follow in our Redeemer’s steps, and because our own wills have proved to be unsatisfactory to ourselves.
Our minds and our bodies are so imperfect that we have frequently gotten into trouble by doing our own will. Therefore, we are glad to know and to do the will of God, especially since we see that it is so gracious a will. It is the will of God that His children experience trials and difficulties during the present time, in order that these experiences may develop in us a God-like character that will render us fit to be used by God in the great work of blessing all the families of the earth.
JUSTICE FIRST, THEN LOVE
Sometimes Christian people see the doctrine of love in the Bible, and forget that there is a lesson which precedes love. This primary lesson is the lesson of justice – righteousness. Our opening text really means, “Awake to justice!” We must all learn to distinguish right from wrong and to practice what is just, what is right. Justice is righteousness.
The Law of God was given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai to show what justice means. They were not asked to do anything more than justice. The Law said, “Thou shalt not kill.” To take another’s life is wrong, except when God’s own Law demands it. “Thou shalt not steal.” To do so is wrong, unjust. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” To do so would be an injustice. (Exod. 20:2-17)
In the words of our Lord Jesus, the Law of God given to the children of Israel amounted to this: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (Luke 10:27) To do justice to your neighbor as you wish that neighbor to do justice to you is the essence of the Law of God given to the Jews for their treatment of others. (Matt. 7:12)
Did God give this same Law to the Church? Yes, so far as the spirit of the Law is concerned. God’s Law is over all of His creatures, but during the Law dispensation there was a special Law Covenant which God made with Natural Israel, and no others have ever been under that Law Covenant. The Jew who could keep that Law perfectly could live forever. Having everlasting life at his command, he might have the opportunity of becoming a part of that great antitypical Spiritual Israel which was to bless all the families of the earth. This our Lord Jesus did. Moreover, His statement of the divine Law to Spiritual Israel showed how far-reaching and comprehensive are its requirements.
No rational person will question the propriety of dealing justly with everyone in the world. This subject has many ramifications in all the affairs of our daily life. The principle of justice enters into every transaction, even the most trivial. It applies not only to our dealings with the world at large, but with every member of our own family. If all would get this thought of the Golden Rule firmly fixed in the mind, if each one could awake to righteousness – to justice – the whole world would be revolutionized. Men would not be shooting one another; they would be doing something good toward one another, just as they would wish others to do toward them. But this standard of righteousness, of justice, is entirely ignored by governments and by individuals. The general excuse for violating the Golden Rule is that others would not do their part; they would not reciprocate our practice of the Golden Rule and we would be taken advantage of.
This practice ignores the fear of God and replaces it with the fear of man. God’s Word says that we are carnal if we are afraid of others and of what they may do. We are living according to the flesh, and are like the unbelieving world. Do those of us who have come into relationship with God through the Lord Jesus say that we fear to trust this principle of justice in our lives, that we do not dare to carry it out in every word, thought and act? Are we afraid to trust God and to obey Him?
God did not say that we were to observe the Golden Rule only when others observed it toward us, and to ignore it when others failed to observe it toward us. On the contrary, we are to practice it on every occasion, regardless of what others do. Then we will know that all things will work together for good toward us, because we will be in line with God and His arrangements. He has power to overrule in all of life’s affairs. The very least that we must do is to give justice to one another. Doing so will mean a great blessing to our own characters.
Whoever is violating the principle of justice, The Golden Rule, in his home or among the brethren, or in business or social relations should, if he is a Christian, examine the matter earnestly and prayerfully and, “Awake to righteousness [justice], and sin not.” To do violence to justice is sin; and it is a sin that prevails everywhere. Many do not have a proper appreciation of this fact. They do not see that justice is the very foundation of all character, of all right living. It is the foundation of the Throne of God. (Psa. 89:14) No one can practice love to his fellow creatures or even toward God while he is at the same time violating the principle of justice toward them. Only after we have rendered justice are we at liberty to practice love toward another. Justice first, love afterwards, should be the rule governing all of our dealings with others.
Unless we are just in our very hearts, unless we appreciate this principle of justice and rejoice to practice it, we will not be fit for the Kingdom. We should never be unjust, even to an animal. Every creature has its rights, and we should give each creature the rights which belong to it and leave the results with God. In so doing, we will be preparing our minds and our hearts for the Kingdom work the Lord has in store for His faithful children.
Let us remember that if we are true, loyal children of God, all our blemishes are covered by the robe of Christ’s righteousness. If we are doing with our might what our hands find to do in accordance with justice, in accordance with the Golden Rule, we are showing the Father that we appreciate this principle of justice as the foundation of His Government. Upon this sure foundation we can build a superstructure of love and be made ready for the Kingdom.
(Based on Pastor Russell’s Sermons, pages 349-355.)
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THE SECRET OF TRUE PEACE
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” (John 14:1)
The Apostle wrote, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Likewise, the Prophet wrote, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” (Rom. 8:22; Job 14:1) The world is truly full of troubled hearts; for it is full of imperfection that is directly or indirectly the result of sin and its death penalty, impairing our mental, moral, and physical powers and bringing us instead depravity, disappointment, sorrow, and pain.
