The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
April 27, 2003
In
This Issue:
Reflecting
His Light
By
Del Green
The
Called
By
Tom
Edwards
REFLECTING HIS LIGHT
Read Romans 2:17-24
Bible Thought: "If you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness" (Romans 2:19, RSV).
On the rocky shore of Lake Superior, there is a lighthouse. It is perched strategically on a high point. Up in its glass dome is a reflective prism so designed it will shine a lighted match twenty-five miles across the waters. Today, however, no light shines from this beacon. For all its outward appearance, inside it is an empty shell. That lighthouse still stands representative of all that it once was and, in fact, could still be.
Do we, like the Jews in our reading, believe we are "a light to them which are in darkness?" Yet, in truth, do we find that, as they were, we are really like this lighthouse with only an exterior appearance, while inside, there is no light?
We must first come to the realization that we have no light, Then we must fill our lives with God's presence and let Him shine out as the true light to those around us. We have no candlepower of our own. It is only as we allow ourselves to be a "prism" reflecting God's Spirit that our beacon can reach and help those out in the dark.
By Del Green, via The Admonisher, October 21, 1984
By Steve Klein
Just as God so many hundreds of years ago called His people out from Egyptian bondage, He is also today calling people out of their bondage of sin and into the glorious liberty that exists in Christ Jesus. In Matthew 22:14, Jesus proclaims that "many are called, but few are chosen." In the preceding scriptures, the parable of the wedding feast is given, in which the king had sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited; but, unfortunately, they were not willing to come -- though called, they were afterward rejected due to their own refusal.
Paul, writing to Timothy, expresses that God "has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:9,10). It is not on the basis of our works, but rather on the basis of God's purpose and grace that one can be saved. The apostle John testifies to this Divine fervor in 1 John 4:10 by showing that it was "...not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" -- a love that was extended to every transgressor "while we were yet sinners" (Rom. 5:8).
But what about the idea of being saved "according to His own purpose?" What is God's purpose? This we find revealed in the gospel. According to 2 Tim. 1:9, it was granted "from all eternity;" but not known until it had been made evident through Jesus Christ (v. 10).
It appears that God has always had a purpose for everything. It is His plan that the gospel be the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). Therefore, those who had God's grace and purpose granted them from all eternity (and can take advantage of that) are those who hear the gospel and obey it.
The need to respond is also brought forth in 2 Thessalonians 2:13,14. The passage states: "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." Again, we are made aware that God's plan of salvation was not a last-minute accommodation, but rather it had been carefully designed even prior to the creation of the universe. And with this scheme of redemption, man can be saved through "sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth." It is not a mystery or some inexplicable operation as to how one is "called."
A comprehensive faith is a prerequisite for "sanctification by the Spirit", and faith can not come without hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17) -- as verse 14 indicates, God "...called you through our gospel." Therefore, man has an active role in the conversion of his soul. Salvation does not hinge entirely upon God -- though without His love and mercy, all the believing, repenting, and working righteousness would be to no avail -- man must also humbly submit to God's righteous plan by his obedience to the gospel.
Because of man's needed response to the Divine call of God, man must keep in tune to that call. Many of those who were of God's elect during Old Testament times perished in the wilderness due to their sin and rebellion: they inadvertently manifested a disregard to their calling by their shameful ways. Is it any wonder why Peter encouraged the brethren in 2 Peter 1:10 by saying, "...give diligence to make your calling and election sure?" Such exhortation would be unnecessary, if one's calling were totally up to God, separate from any necessary action on the believer's part; but the child of God must continue to live the righteous life that God demands. This, too, is part of God's "purpose" for man that He had planned before the world began. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 also reflects this: "For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification" ("holiness", KJV). Throughout the New Testament, the Christian is exhorted to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called" (Eph. 4:1). And as the Hebrew writer proclaims in Hebrews 12:14,15, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." Yes, Christians are "called to be saints" (1 Cor. 1:2); and as the term connotes, a ``saint'' is one who is "set apart," "made holy" for a special service to God.
Another part of God's preordained purpose for the saint who works at making his calling and election sure is the calling "to His eternal glory" (1 Pet. 5:10), which can only come about through the individual's cooperation (Heb. 10:35-39; 2 Pet. 2:20-22). Paul urged Timothy to "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called" (1 Tim. 6:12). No, we're not saved by works in a meritorious sense, but our faith must be active if we want to be saved -- James 2:26, "faith without works is dead."
Briefly, the Christian has been called to also follow the example of Christ (1 Pet. 2:21) and to "proclaim the excellencies of Him" (1 Pet. 2:9). To sum it up, all in which God instructs us to do is part of His purpose, His plan, and that which the Christian has been called for.
As we consider these truths, it is obvious that without obedience we are simply turning our backs on our calling from God. How could one possibly assume that this could be done without the forfeiture of salvation?
Would you like to learn more about how you, too, can become one of the "called?"
Tom Edwards
via The Gospel Observer, March 1990