Browsing Archive: May, 2014
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Saturday, May 31, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch #7. Separate Features: Dread of Officious Interference.“Here we see . . . . . that dread of officious interference which led him to shrink from ‘building on another man’s foundation’, that delicacy which shows itself in his appeal to Philemon, whom he might have commanded, ‘yet for love’s sake rather beseeching him, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ’, and which is even more striking in some of his farewell greetings, a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Friday, May 30, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch#6. Separate Features. Generosity.“Here we see . . . . . that generosity which looked for no other reward than ‘to preach the glad tidings of Christ’ without charge, and made him feel that he would rather die ‘than that any man should make this glorying void’.” (Conybeare and Howson). The word “generous” comes from genus, stock or race, and its first meaning is, “Of noble lineage; high born” and it is so used by Shakespeare, “Most generous Sir”, where... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Thursday, May 29, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch#5. His Fervid Patriotism.“Here we see . . . . . that fervid patriotism which makes him ‘wish that he were himself accursed from Christ for his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” (Conybeare and Howson). It was Nurse Cavell, whose patriotism was sealed with her life’s blood, who was responsible for the famous words: “Patriotism is not enough.” If it is untempered and unguided, patriotism may lead to injustice, blindness, narrowness,... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Wednesday, May 28, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch#4. Earnest Indignation.“Here we see . . . . . that earnest indignation which bids his converts ‘beware of dogs, beware of the concision’, and pours itself forth in the emphatic ‘God forbid’, which meets every antinomian suggestion.” (Conybeare and Howson). The Apostle Paul could use great plainness of speech when the occasion required, and he did not hesitate when the truth was at stake, to speak of the enemies of the faith in the strongest terms. The Dictionary... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Tuesday, May 27, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch#3. His Impetuosity.“Here we see . . . . . that impetuosity which breaks out in his apostrophe to the ‘foolish Galatians’.” (Conybeare and Howson).
The reader may at first look askance at the subject to be considered in this article. Impetuosity is a trait not usually put forward for emulation, especially in spiritual things. It must, however, be remembered that we are endeavouring to reconstruct the Apostle’s self-drawn portrait. It is recorded that in reply to th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Monday, May 26, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch#2. His Independence.“Here we see that fearless independence with which he ‘withstood Peter to the face’.” (Conybeare and Howson).
The first feature sketched in by Conybeare and Howson is the Apostle’s independence, the particular passage quoted being Gal. ii. Like many other things, the quality of independence can be a very fine or a very ugly feature. The kind of independence that sets aside the fear of man, and originates in a consciousness of the sovereignty of... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Sunday, May 25, 2014,
#8. The Ark of the Tabernacle (Exod. xxv. 10-22).I srael, delivered from Egypt by the blood of the Passover, separated by the waters of the Red Sea, and alone with God in the desert, are to be taught the nature of God’s holiness, man’s sin, and God’s salvation. Already they have failed, the tables of stone having been broken. The ark therefore is made, wherein the law, unbroken, may be placed. The Lord does not come a second time to Israel with the law, for one sin places a man irrevocab... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Sunday, May 25, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch#1. The Portrait as a Whole.Most students of Scripture have at some time or other used Conybeare and Howson’s “Life and Epistles of St. Paul”. In the introduction to Vol. I there occurs one of the longest sentences to be met with in ordinary literature—a sentence containing more than 500 words.The introduction opens as follows:
“The purpose of this work is to give a living picture of St. Paul himself, and of the circumstances by which he was surrounded.”
Later on ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Saturday, May 24, 2014,
#7. The Passover.---Exodus xii. 1-20 and 29-33.Divine inspiration has sealed the blessed promise that to every saved sinner Christ is the Passover Sacrifice, and the argument in I Cor. v. 8 is that those who are saved are to seek to be free from the leaven of sin and worldliness. Egypt is a picture of the world, and the Lord’s people, though locally in it, are spiritually redeemed out of it, see Gal. i. 4. In Exod. xii. 2 we have an important but often forgotten truth, which is that redempt... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Friday, May 23, 2014,
#6. Psalm li.The heading of this Psalm gives a true introduction to its “feeling”: “A Psalm of David” (the name, David, means “the Beloved One”) “when Nathan the prophet” (whose name means “a Gift”) “came unto him”. In type, we have here a beloved child of God, convicted of sin by the Given One, Christ, and the spirit and gift of repentance. His only plea is for mercy. Mercy speaks of pure grace and this alone is the sinner’s plea (see Luke xviii. 13).
There is a wond... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Thursday, May 22, 2014,
#5. Isaiah’s transforming Vision (Isa. vi.).The historical setting of this vision is full of teaching. In II Chron. xxvi. 16-21 we get the sad story of King Uzziah—the story of a presumptuous man who dared to unite the offices of King and Priest. The uniting of these two offices will be the culminating sin of the Antichrist (II Thess. ii. 4), for the true Priest-King is the Messiah Himself (Psa. cx. 4). In the same year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw his vision of the One Who was right... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Wednesday, May 21, 2014,
#4. The offering of Isaac.