Our opening text was part of our Lord’s message to His disciples just before His crucifixion. He Himself was bowed with grief and exceedingly sorrowful in anticipation of the shame of the death He was about to suffer. Hiding His own sorrow, He comforted His disciples, who were perplexed and distressed. He thus set an example for all His followers to walk in His footsteps, serving in the world as healing physicians, as counselors of the divine Law, and as ministers of divine love. Indeed, however much we appreciate the miracles performed by our Lord – the healing of the sick, the awakening of the dead, the opening of the blind eyes and deaf ears – it is His teachings and doctrines that appeal to us the most. Truly was it said of Him in His day, “Never man spake like this man.” (John 7:46) And again, “And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth.” (Luke 4:22) His words were truly “Beautiful words, wonderful words of life.”
It must be the same with the footstep-followers of Jesus. Our Lord might have spent all of His time and energy healing the sick and awakening the dead, but that was not the mission of His First Advent. In performing these miracles, He merely provided evidence of God’s power residing in Him, and foreshadowed the blessings yet to come to the world at His Second Advent – the “times of refreshing” that will come, the “times of restitution of all things.” (Acts 3:19-21)
Although multitudes waited for healing at the pool of Bethesda, our Lord healed only one person, but it was not because He lacked sympathy for the other afflicted ones. It was because the due time had not yet come for the healing of the world’s woes and troubles. The healing of one was sufficient for His purpose. It drew the attention of some to the Lord’s readiness to ultimately heal all the brokenhearted, to give the oil of joy for the spirit of heaviness, and to awaken those dead in trespasses and sins to a newness of life through faith. (Isa. 61:1-3)
All footstep-followers of Jesus are similarly commissioned as His representatives to tell the message of good tidings to all who have ears to hear, the message that, just as sin and death came by one man’s disobedience, so a redemption has been accomplished by the obedience of another. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:5-6)
His followers are authorized to do the work of good physicians binding up the broken-hearted. They are authorized as lawyers versed in the Law of God to point out to those willing to hear that sin, the violation of the divine Law, has brought havoc upon our race, causing countless to mourn. They are authorized further to point out that Jesus our Lord gave Himself a full Ransom-price, meeting the demands of the Law, thus making it possible for all who turn from sin to come back into harmony with God and His perfect Law of love through Christ.
They are further authorized as ministers of the Gospel to point out that through the glorified Christ, Head and Body, Bridegroom and Bride, a blessed opportunity for reconciliation to God under the terms of the New Covenant will eventually be extended to “all the families of the earth” – including those who have gone down into the great prison-house of death. The death of Christ has guaranteed that all will have a full, proper knowledge of the Lord and His plan so that they might have a fair trial for life or death. (1 Tim. 2:4; Heb. 8:11)
“BIND UP THE BROKENHEARTED”
Even now the Lord’s consecrated followers have gracious opportunities for serving the brethren and any of the world that have hearing ears. They are commissioned to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort all that mourn in Zion, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. If any suggest that the comforting of mourners and the binding of broken hearts implies that God’s ministers, servants of the Truth, are first of all to break the hearts, to cause the mourning, we answer, No! It is not thus written, and we are not to add to the Word of God.
Other agencies are at work all about us, doing the heartbreaking and the wounding. We are to receive so much of the Lord’s spirit that, so far as possible, we shall break no hearts and wound no one. On the contrary, we are to do all in our power to effect healing to the extent of our ability. It is sin that is breaking the hearts of the people with disappointment – disappointment in themselves, in their own ambitions, in their own efforts, in their friends, in business, in pleasure – all of these are doing the wounding and the breaking. We can be content to do the work the Master gave us to do, and leave it to the Adversary to do the heartbreaking, along with those who are in the outer darkness of sin, ignorant of the Lord and His Spirit. (Isa. 42:16)
It is our understanding that the Scriptures teach that a great Time of Trouble is near at hand – the great final trouble of this world’s history – when during an unparalleled period of anarchy, all human hopes and ambitions will utterly fail. As the Scriptures declare, “And at that time . . . there shall be a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation – even to that same time.” (Dan. 12:1) Our Lord added to this prophecy, “Nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21) The Scriptures point out that the great trouble will be the result of selfishness reaching its limit, becoming ripe and going to seed. The world has always been selfish, but according to the Scriptures and our own observations, this spirit of greed and selfishness is extending more and more widely, and affecting almost every member of the race. Eventually every man’s hand will be against his neighbor and there will be no peace. (Zech. 8:10) It is comforting to know that this great Time of Trouble will be the last of its kind.
The world, ignorant of God and of the plan He has prepared for the blessing of all the nations during the Millennium, will feel the Time of Trouble most keenly. But the Scriptures give us to understand that their sorrows, woes and heartbreak will eventually be favorable to them. The plowing of the world with the plowshare of trouble and perplexity will dissipate all the false hopes which many of them had long been vainly chasing – drawing their attention to the better, the true hope which the Lord has provided, the center of which is Christ’s Kingdom and the foundation of which is His Ransom-sacrifice at Calvary. (1 Tim. 2:5-6)
THE FUTURE WORK OF BLESSING
Those who are to be associated with the Lord Jesus in the work of uplifting mankind during His Millennial Reign will be the same ones who have gained practice in this age by binding up the broken hearts of the comparatively few who have the ear to hear. How wise is the divine arrangement! Those in the School of Christ are now given a practice-work to do in their own hearts, in their own families, among their friends, and in the household of faith.
