The Admonitions of Peter

JESUS had just partaken of his last Passover, and had instituted the Memorial supper. After supper, he and his disciples went out into the Mount of Olives. They were nearing a place called Gethsemane.

Satan must have been right there with them, invisibly present. He would certainly want to be on the scene of his great triumph which was about to take place the betrayal of Jesus with a kiss by his own disciple, Judas Iscariot. If the disciples had known that the Prince of Darkness was at their side, they would have been terrified. But Jesus knew he was there.

Then Jesus did an astonishing thing he read Satan’s mind! We know this because he then turned to Simon Peter and said: “Simon, Simon; behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” This must have startled Peter, so the Lord reassured him, saying: “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” Then he added something Peter would remember and act upon in the days to come: “And when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:31,32) To be converted, means to turn, to change. Peter’s triple denial of the Lord and the remorse that followed “converted” his headstrong and impetuous will into a humble and a contrite heart. (Psalms 51:17) We read: “And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.”

After the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the several appearances of Jesus to his disciples there was a short time when the disciples did not know just what to do. One day about seven of them who used to be fishermen, including Peter, gathered at the seashore. They enjoyed the old familiar sights, sounds and smells of the sea. They were all of the same mind as to what they would do, but each hesitated to make the first move. You can well imagine who did make the first move:

“Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth and entered into a ship immediately.” John 21:3

What a powerful natural leader Peter was. He said, “I’m going fishing!” The others said, “We’ll go fishing with you!” And that’s what they did.

This incident illustrates how easy it is to lose direction to misplace one’s energies when the leader is gone and the objective is not clear. These were the ones Jesus had for over three years made “fishers of men.” He had left them for just a few days, and now, once again, they were back to being “fishers of fish!”

All that night they caught nothing. They tried again and again, but no luck. Perhaps in the silent watches of the night, they began to have some doubts as to the wisdom of going back to the fishing business.

Early the next morning, Jesus appeared to them for the third time since his resurrection. He revealed himself in a characteristic way, by a miraculous incident. This they could instantly recognize because they had witnessed his loving miracles for 3 1/2 years. Objects were indistinct in the early morning light, but at the direction of a man on shore, whose face they could not recognize, they let down their net once more. Then, after catching not one single fish all night, their net now contained 153 great fishes! They instantly knew it was Jesus on shore. They knew by the sheer bounty of his gift. “Great fishes” must weigh at least 30 pounds each, wouldn’t you say? So, one moment they had nothing; the next moment they were practically engulfed by over two tons of fish! It took another miracle to keep their net from being torn by the weight of their catch. (See John 21:11.) Besides being a gesture of recognition, why did Jesus allow them to make such a stupendous catch? Was it to encourage them to remain in the fishing business? I don’t think so; quite to the contrary. Two tons of fish would have a considerable market value, and money could finance their return to the ministry as “fishers of men.”

When the disciples came ashore, Jesus had food prepared for them. He invited them to eat, and he served them. Think of it! This was no longer the man Christ Jesus, this was the resurrected Jesus, a mighty spirit being, a divine being, who said of himself: “All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) He made them sit down and he served them! No, he had not changed in character. He was still the same Jesus who came not to be ministered unto but to minister; who taught them that the chiefest among them should be their servant (Matthew 20:27,28), and who demonstrated it by washing their feet. He still serves us our spiritual food to this day if we have not left his table. Now we read from the record:

“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these [these boats, these nets, these earthly interests]? He saith unto him, Yea Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him: feed my lambs. Jesus saith unto him again, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him: feed my sheep [or: tend my sheep, Diaglott]. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he said unto him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said unto him: Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, feed my sheep.” John 21:15-17

When Jesus asked Peter the third time, Peter suddenly understood. Three times he had denied the Master even though he loved him deeply. He had been remorseful and heartbroken. Now he was required to affirm his love three times as if to expiate. This was the punishment his Lord imposed the only punishment he imposed and it was a gentle punishment indeed. With it Jesus imposed a duty upon Peter, a duty by which Peter could prove his love. The duty was threefold: “Feed my lambs; tend my sheep; feed my sheep.” Don’t you think under these circumstances Peter would have a tremendous incentive, an eager and consuming desire, to comply with the Lord’s wishes? He had miserably failed his Lord before. Now he was being accorded another chance to prove his love and devotion. This time he would not, he must not, fail.

And he did not fail! In his years of faithful ministry, he fed the Lord’s lambs, those immature in the truth. He tended the Lord’s heep as they matured, warning them against false teachers, damnable heresies, and denial of the ransom. (2 Peter 2:1,2) He fed the Lord’s sheep, those established in the truth, with meat in due season, stirring them up and stimulating them to progress in the race for the great prize of the high calling. You may be sure he would not disappoint the Lord again! As he said:

“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle to stir you up, by putting you in remembrance.” 2 Peter 1:12,13

Let us consider some of Peter’s admonitions to us–we who are the Lord’s lambs and sheep admonitions which are a part of Peter’s efforts to prove his great love for his Master by feeding and tending us.

“Simon Peter, a servant, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us, through the righteousness of our Lord, and Saviour Jesus Christ; grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord; according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you, that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren; give diligence to making your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:1-11

We are told to “add to our faith” certain things. This implies that we can’t even start to carry out these instructions, unless we have this faith. This automatically eliminates a lot of people in the world, even good people. There are some people in the world who are naturally noble and good, who possess an excellent character. They prefer righteousness to evil and conduct their lives accordingly. Does this qualify them for the prize of the high calling? Not for a minute!

There must be a foundation of faith, a faith of a certain kind, before the structure built upon it can be recognized by the Lord.

Peter directs his opening words “to them that have obtained like precious faith with us.” (2 Peter 1:1) This is not ordinary faith, it is “like precious faith.” Mere faith in God is not enough. “The devils also believe and tremble.” (James 2:19) What is required is an absolute faith in the redemption accomplished through the precious blood of Christ, a firm belief in the application of that blood to ourselves by which we have a standing before God, are justified, accepted, begotten, and in the race for the high calling. It is an abiding confidence in the divine plan for salvation, not only for ourselves, but for the whole world. It is upon this “like precious faith” a faith like the faith of the apostles that we are to build.

Fortitude

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue.” The word “virtue” is better translated “fortitude.” It is strength of character in righteousness and implies the cultivation of the strictest integrity in all our dealings, both with God and with our fellow-men. It means scrupulous honesty, justice and truth. The psalmist defines this characteristic for us:

“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”Psalms 15:1-5

“He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart,” the psalmist said. The same thought is expressed in Proverbs:

“They that are of a froward heart, are abomination to the Lord; but such as are upright in their ways, are his delight.” Proverbs 11:20

There are many among our nominal Christian friends, who walk as uprightly as they possibly can. Many work righteousness with all their might, often risking great personal danger in missionary work among savage aborigines. But do they speak the truth in their hearts? Sometimes it is their personal fear of hell fire that impels them to “be good,” and try to make others be good as well.

Sometimes their frantic missionary efforts are motivated by their conviction that the heathen would otherwise go into eternal torment or the second death. This is the wrong motive. The truth is not in their hearts.

Of course, any effort by anyone at any time to walk uprightly and work righteousness brings a blessing. Of course the one who has “escaped the corruption that is in the world” and is qualifying to become a partaker of the divine nature does walk uprightly and work righteousness. But he does more than that: “he speaketh the truth in his heart.” His motives are pure; he has taken the truth to heart. “Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh.” He speaks the truth gently and without malice, without God-dishonoring threats, of either hell fire or wholesale second death.

The psalm also says, “He backbiteth not with his tongue; nor doeth evil to his neighbor; nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.” One that is striving for the prize of the high calling should certainly not indulge in evil-speaking or character assassination. One who knows the importance of developing character surely will not destroy another’s character. There is a poem, translated from the Arabic, that contains some excellent advice:

“If you are tempted to reveal a tale to you someone has told, Make it pass, before you speak, three gates of gold. These narrow gates: First, Is it True? Then, Is it Needful? In your mind Give a truthful answer. The next is last and narrowest, Is it Kind? And if, to reach your lips at last, it passes through these gateways three, Then you may tell the tale, nor fear what the result of speech may be.”

The Harm from Evil-Speaking

The frightening thing about evil-speaking is that the harm done may be irreparable. There’s a story illustrating this point. When a man asked the Moslem prophet Mohammed how he might make amends for falsely accusing a friend, he was told to go and place a goose feather on each doorstep in the village and he did it. The next day Mohammed said, “Now go and collect all the feathers.” The man protested: “That’s impossible! A wind blew all night, and the feathers are scattered beyond recall.” “Exactly,” said Mohammed. “And so it is with the reckless words you spoke against your neighbor.”

Along the same line, Paul wrote:

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted; forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:29-32

“Bitterness, and wrath, and anger.” Anger has been compared to drunkenness and insanity. The speech and actions of a drunkard or insane person are not under the control of a logical mind. Such control is also lost in anger. When we lose our tempers, we lose the power that tempers and logically controls our actions. Aristotle is quoted as saying:

“Anybody can become angry. That’s easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way that is not within everybody’s power, and is not easy.”

The only person, other than God himself, who could qualify in these respects was Jesus Christ. When he was angry with the Scribes and Pharisees, the money-changers and others, he could read their hearts, minds, motives, and innermost thoughts. We can’t! But, someone might claim, “My anger is righteous anger, as Jesus’ anger was.” Perhaps it is, in some measure. But Jesus’ anger was truly righteous anger because he himself was truly righteous. If I am not righteous, how can my anger be righteous anger? “There is none righteous, no not one.” (Romans 3:10)

Then we read, “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted; forgiving one another.” The fallen human nature is a bundle of perverse and illogical contradictions. For example, we can be our most charming and gracious selves to utter strangers. But familiarity breeds contempt and we often become careless in our attitudes to those closest to us. As the poet expresses it:

“But there’s one truth in life I’ve found, While journeying east and west; The only folks we really wound Are those we love the best.

“We flatter those we hardly know, We please the fleeting guest; And deal full many a thoughtless blow To those we love the best.”

Psalm 15 continues: “In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoreth them that fear the Lord.” It is easy to love those who love the Lord. They are our brethren, our spiritual associates, fellow-partakers of the precious promises, joint-heirs of Christ and of God. But to love an enemy, a vile person, that’s different! True, we are told to love our enemies, but we are not told to love the vileness of our enemies. There’s a big difference. When I was told, long ago, I must hate a man’s bad actions, but not the man, I used to think it was a silly, hair-splitting distinction. How could I hate what a man did and not hate the man? Years later it occurred to me that there was one man for whom I had been doing this all my life: myself. If I am to love my neighbor as myself, I must extend the same consideration to him.

“He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.” An honorable person who has made a contract and later finds it to be to his disadvantage will nevertheless perform it even if it means a loss.

This is basic integrity. But this scripture has a deeper significance. All the consecrated have “sworn to their own hurt.” We have vowed to “suffer with him, that we may be glorified together.” Let us not change. Let us add to our faith, fortitude, to continue in the footsteps of Jesus.

Knowledge

Peter says we must add to virtue [or fortitude], knowledge.

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7

Does this mean that we must be “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22), that we must all pursue the higher education of this world? No. The kind of knowledge that is required is that which will make us “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). A sound knowledge of the truth represents the wisdom that “is the principal thing.” Scientific knowledge and wisdom can release the power of the atom and unleash its tremendous physical forces. It can put men on the moon. But it cannot invoke the “power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16), the mighty power that takes the foolish, the weak, the base, the despised, those who in the eyes of the world are nothing (1 Corinthians 1:27,28) and exalt them to the pinnacle of life, the divine nature. That is real power!

In adding knowledge, we should, as the apostle says: “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15) We should have a sound knowledge of the fundamentals of the divine plan, especially the ransom. We must be convinced in our own minds, beyond the possibility of shaking, that ransom means corresponding price. We must be convinced in our own minds beyond the possibility of shaking that the ransom given by our Lord Jesus was a man’s life, for a man’s life. There are other fundamentals of truth revealed through a faithful and wise servant. Many who once walked with us and who did not diligently add to their faith this unswerving fundamental knowledge have been deceived and have fallen from the way.

Self-Control

Then we are told to add to our knowledge, temperance, or self- control. This is one of the most important elements of good character. The wise man said, “He that ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city.” (Proverbs 16:32) Self-control has application to our every activity. It has to do with all our sentiments, thoughts, tastes, appetites, labors, pleasures, sorrows and hopes. Its successful cultivation means a high order of character development. The fruit of self-control is moderation. Paul exhorts, “Let your moderation be known unto all men.” (Philippians 4:5) It takes strength of character to be moderate in all things. It is contrary to the spirit of the world, with its depraved tastes, appetites and excesses. Moderation balances all the other virtues. A philosopher named Ogburn has written a bit of worldly wisdom worth repeating:

“Moderation is the only virtue. The other so-called virtues are virtuous only in-so-far as they are joined with moderation. To be over-courageous, is to be foolhardy. To be over-thrifty, is to be parsimonious miserly. To be over-loving is to be doting. To be too unselfish is to weary the world with the spectacle of your

martyrdom. To give a child, a mate or a friend too much attention, or too little, is equally disastrous. Self-abnegation and self-glorification are both vices. To be too thoughtful is to be incapable of action; to be over-active is self-defeating and likely to prove fatal. Moderation is what counts.”

But we as Christians know that there is one thing in which we must not be moderate, to which we must give no restraint “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matthew 22:37) There is no moderation here! We must go all the way!

Patience

We must add to temperance (or self-control), patience. Jehovah is called a “God of patience.” (Romans 15:5) How true this is! He has plenty of time. The psalmist wrote, “From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalms 90:2) Extending from everlastingly into the past, to everlastingly into the future, without the necessity of hurrying to “meet a deadline,” as human creatures are always doing. He has taken millions of years to create the universe, and ages upon ages, to create the world. Peter tells us:

“Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is, with the Lord, as a thousand years; and a thousand years as one day.” 2 Peter 3:8

Think of it! Man’s creation, fall, redemption, resurrection and restitution, all happen in only a week as far as God is concerned! Let us remember this the next time we are impatient with the seeming delay in the outworking of God’s plan.

There is a text that indicates patience will be one of the final and most shaking tests upon the church at the end of the age where we are now:

“Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward, for ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:35-37

Many have said, “We have done the will of God. The `times of the Gentiles’ have ended. 1914 has come and gone. Is it not time for our change? We know the reign has begun, but is it not time for Christ the Lord to appear openly and to manifest his kingdom on earth in power and glory?”