Our future possibility of sharing in the Kingdom work is dependent upon learning now the art of binding up the broken hearts we encounter. It is not skill that is most important thing, but love. He who loves much, and who now sees the broken and troubled hearts around him, will be led to heed the Apostle Paul’s counsel: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Gal. 6:10) The Apostle John wrote: “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:17) If his love and sympathy do not go out toward these troubled ones, if his best energies are spent on money-making or in some other selfish channel, it implies that the love of God either did not dwell in him or is but slightly developed.
Let us remember these words of Scripture, “For the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deut. 13:3) As the Apostle wrote, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:20) The test upon us all then is love: “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4:16)
“NONE OTHER NAME”
Some who have sympathetic minds are attempting to bind up broken hearts in an improper and injurious manner. It has become the general message of new theological thought that all mankind are currently children of God, but we warn that there is no Scriptural authority for such teaching. This message draws the hearts of men away from the name of Jesus, the divinely given remedy: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) There is none other, therefore, qualified to speak true peace to the troubled soul or to properly bind up the broken heart.
Our Lord forewarned us about these various theories that salvation could come through another channel than that which God has provided: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) He declared Himself to be the only door into the sheepfold: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” (John 10:1) We therefore warn against every theory which attempts to present mercy and restoration to divine favor by any means other than through faith in Christ’s sacrifice. We denounce as unscriptural all teachings that present the thought that there was no original sin, no original sentence, and hence no need of a Redeemer, and no need of restitution.
We also warn against the error of an acceptance of Jesus and a hope in Him that is contrary to what is presented in the Scriptures. Some reject the thought that Jesus died to be man’s Redeemer, but they nevertheless accept Christ as their teacher and example. This is contrary to what the Master taught: “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) If His life was not a ransom, or corresponding-price, then He spoke falsely, and those who believe that He did falsify could not consider Him a proper teacher.
Furthermore, if He came into the world merely to be our Exemplar and not to be our Redeemer, then His mission was a failure; for no one since His coming has been able to follow the example He set. To view our Lord as merely an example for proper living for the world would be an absurdity, since no one of the fallen race can possibly live up to the perfect standard which our Lord set in sacrificing all of His rightful interests as a man. (Matt. 20:28)
The Scriptures present the opposite view that all of mankind are imperfect through the fall, all are under the death sentence, and that Jesus Christ tasted death for all. They teach that this sacrifice for the sin of Adam, and for the sins of the whole world, was necessary to meet the divine sentence before divine forgiveness and restoration to eternal life and favor would be possible. They teach that, for the majority of mankind, such a restoration will be accomplished during the Millennial Age. They teach that to a very small minority, even “as many as the Lord our God shall call,” our Lord was not only a Redeemer but an Exemplar, and that these who have been called to separate from the world and to walk in the narrow way of self-sacrifice are to copy Christ’s example as far as possible. The Scriptures assure us that the best endeavors of this class, covered by the merit of Christ’s sacrifice, will be acceptable and reckoned to them as though they were perfect sacrifices, and that thus they may have their share with their Redeemer in the glory, honor and immortality of His Kingdom, and be participants with Him in the great work of blessing the world during the Millennium.
“LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED”
The hearts of those who believe are not to be troubled under any circumstances. They are no longer of the world, because separated from the world through their acceptance of the Lord and His acceptance of them. While still sharers in the trials and difficulties of the world in general, they now have the consolations of the Scriptures to offset these troubles and to make of them “light affliction” – not worthy to be compared with the glories promised to be revealed in them. (2 Cor. 4:17; Rom. 8:18) Indeed, it is not an unusual thing for the Lord to permit trials and troubles to come upon His faithful which are much more severe than those which fall on the world. (Heb. 12:6-11; Rev. 3:19)
None of these experiences in life should cause anxious thought, or as the Apostle said, none should move us because the love of God enlarges our hearts. (Acts 20:24; Rom. 5:5) We have not only learned that God has forgiven our sins, that He is our Father and our best friend, and that He is merciful to our imperfections; we have also learned that great blessings await at the resurrection of the just and the establishment of the Kingdom. Additionally, we also have now the peace, the joy, the blessed hope which these gracious promises afford. These the world can neither give nor take away.
Why then should we be troubled? The Master assures us, “Nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19) Surely anxiety on our part would demonstrate a lack of faith, a lack of confidence, or else ignorance of the divine promises, character, and arrangement.
(Based on Pastor Russell’s Sermons, pages 262-271.)
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[1] We believe that those consecrating after the close of the door to the high calling will not reign with Christ on the heavenly plane, but will be associates of the Ancient Worthies as representatives in the earthly phase of the Kingdom. They are not on trial for life, but for faith and obedience. They should, therefore, seek to attain the same qualifications of heart and mind. See Reprint 5761, under “Those Consecrating Between the Ages.”