Lacking patience some were disappointed at the delay and “cast away their confidence,” and with it, “the great recompense of reward.” They lost interest in the truth; they lost their calling and election. Others with impatience took action by trying to hurry things up. They tried to hasten the work of the kingdom by their own efforts. They established Kingdom Halls. They twisted, perverted, and misapplied the prophecies. One error led to another until the fundamental doctrine of the ransom was tampered with all because of a lack of patience.

The outworking of the times and seasons should be left to the Lord! We read: “Wait ye upon me, saith the Lord.” (Zephaniah 3:8) Wait! This applies also to our development as new creatures. It takes time for anything worth while to mature. Hastily picked fruit is unripe, hard, sour and bitter. But time, as well as pruning, fertilizing, cultivating, and exposure to sunshine and rain produces ripe and luscious fruit which delights the taste. This is confirmed by James:

“Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth; and hath long patience for it; until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts.” James 5:7,8

The child of God must have patience, patience with the poor blinded world, with our enemies because they know not what they do, with the “babes in Christ,” with the slow and ignorant, with the excitable and blundering, with the over-confident Peters and the skeptical Thomases. By the application of the time element, patience will work to perfect our characters in love. “Let patience have her perfect work.” (James 1:4) There is no substitute for it, there are no short cuts. Once when James Garfield was president of Hiram College in Ohio, a father asked him if the course of study could be simplified to enable his son to “go through by a shorter route.” Garfield replied:

“Certainly, but it all depends upon what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak tree, he takes a hundred years. When he wants to make a squash, he requires only two months.”

We are being schooled and prepared for an exceedingly high position. It takes time! We are of “them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor and immortality; eternal life.” (Romans 2:7) “He that endureth to the end, shall be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

Godliness

Next, we are told to add to patience, godliness, or God-likeness. This comes with Christian maturity. As we learn of God’s plans and ways, we conform our plans and ways to his. We taste of his goodness and see positive evidences of his leadings and disciplines in our individual lives. Through constant communion in prayer over the years we become very close to our Lord. As a son who loves and admires his father, seeks to emulate him, and copy his ways, we pattern ourselves after God and Christ. We reach the point when, even with our finite minds, we reason like God does. He has said, “Come now, let us reason together.” (Isaiah 1:18) We learn to love him with all our hearts, minds and souls. We heartily, cheerfully and lovingly conform to his will. Just as an earthly father loves a son who emulates him, God loves us for it!

This Godliness is a later development of Christian character; and a very vital one if we are to gain the prize. It is what Paul describes as the “Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14) Let us not be discouraged by the seeming stringency of this requirement. We are not required to be sinless. Please notice that the same verse of scripture that invites us to “come, let us reason together,” is the one that assures us “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) Confirming this, John wrote, tenderly and reassuringly:

“My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1

Praise God for such a wonderful provision!

Brotherly-Kindness

We are counseled to add to Godliness, brotherly-kindness. Does this mean we are to be kind only to the brethren? No! The prefix “brotherly” describes the quality of kindness, not its scope. We are to manifest this choice variety or degree of kindness known as brotherly-kindness to all but, as with any other good thing, especially to the household of faith. In this we are also being God-like because

God is described as “a God ready to pardon; gracious and merciful; slow to anger; and of great kindness.” (Nehemiah 9:17)

Some may say, “Of course he is merciful and kind to his own people to those who are in covenant relationship with him; but others can expect no mercy. For them the second death awaits.” There is a large society holding to this view today. This view puts a false limit on the goodness of God. Jesus himself said of the Heavenly Father:

“For he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:35,36

We are of all men most fortunate to have been called and enlightened of God. Our hearts should be tender toward those less fortunate than ourselves. It is through us that the Lord will manifest his kindness and mercy to the world in the future; we are expected to demonstrate kindness and mercy now. But in this we will often be misunderstood by the world. Many of the world cannot comprehend unselfish kindness. Do good to such, and he will say or think, “What’s your angle? What’s in it for you? What’s the gimmick?

Nobody gives something for nothing!” Doing good without any hope of return is simply incomprehensible to the world. But how astonished they will be when during the kingdom, the very windows of heaven will be opened and they will be deluged with good things beyond their imaginations! When “whosoever will” can take freely of the rich blessings provided. (Revelation 22:17) With the application of the principle that “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” we, the instruments of dispensing good things, will be very blessed indeed!

Love

Finally we are told to add to brotherly-kindness, charity or love. The kind of love here referred to is the highest form of love. It is higher than the love suggested by brotherly-kindness. It is this kind of love: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) This love, which God exemplifies, is the kind he sets before us as the highest standard, or “mark” toward which we must run. This perfect standard of love is impossible to our fallen flesh. But it is possible and attainable, by our renewed minds, wills and hearts.

We read: “The end of the commandment is love” (1 Timothy 1:5), this highest form of love. The object of all God’s counsel and discipline is to bring us to this character-likeness to himself this exalted form of love. As we read:

“God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

Love to God alone is not the full manifestation of this grace. There must be a corresponding love to man. John 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

Jesus said: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35) With diligence let us add to our faith, virtue [or fortitude], knowledge, temperance [or self- control], patience, godliness, brotherly-kindness, and the highest form of love.

“For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren, nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these thing’s is blind, and cannot see afar off; and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

Some in the Society who were formerly of like mind, have scoffed at character-development and have become blinded to the true counsel of God in this respect. They are short-sighted and “cannot see afar off.” They cannot see that as a man sows now, he reaps in the future. They have forgotten the years already spent in developing character fruits, and the measure of cleansing that resulted. They have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins.

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.”

Someone might say, “There’s a big if here. The Jews could have attained life, too, if they had kept the law perfectly.” True, but there’s a big difference here. With us, the contingency is not in the doing of these things perfectly as it was with the Jews. We have at our disposal the righteousness of Christ to cover our transgressions and to compensate for our daily shortcomings. But if, added to our faith in the imputed righteousness of Christ, we have cultivated all these graces to the extent of our ability, we shall not fall!

That is a positive statement: “Ye shall never fall.” You shall never cease to be in line for the great prize of the high calling.

“For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

Notice: It is an abundant entrance! There is nothing grudging about it! It brings to mind a wide open door, open arms, a hearty welcome home with those we love best, after a long and weary journey.

The Astonishing Doctrines

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28,29

VERY early in Jesus’ ministry, almost from the very beginning, the Jews sought to kill him. Why did they want to do this? Everything Jesus did was good. It is written that he was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” (Hebrews 7:26) He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed. (Acts 10:38) He was anointed to “proclaim the gospel to the poor, bind up the broken- hearted, and preach deliverance to captives.” (Luke 4:18) These are good things to do and should gain a sympathetic response from all good-hearted people. He faithfully did these things with all the might of his perfect human organism. “And the common people heard him gladly” (Mark 12:37), or as the Diaglott has it: “And the great crowd heard him with pleasure.”

Wherever he went, he performed miracles of mercy, love and compassion. He did it lavishly and freely, to all who had need. The poor people, the common people, the poverty-stricken, the sick, the oppressed, the tax-ridden, those in servitude, the unfortunate who had never in their lives gotten anything free before, flocked to him in huge numbers. They had been waiting for Messiah, the Christ. Luke says that at this particular time, all men in Israel “were in expectation of him.” (Luke 3:15) From the prophecies, they expected Messiah to come with great power, performing miracles. Here was a man who fitted that description. This must indeed be the Messiah.

This rising tide of sentiment infuriated the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees who saw their positions threatened. As we read:

“And many of the people believed on him and said: When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these, which this man hath done?” John 7:31

The Pharisees Try to Take Jesus

The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him, so what did they do? “And the Pharisees and the chief priests, sent officers to take him.” Think of it! These were the religious leaders of the people, the teachers, the models of morality and truth. They sat in Moses’ seat and were the custodians of the oracles of God. What was their first reaction when faced with a rival? They had no consideration as to the mercy, goodness and truth being brought to the people; they had not even a shrinking or a fear of opposing a work that was obviously blessed of God. Their only primitive, savage reaction, as old as Cain, was: “Take him, and kill him!” So we read: “The Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.” They undoubtedly had a plan. Perhaps they would judge him to be a wizard and stone him. This was perfectly legal according to Mosaic law. A few false witnesses procured with pieces of silver could testify about a number of acts punishable by death.

Then they would be rid of him. It was as simple and as crude as that!

They sent officers to take him and waited for them to return with Jesus. They waited, and they waited. There seemed to be some delay, but finally, “then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees.” (John 7:45) Jesus was not with them! They were empty-handed and shame-faced. “And they said unto them, why have ye not brought him?” The officers answered, “Never man spake like this man!” What kind of an excuse was this for such men to make?

These officers were hard, tough-minded men, callused to all kinds of violence and cruelty. They were of the same band who were later assigned to go with Judas to Gethsemane, who watched, unmoved, the most loathsome betrayal in history, a betrayal which has become a byword, to this day: the Judas Kiss. These were the ones who captured Jesus, bound him, and took him to the palace of the high priest for questioning. (John 18:15) They were the same band of officers who slapped Jesus with the palms of their hands (John 18:22), who dragged Jesus to Pilate’s judgment hall (18:28), and turned him over to the cruel Roman soldiers for scourging and other indignities.

These were not soft men by any means. They were strong, reckless men, armed with swords. All Jesus had was his manner and speech, but it was quite enough! As Jesus spoke they stood, listened, backed away, and returned to the chief priests without him and with the lame excuse: “Never man spake like this man!” What had happened? I think it is obvious that being men used to authority, they had met a superior authority; they had met their master! Later, when Jesus had completed his ministry, he would permit them to take him; but it was not yet time. Even in Gethsemane, when the time had come for Jesus to submit to them, the superior authority of his manner and voice almost prevented these men from carrying out their mission even then. We read from John:

“Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests, and Pharisees, cometh thither, with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus . . . went forth and said unto them: Whom seek ye? They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them: I am he. . . . As soon, then, as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them again: Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered: I have told you, that I am he.” John 18:3-8

Do you see what happened here? It was the custom in those days for officers to step back and prostrate themselves in the presence of a king. Jesus had but to say three words, “I am he,” and the power and authority of his speech caused these hard but simple men to prostrate themselves before the king of kings! But Jesus’ time had now come and he had to actually help these men take him!

Jesus’ Sacrifice Was Voluntary

There is a very important reason why it had to be this way. Jesus’ sacrifice was to be voluntary so he laid down his defenses, he relinquished his command over more than 12 legions of angels, and gave himself a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:5,6). As Jesus himself said:

“Therefore doth my Father love me; because I lay down my life . . . No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.” John 10:17,18

These men did not forcibly take Jesus; he gave himself into their hands!

There is another illustration of the power of Jesus’ presence and speech. The rulers of the synagogue were present when he taught one Sabbath day. As usual the common people heard him, hungrily and gladly. We read: “And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.” (Luke 4:22) Then we read:

“[Those] of the synagogue when they heard these things, were filled with wrath and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them, went his way.” Luke 4:28-30

These people had murder in their hearts. They fully intended to push Jesus over the cliff and kill him. Jesus allowed himself to be pushed along to the very edge of the cliff as a witness against them, to confirm their murderous intentions beyond a doubt. Then he simply turned around and walked “through the midst of them.” If he said anything, it is not recorded. He certainly did communicate his authority to them, by his looks and manner. As he advanced, their murderous spirit suddenly evaporated and they fell back allowing him to pass. Even these evil men knew when they had met their master! Then we read:

“[He] came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them, on the sabbath days; and they were astonished at his doctrine, for his word was with power.” Luke 4:31,32

He radiated power and authority. It was something you could feel, that took hold of you, that moved you.

There was also the incident when “the Pharisees took counsel, how they might entangle him in his talk” by asking him whether they should give tribute to Caesar or not. (Matthew 22:15) Jesus answered: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) Then we read: “When they had heard these words, they marvelled.”

The Multitudes Were Amazed The Sadducees also tried to trip up Jesus before the people, by dreaming up a strange case of the woman who had had seven husbands in her lifetime. “In the resurrection,” they asked, “Whose wife shall she be, of the seven?” Jesus gave a concise answer and we read: “And the crowds, hearing this, were amazed at his teaching.” (Matthew 22:33, Diaglott) They had never heard anything like this before. His teachings were obviously true but they hope lessly confounded the chief priests, Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees, the most brilliant minds in the land! It was amazing, indeed!

It is written of Jesus that “there followed him, great multitudes of people.” (Matthew 4:25) “And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set, his disciples came unto him; and he opened his mouth, and taught them.” (Matthew 5:1,2) Then follows what is generally known as Christ’s Sermon on the Mount comprising the fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew. At the end of this sermon, we read the words of our text:

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28,29

It would seem that when he started his sermon, only his disciples were present; it was intended for their ears. By the time he had finished, “the people” were there as well. The multitudes sought him out and found him; what they heard of the sermon astonished them.

People are amazed and astonished to this day. Here is a quote from the writings of the eminent psychiatrist:

“If you were to take the sum total of all the authoritative articles ever written by the most qualified of psychologists and psychiatrists on the subject of mental hygiene; if you were to combine them, and refine them, and cleave out the excess verbiage; if you were to take the whole of the meat and none of the parsley; and if you were to have these unadulterated bits of pure scientific knowledge, concisely expressed by the most capable of living poets, you would have an awkward and incomplete summation of the Sermon on the Mount.” Dr. James T. Fisher

Doesn’t that show a great deal of amazed admiration? In 2,000 years this sermon by Jesus has lost none of its magnificent power and is acknowledged today, even by a worldly psychiatrist, to be a veritable model of sound thinking. Yet they do it only lip service. They do not follow its precepts. Jesus’ teachings were directed primarily to his disciples, his footstep followers. His doctrines were of God and ran counter to the ways and wisdom of the world. “The wisdom of this world, is foolishness with God.” (1 Corinthians 3:19)

Let us consider some of the doctrines Jesus taught which are strange, astonishing and amazing to the world, yet are the wisdom of God and the very lifeblood of Christian development. Jesus said to his disciples: “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) In other words, they are your very breath of life! Jesus was referring to the man of God, the consecrated and spirit-begotten person, when he cited the scripture: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)

When Jesus delivered his sermon on the mount, he astonished his hearers from beginning to end. His opening statement, which might be considered the text of his sermon, was a bombshell to them: “Blessed are the poor in spirit [or humble-minded] for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

Then he said: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) They said to themselves:

“What a preposterous thought. Humble-minded indeed! Meek indeed! We are a proud people. We Israelites are God’s chosen people. There is nothing humble or meek about the way that God, with a mighty hand and a stretched out arm (Deuteronomy 5:15), delivered our forefathers from Egypt. The cream of Egypt’s manhood, the firstborn, was slain for us; the Red Sea was divided in our behalf. We’re important! There was nothing meek or humble about Joshua’s decisive victories, and the forcible occupation of Canaan by our forebearers. And what about the mighty dynasty of David and the pomp, glory, and riches of Solomon? And it is that same “throne of David” that our Messiah is to restore to us and make worldwide. And now this man, who purports to be the Messiah, talks to us about the humble gaining the kingdom and the meek inheriting the earth!”

Most Did Not Understand

You see why they were astonished at his doctrine! But they did not understand that Jesus was giving natural Israel a chance to become spiritual Israel. In his sermon he enunciated the principles that would transform their characters, cause them to follow in his footsteps, to be filled with the holy spirit, to become new creatures, to give up their earthly rights, privileges and prospects, to lay down their lives as he was doing, to humbly and meekly submit to the directions and chastenings of the Lord, to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, to be chiseled, polished and fitted as instruments to “bless all the families of the earth” as the spiritual seed of Abraham, the stars of heaven; to become the “sons of God!”

They did not respond to these teachings of Jesus. Instead they were “astonished at his doctrine.” They did not accept and receive the principles of Jesus’ sermon. As John so well expressed it:

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not; but as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” John 1:11,12

Ah yes! Some did receive him. The disciples accepted Jesus and did seek to conform their lives to the heavenly standards he set for them. They grasped the power or privilege of becoming the sons of God!

Let us come down to the present day, a day described as a time of increased knowledge. (Daniel 12:4) The present time is often referred to as “the Space Age.” Man’s horizons have been tremendously widened. At one time, the thought of conquering the whole world was the ultimate in selfish ambition. Greater possession than this earth could not be humanly conceived. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26) But now man covets not just the earth, but the heavens as well! Men have already visited the moon. Now space craft are being prepared to visit the other planets of the solar system. Some have even dared to think of visiting other solar systems! A desperate race is now on to see which nation shall be first to claim these heavenly bodies by right of possession in other words to gain a “kingdom of heaven.” Only a few years ago, such a thought would have been considered fantastically imaginative pure science fiction. Now in this “space age” hard-headed and practical men are pouring time and treasure into such projects.

Suppose we were to gather together some of these modern “wise men” who think to conquer heaven and earth political leaders, business tycoons, military strategists, and other intellectual giants and say to them: “Gentlemen, there is a way you can obtain the kingdom of heaven, and inherit the earth. It is a very simple formula, not classified top secret but openly and plainly stated in a book which has the freest and greatest circulation of any book in history. The formula is this: Blessed are the poor in spirit [or humble-minded] for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; and Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

What do you suppose their reaction would be? We can imagine the politician saying: “Humility? Meekness? That won’t elect anybody! It just isn’t realistic, not good politics. You’ve got to denounce the opposition; build up their shortcomings, play down their successes. Promise anything to get the vote. You don’t have to deliver. Once you’re in, what can they do about it? Humble? Don’t be silly!”

The business man would say: “Blessed are the meek? That’s not the way I heard it! Sentiment has no place in business. You’ve got to be tough-minded and aggressive. Beat the next guy to the punch! To be successful, you must be spurred by self-interest and self-will; push yourself forward, even to the point of belligerence! Shoulder your competitor aside, and grab the business away from them!” An executive vice-president of an advertising agency is quoted as saying in a speech: “In new business, if you engage in anything short of a direct assault on the jugular vein, you’re in the Mickey Mouse league.”

The military man would say: “Humility and meekness won’t win battles. You’ve got to get there first with the most, and press every advantage. In the face of a superior force, you must be cunning and audacious, confusing the enemy; striking unexpectedly where it hurts the most. You must impress them with your fearlessness. When you have gained the advantage, demand unconditional surrender with the alternative of complete slaughter. If you’re humble-minded and meek, you’re dead!”

Others will say: “Being meek and lowly goes against everything we’ve been taught about life and character. To be servile, poor in spirit, goes against everything we’ve been told is right and necessary and great. On the contrary we should be spirited, not poor in spirit. When we say someone has plenty of spirit, it’s a compliment. Don’t let anybody push you around! Look out for Number One! God helps those who help themselves!” They would go on to say: “If you want others to think well of you, think well of yourself! Brag a little, bluff a little; no one will give you credit for more than you claim; a little haughtiness will impress people; meekness is weakness. What we need in the world today is strength not poor weaknesses! Think highly of yourself!”

Aren’t these familiar terms? This is the current pattern offered for success. It was the same in Jesus’ day. Do we wonder that they “were astonished at his doctrine” when he told them they could inherit heaven and earth by being poor in spirit, humble and meek? This method did not appeal to them at all; it violated their every standard. This may be what Isaiah meant when he described Jesus prophetically:

“He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him; He was despised and rejected of men.” Isaiah 53:2,3

His Doctrines Had No “Beauty”

I believe that as a perfect man, Jesus was comely and did have great physical beauty. How could it be otherwise? Is a perfect human son of God, ugly? Of course not! But it was his teachings, his astonishing doctrines, that did not conform to their worldly ideas. It was in these that they found no form, nor comeliness, nor beauty nor anything desirable from an earthly standpoint. So they despised and rejected him, hid their faces from him, and esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3,4) As Matthew later expressed it: “They were offended in him.” (Matthew 13:57) They simply did not understand. They were only concerned with how they might fill their bellies with food each day. What did they know about inheriting the earth, and the kingdom of heaven? The whole idea was staggering to their minds; it was an incomprehensible mystery!

The disciples were different. They had a hunger and a thirst for what Jesus taught; Jesus promised that they would be filled, that the mysteries would be revealed to them. As Jesus said to his disciples:

“It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; but to them, it is not given. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which saith: By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive; for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them; but blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears, for they hear.” Matthew 13:11,14-16

Blessed indeed! In this astonishing doctrine of humility which the world despises and rejects as ugly, repugnant and worthless, we find a fantastic and soul-satisfying beauty! The child of God experiences the utter joy of being poor in spirit, the powerful, sweet joy of coming to God with nothing at all! Nothing! Coming so poor, so stripped, so without the necessities of spiritual life, that everything you can have, everything you need, everything you want, must come to you as a gift of God, through Jesus Christ! This is a joy the world can never experience, can never understand! It is the joy of giving up everything, counting all things as loss and dross that we may win Christ.

Humility and Meekness in Our Lives

How should humility and meekness be applied continually in our day-to-day lives as Christians? Peter tells us:

“Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:5-9

We are not to humbly subject ourselves unnecessarily to this world and the evil ones of this world. This would be conforming to this world. We are told: “Be not conformed to this world.” (Romans 12:2) Peter says, “be subject one to another and be clothed with humility one to another.” When he says “one to another,” he is speaking of the brotherhood of the truth, the fellowship of those of like precious faith, “the body of Christ, the church of God.” In the next verse he says: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.” Don’t humble yourselves to just anybody and under any circumstance, but under the mighty hand of God! We are not to humble ourselves under Satan and the evil men he controls. Peter specifically emphasizes this when he describes Satan as a rampaging, defiant, roaring lion; and adds: “Whom resist steadfast in the faith.” So we are not to be always humble, submissive and meek to any and all persons and conditions. There is a time to resist, a time to fight the good fight of faith, a time to withstand as Paul withstood Peter to the face (Galatians 2:11), a time to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. Ah, yes! That is important. Once many years ago when I objected to certain new doctrines being introduced in the church by the Society, I was advised to be humble enough and meek enough to accept what comes from the channel without question. I’m certainly glad I didn’t take that advice!

But even when we do not agree with others, we can and should be gentle with them. We don’t have to stir up opposition and fan the flames of dissension. As Paul told Timothy:

“The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men . . . in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves.” 2 Timothy 2:24,25

As representatives of Christ, we must not be servile or slavish, groveling before the world. As the ambassadors we are, we should walk with dignity, with our heads high, befitting our high calling. Herein is another danger. Out of the billions of earth, only a few have been invited to this wonderful calling. We are the light of the world, we are the salt of the earth, we are a most unusual and unique group. The Lord deals with us in a very special way. Because of this, it is so easy to fall into a self-important and haughty attitude. It may be gradual, and initially imperceptible. It seems so human to think well of ourselves, and we should, to a certain extent. Yes, we should even love ourselves, to a degree. Jesus said: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39) This certainly teaches that you must love your neighbor, does it not? But how much? To what degree? Why, as much as you love yourself! This is the measure of it. Thus if this teaching of Jesus admonishes us to love our neighbor, it implies that we also love ourselves because we must love our neighbor as ourself. But of course it is not our old, degraded, sinful human selves we are to love, nor our dead bodies, but our new creature selves, the begotten of God. It may be called self-respect as new creatures.

There is a serious danger here, too. This spirit of self-love can be carried too far and can sow the seed of our destruction as new creatures. This is because the next human step is to try to impress others by showing them how great, fine and good we are, even though we know we really are not. Before long we start to believe it ourselves! As Paul said:

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

Yes, we should think soberly, or realistically, of ourselves, not making ourselves something we are not. But at the same time, we should not hide away any small talent we may have which may be used in the Lord’s service. Although not thinking of ourselves “more highly than we ought to think,” we should, nevertheless, realistically evaluate what abilities the Lord has endowed us with and use them to his glory. Sometimes having too low an opinion of our own abilities may result in our neglecting to use what we can in the Lord’s work. A wise man has said: “Use what talents you possess. The woods would be very silent if only the best birds sang.”

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” or humble-minded. They are blessed indeed. Being humble-minded makes us charitable and forgiving to the faults of others. Because we are humble-minded enough to realize our own unworthiness, we overlook the faults in our brethren. We look for their graces instead, the indications of their development as new creatures. This is not always an easy thing to do. A lecturer once hung a large square of white paper on the blackboard. Then he made a tiny black spot in the center. He asked various ones in his audience what they saw. They all replied, “A black dot.” The speaker asked: “Don’t any of you see a large square of white?” The blemish, the spot, the defect, even though exceedingly small, is seen and pointed out. The big white preponderance of lovely graces are ignored. This is a fallen human trait and is unworthy of the consecrated people of God.

Being truly humble-minded makes us merciful, kind, patient, forbearing, forgiving and charitable:

“Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. . . . And above all these things, put on charity [or love], which is the bond of perfectness.” Colossians 3:12,14

Clothed with Humility

These are the things we are to “put on.” The Diaglott says we are to be “clothed” with them, enveloped with them, wrapped up with them. The first quality mentioned associated with humbleness of mind is mercy. If we are humble-minded enough to know how poor we are, how unprofitable we are, how very much we ourselves are in need of mercy, we will be merciful to others. Don’t forget that every such act of mercy is noted by the Lord. He uses them as a measure to return mercy to us: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) This is one of the treasures you lay up in heaven.

Those who are most used in the Lord’s service are in the most danger. Satan suggests to them that they are doing a great work, and perhaps they are. But the subtle suggestion is that they are doing it by their own strength and they begin to glory in it. How foolish!

“Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up; or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were not wood!” Isaiah 10:15

The humble-minded child of God will yield himself as a tool in God’s hand, to be wielded and used by him, but will never presume that any of what is accomplished is by his own merit or strength. “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31) Yes, in humility our Lord Jesus is our supreme example. As it is so beautifully stated by Paul:

“Let this disposition be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, though being in God’s form, yet did not meditate a usurpation to be like God; but divested himself, taking a bondman’s form, having been made in the likeness of men; and being in condition as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross! And therefore, God supremely exalted him, and freely granted to him that name which is above every name.” Philippians 2:5-9, Diaglott

We can never attain to this measure of humility, to give such a demonstration of it as this. It is not expected of us. We are not, and have never been, exalted spirit beings from which condition we might humble ourselves as Jesus did. None of us will ever literally be brought so low as to die the death on the cross; such a great humiliation as our Master suffered can never be ours. How then do we walk in his footsteps? Paul explains it in the very beginning of the scripture quoted: “Let this disposition be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” or as the old familiar King James version has it: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ

We must have the same humble mind or disposition as Jesus. As he said of himself: “I am meek, and lowly in heart.” (Matthew 11:29) Paul said: “Now I, Paul, myself beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:1)

How did Paul know about the meekness and gentleness of Christ? Paul had never met Jesus in the flesh. Ah, but he had savagely persecuted Jesus’ followers and had witnessed their reactions under trying circumstances. Just as the chief priests, seeing the boldness of Peter and John, marveled and took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13), Paul had learned of the meekness and gentleness of Christ through his disciples by their minds and dispositions when he persecuted them, as well as in his later association with them as a brother in Christ.

Jesus also said: “I can of mine own self, do nothing.” (John 5:30) Thus he humbly acknowledged that every one of his mighty miracles his thousands of healings and all the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth–were really of the father and only through himself! As he said:

“I have not spoken of myself; but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” John 12:49

Think of it! He gave God credit for every word he spoke! He did not take credit for a single original idea. What a flawless example for us to emulate!

Jesus taught other astonishing doctrines which the world does not understand. He taught that men get by giving, they win by losing, they live by dying. Try that on your next door neighbor! Pure nonsense he would say, but to us, the elect of God, these are sublime thoughts. They are precepts worth living by and dying for!

We are all familiar with the golden rule:

“Therefore, all things, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Matthew 7:12

This has been considered the highest possible standard of human conduct. But for the humble-minded, there is an even grander rule than this. I call it the diamond rule:

“In lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves!” Philippians 2:3

Esteem them not as yourself, but better than yourself! This goes beyond the Golden Rule. If you can do this, if you can live this, you are one of the blessed ones that Jesus was talking to on the mount. Yours is the kingdom of heaven. You shall inherit the earth!

The Bible Versus the Evolution Theory

THE theory that man had no designer or creator, but is the product of nature by an evolutionary process, is very generally accepted today as true. It is widely taught in our schools and colleges in contradiction of the Bible statement that man was a direct creation of God. But the evolution of man is only a theory. When logically examined, it is a very unreasonable theory. It not only contradicts the teachings of the Bible, it violates simple common sense.

It must be self-evident to every reasonable mind that effects must be produced by competent causes. Nothing can design and create itself. A thing of beauty, symmetry and intricacy cannot be produced by an unintelligent blind force termed “nature.” The maker must of necessity be superior to the thing made.

Consider the human organism. It is a masterpiece of design and workmanship, combining mechanical, chemical and electrical principles, superbly interrelated and interacting with harmony and precision. It is so complicated that modern science can not explain its every operation. It is obviously beyond human ingenuity. Thus it clearly exhibits the hand of a master designer and craftsman. In addition to physical attributes, man is endowed with a high degree of intelligence, with moral and ethical qualities, that could not possibly come by chance.

The theory of evolution utterly lacks proof. All about us we see various creatures of fixed natures that do not evolve to higher natures. Although those who hold to this theory have tried repeatedly, they have never succeeded in blending different species, or in producing a new fixed variety. No instance is known where one kind has changed into another kind. Surely if unintelligent nature were the creator, the process would continue and there would be no such thing as fixed species. Without intelligence nothing would arrive at fixed conditions. Evolution would be a fact today and we would still see fish becoming birds and monkeys becoming men. But no “missing link” has ever been found nor will it be found. It does not exist.

Many sincere Christians have attempted to harmonize the theory of evolution with the Bible saying that the Genesis account of the creation of man is merely allegorical, that Adam was not a direct creation of God but was the end result of millions of years of evolution from the ape, that he was in fact a monkey-man. They say that mankind has been evolving upward ever since, steadily developing higher physical and mental qualities until, in the far distant future, the human family will attain perfection. But besides being contrary to known facts, this idea is diametrically opposed to the Bible. The two cannot be reconciled.

First there is every evidence that man has been degenerating, not advancing, over the centuries. Ancient records prove that men used to have the vitality to live many hundreds of years. Today it is rare for anyone to attain to the age of one hundred.

The most ancient human skulls unearthed show a brain capacity superior to modern man. In art, architecture, sculpture and poetry, nothing today is superior to that of the ancients. The ancient laws of Moses have been a pattern for the laws of all modern civilized nations, and are superior to them in many respects. The upward evolution of man has no basis in fact.

Most important of all, if the evolution theory were correct, there would be no need for Jesus Christ. Why? Because the whole plan of God as revealed in the Bible relates to the fall of man into sin and death, and his salvation therefrom. If there was no fall because man had been evolving upward, where is the need of a Savior? The Bible throughout teaches that there is to be a restitution of mankind, a restoration to a condition previously enjoyed. Every prophet of God spoke of restitution. Peter spoke of, “times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19) If the theory of evolution were correct, restitution would be a great calamity to humankind because it would mean a return to the state of monkey-man.

In contrast with the illogical and unproven theory of evolution, the Bible view is beautiful, reasonable and heart-satisfying. The scriptures teach that there is a supreme creator, a God of wisdom, justice, love and power that has a grand Plan of the Ages whereby sin and death, which have been permitted for man’s experience, will be eliminated. The result will be a perfect race of human beings, living forever in health and happiness in a worldwide garden of Eden. Let us trace this loving plan as taught in the Bible.

After preparing the earth for man’s habitation, God proposed to bring into being, as ruler of earth, a noble earthly creature, in his moral likeness, described as “a little lower than the angels.” (Psalms 8:5)

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion . . . over all the earth. . . . So God created man in his own image; in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them; and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish [fill] the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion.” Genesis 1:26-28

We further read in verse 31 that “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” It was perfect. We are told in Genesis 3:22 that Adam was designed with the ability to live forever.

Being created in “the image of God” means Adam was made in the creator’s moral and character likeness. Unlike the lower animals with their compelling instincts, Adam was endowed with a moral sense, and a freedom of choice. He was able to reason independently, to reach decisions and to freely act in harmony with them. He was what we call a free moral agent. This is exactly what God wanted a man capable of making his own decisions who would obey his God and do what is right by freedom of choice, because he wanted to do so, not because he was compelled to do so.

Adam was tested to determine whether he would, of his own free will, obey God’s laws and thus be worthy of continued life. The option given to Adam was obey and live, or disobey and die. The test was eminently just and fair. God purposely made it simple and easy. Adam was to abstain from eating the fruit of a certain tree. But Adam failed the test. By the connivance of Satan, Adam deliberately and knowingly disobeyed God. This was the greatest tragedy in the history of the world, this is how sin entered the world and condemned Adam and his entire race to death. Since that time, all have been born sinners, have been born dying. Thus we read:

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12

This happened a little more than six thousand years ago. Since then mankind, instead of progressing as evolutionists claim, has been degenerating mentally, morally and physically.

Now we come to the most wonderful part of God’s plan. God provided a redeemer for Adam and his entire race.

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

Jesus was born on earth as a perfect, sinless man, not under the Adamic sentence of death. He laid down his unforfeited human life in the place and stead of Adam’s forfeited life, as a ransom price; he redeemed Adam and all his race from death.

“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:21,22

For this purpose, a kingdom of God with Christ as king is even now dawning upon the earth. During this kingdom there is to be a resurrection of the dead. All the willing and obedient will be restored to human perfection to live forever in a worldwide garden of Eden.

The Boy Samuel

AT THE time of our lesson, which was about 1170 BC, .there lived in Ramah, in the hill country of Eph raim, a devout man of the tribe of Levi , named .Elkanah. He had two wives. The first was Hannah, whom he loved the best, but who had no children. The second was Peninnah, who bore him several sons and daughters.

In those days the Tabernacle of the Lord was located at Shiloh, a few miles north of Jerusalem. The priest in charge was Eli, but being an old man, he had entrusted the work of sacrificing to his two sons.

Elkanah was a godly man, and used to go up to Shiloh every year, taking his entire family with him, to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. On one of these occasions he divided the sacrificial animal, probably a bullock, into several parts, giving a portion to each member of his family for their offering. He gave his wife, Peninnah, and each of her children, equal portions, but, because he loved Hannah the best, and she had no children, it was his custom to give her a double portion to offer. This annoyed Peninnah, and she continually jeered at Hannah, reproaching her for her barrenness. We now read from 1 Samuel 1:6 to 8 [Moffatt]:

“Her rival used to taunt her bitterly, to irritate her. And this went on year after year. Whenever she went up to the house of the Eternal, she taunted Hannah. One day when Elkanah was sacrificing, Hannah wept and would not eat. So her husband Elkanah said to her, Hannah, why are you weeping? Why are you not eating? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

Although Elkanah’s love was a great consolation to Hannah, she so much wanted to have a son. For years she had yearned and longed for one, and she was so tired of being taunted by Peninnah.

Now here she was, at the Tabernacle of God, the place of prayer and sacrifice. So she decided what she would do. She would implore God, with tears, to please grant her heart’s desire, and she would make a solemn vow unto the Lord, promising what she would do if her request was granted. We now read from the record, 1 Samuel 1:9-11 [Moffatt]:

“Hannah rose and stood before the Eternal, where Eli the priest was sitting on his chair at the doorposts of the Temple of the Eternal.

With a sore heart she prayed to the Eternal, weeping bitterly, and she made this vow: O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look upon the plight of thy servant and remember me, and not forget thy servant, but will give thy servant a son, then I will give him to the Eternal for the whole of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

She repeated this prayer and this vow, with great fervency, over and over again, pouring out her very soul to the Lord. She prayed silently, from the heart, only her lips moving.

Eli was watching her from where he sat. He was accustomed to seeing the women come in, and make short, perfunctory, emotionless prayers, and quickly leave. So he was puzzled at Hannah’s actions. He concluded that she was intoxicated, and if so, it was his duty to reprove her and remove her from the sacred premises. So he went to her and reprimanded her for drunkenness.

We read:

“And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. . . . So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.” 1 Samuel 1:15,17,18

Although he did not then know the reason for it, Elkanah rejoiced to see the happy change in his beloved Hannah. They got up early the next morning, worshipped once more before the Lord, and then journeyed home to Ramah.

When Hannah knew that the Lord had granted her request, and that she was at last to have a child, her joy knew no bounds. It was natural that she would tell her husband of the vow she had made to give the child to the Lord for all the days of his life. Elkanah must have rejoiced with her, and given his complete approval.

The Birth of Samuel

In due time Hannah gave birth to a beautiful little boy. How lovingly she must have held and hugged her precious baby, in arms that had been so long empty! She gave the proper credit to the Lord for hearing her prayer, by naming the boy Samuel, which means “Heard of God.” She did not forget her vow. She was determined to keep it.

When the time came for the next annual pilgrimage to Shiloh, Hannah did not go with the rest of the family. We read from the record in 1 Samuel 1:22,23:

“But Hannah went not up, for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth good. Tarry until thou hast weaned him.”

When Hannah said she would give Samuel to the Lord when he was weaned, she did not mean weaned from the breast. Rather she meant when he was weaned from his mother, in the sense of being able to get along without her care. This would be when he was ten to twelve years of age. This is confirmed by the Jewish historian Josephus, who says Samuel was twelve when he was given to the Lord. It is interesting to remember that –Jesus was twelve when he first presented himself at the Temple in Jerusalem. Also, it is the custom of the Jews to this day, to consider a 12-year-old boy as entering the age of responsibility.

So Hannah loved and enjoyed her little son, Samuel, for many years, telling him that he belonged to the Lord, instructing him in the scriptures, and preparing him for the service of God. So it was no surprise to Samuel when he was finally taken to Shiloh. He had anticipated it, and had eagerly looked forward to it for a long time. We now read from 1 Samuel 1:24 to 28 [Moffatt] regarding Hannah’s great sacrifice, which she so willingly gave:

“Then, after weaning him, she took him with her, along with a three-year-old bullock, a bushel of flour, and a bottle of wine. She entered the house of the Eternal at Shiloh, accompanied by the boy. And after the bullock had been slain, she brought the boy to Eli. As sure as you live, sir, she said, I am the woman who stood beside you here, praying to the Eternal. I prayed about this boy, and the Eternal granted me what I asked. So I have lent him to the Eternal. As long as he lives, he is loaned to the Eternal.”

Thus Hannah paid her vow unto the Most High. Eli questioned the handsome lad and found him to be reverential and knowledgeable beyond his years. He gladly accepted him from Hannah. He would be a father to the boy, and Samuel’s responsibilities would be that of a dutiful and helpful young son to an aged parent, who was also a High Priest of God. Thus he would be serving God.

The Nazarite Vow

When Hannah first made her vow concerning Samuel, you will remember that she said: “I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” Why did she vow not to cut his hair? She thus indicated her intention to consecrate Samuel as a Nazarite from his birth, in accordance with the regulations given in the 6th chapter of Numbers. “Nazarite” means “one separated.” It described a person who was bound by a vow of a peculiar kind, to be set apart from others for the service of God, either for life or for a defined time. Besides being forbidden to cut his hair, he was required to abstain from wine, grapes, and every intoxicating drink, and he must not approach any dead body, not even of his parents. There were other restrictions also. Some took the Nazarite vow for a limited time, for a specific purpose, but very few took the vow for life. The three Nazarites for life mentioned in the scriptures are Samuel, Samson and John the Baptist.

The question may be asked: “How could Hannah commit Samuel to the Nazarite vow, and consecrate him to the Lord before ever he was born?” It was done by the exercise of parental authority, followed by a careful rearing of the child “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), so that upon arriving at the age of responsibility, he would freely accept and ratify the parental decision made on his behalf. This is what Samuel did. He was so reared, that he expected and desired nothing less than to serve the Lord for ever. Such early consecrations are still in order. In this regard Bro. Russell said:

“It is a question with many how early in life a child may give its heart to God, and be fully consecrated to him. But the scriptures make very plain the fact that they may and should be consecrated to the Lord by their parents before their birth, or even their begetting, that thus their pre-natal influences may insure them a mental and spiritual inheritance tending to godliness, and that with the dawn of intelligence, this disposition should begin to be cultivated and warmed into vital, active piety, so that at a very tender age the little ones may intelligently ratify the parental covenant of entire consecration to God. This they should be expected and led to do as early as possible.” Reprints, page 1671.

Of such early consecrations to the Lord, we have many notable examples in the scriptures besides that of Samuel. In Judges 13:5 [Revised Version], we read that the angel of the Lord announced the forthcoming birth of Samson, saying to his mother: “You shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazarite to God from birth.” We read in Luke 1:15 the words of the angel to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, regarding John before he was born: “He shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.” Thus Samson and John were consecrated to be Nazarites for life, even before their birth.

Another example of pre-natal consecration is the apostle Paul. He said that God had ordained him to preach Christ to the Gentiles even before he was born. We read in Galatians 1:15,16:

“It pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen.”

Paul reminded young Timothy that he had been born with a strong, consecrated faith, and had been reared in the truth. He wrote in 2 Timothy 1:5 and 3:15:

“I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am persuaded in thee also. . . . And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Moses, too, was consecrated from his birth. His mother, seeing “that he was a goodly child,” defied the law of Pharaoh, and committed his life to the Lord. (Ex. 2:1-9; Hebrews 11:23-28) And Moses was a special instrument of God for as long as he lived.

These and other such examples are recorded for our admonition, to encourage the Lord’s people to devote their children to God. Those thus early devoted to the Lord, and then carefully reared in the truth, escape many a snare of the devil, into which the children of worldlings fall. Just look at the corruption of youth in the world today! How wise is the counsel of Ecclesiastes 12:1: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not.” Those evil days of bitter disappointment and despair will never come to those who, in youth, commit their ways unto the Lord, and trust him to guide their paths.

Although Hannah loved little Samuel very deeply, she did not give him to the Lord grudgingly and sorrowfully. We know this, because after giving him, she made a wonderful prayer of joy and praise to the Lord, which is given in 1 Samuel 2:1 to 10. Far from expressing sadness, the opening words are: “My heart rejoiceth in the Lord!” This prayer of praise and thanksgiving bears a striking resemblance to that of Mary, mother of Jesus, given in Luke 1:46 to 55, the opening words of which are: “My soul doth magnify the Lord.”

Hannah left little Samuel with Eli, and went home to Ramah. Eli loved the boy, and fitted him with a little linen ephod, like the one he himself wore, thus indicating that the child’s service in the Tabernacle had official sanction. We read that “Samuel ministered before the Lord.”

A touching insight into Hannah’s continued devotion to her son is given in 1 Samuel 2:19: “His mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.” This indicates that the boy grew up rapidly, since a new and larger coat was necessary every year. Thus we read in the 21st verse, that “the child Samuel grew before the Lord” not only physically, but also spiritually, in grace and relationship with the Lord, and also with men. It was similarly said of Jesus, in Luke 2:52 that “He increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” The blessing of the Lord was upon Hannah, and she bore other children, three sons and two daughters. These helped to fill the void left by absence of her beloved Samuel.