Genesis xxii.We may consider this chapter from two different points of view:(1) As a record of the testing of Abraham’s faith.(2) As typical of the work of Christ.Let us consider each of these aspects in turn.
Abraham had been declared by the Lord to be righteous as far back as Gen. xv. 6, and Paul uses this passage in Rom. iv. as an argument for justification by faith. The apostle James, however, after alluding to the blessedness of enduring temptation or testing (... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Wednesday, May 21, 2014,
by Charles H. Welch#2. “Light affliction” and the “Weight of glory”.“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (II Cor. iv. 17).
A deal of harm may be done if we lift this passage out of its context and press its teaching upon souls unprepared by truth to receive it. It is not true that “affliction”, considered in itself, is “light”. Paul had confessed earlier in this same epistle that he had been ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Tuesday, May 20, 2014,
#3. The redemption of Christ.
Isaiah liii.“Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him—Jesus” (Acts viii. 35). May this be the Divine key-note of all our meditations, and particularly so in connection with this chapter of Isaiah. The word “arm” in verse 1 means “that which sows” or “the seed corn”—so that the passage could be translated, if the N.T. did not settle it for us, “the seed corn of the Lord”. In John xii. 38 we read: ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Tuesday, May 20, 2014,
- by Charles H. Welch
#1. “My times are in Thy hand.”Many a believer during periods of trial has breathed the words of the Psalmist, “My times are in Thy hand” (Psa. xxxi. 15), and we are sure that the slightest movement towards a more implicit trust in the Lord will always received His encouragement. Yet, like many other oft-quoted passages of Scripture, there is a qualifying context, and our knowledge of this will make the committal all the more real and wonderful.
We observe first th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Monday, May 19, 2014,
#2. Psalm xl.This Psalm, written by inspiration of God, gives us in the first place, David’s own experience as a saved sinner; secondly, the experience of the redeemed in all dispensations; and thirdly and chiefly, the heart utterances of the Lord when here on earth. It may perhaps seem strange at first sight that this Psalm should speak of the perfect, sinless, Holy One of God, but, if we keep in mind the passage considered in the first article of this series in connection with Suretyship,... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Monday, May 19, 2014,
No.7. “Joy unspeakable” (I Pet. i. 8).There are two “unspeakable” blessings which help to fill the believer’s cup to overflowing. We have very lightly touched upon one, “The unspeakable gift”, let us consider the other, “Joy unspeakable”. It has been well observed, that “happiness” differs very essentially from “joy”. Happiness depends largely upon “what happens” and consequently is of necessity superficial. Joy on the other hand is independent of external happen... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Sunday, May 18, 2014,
No.6. “God’s unspeakable gift” (II Cor. ix. 15).When Carlyle spoke of “the unspeakable Turk” he used the word in the extremely opposite sense from that of Paul when he thanked God for “His unspeakable gift”, or when Peter spoke of “joy unspeakable”. Tyndale speaks of “God’s ineffable gift” (II Cor. ix. 15), and it is in this sense that both apostles have used the word.
There is, however, a slight difference in the intention of Paul when he spoke of God’s “unspeakabl... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Sunday, May 18, 2014,
#1. The Suretyship of Christ (Gen. xliii. 1-10 and xliv. 18-34).T he historic incident contained in these verses is full of teaching, both regarding Christ, the Christian, and the final restoration of Israel. The special thought to be impressed, however, is: The Suretyship of Christ.
“I will be surety” (Gen. xliii. 9).—The word surety, in Hebrew, comes from a word which means “to mix”, and is once translated “woof”, i.e., the threads which run across the “warp” in weaving. Thu... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Saturday, May 17, 2014,
No.5. Peace that passeth all understanding.We have seen the beginning (grace) and the end (glory) and have learned that the beginnings of our calling spring from superabounding grace, while glory is associated with love that exceeds knowledge. During the interval, we might perhaps assume, that superlatives would be conspicuous by their absence, that if we have but the assurance of “bread and water” we should be thankful. The children of Israel however, while in the wilderness did experien... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Saturday, May 17, 2014,
 Colossians 3:16WORD of God! O what a treasure,
In the written Word we find,
Fount and source of purest pleasure
For the weary heart and mind.
Word of God! How dark without it
Here below our path would be;
Safely led, we cannot doubt it,
Since its blessed light we see.
Word of God! Hath He then spoken,
And shall He not make it good?
Never can His word be broken,
Ever faithful it has stood.
Word of God! Oh! may I ever,
In the sacred pages see
Christ, the Living Word, and ne... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Friday, May 16, 2014,
No.4. Love that exceeds Knowledge.We pass from “grace abounding” the beginning of our salvation, to meditate upon another superlative that is associated with its goal and end.
For this we turn to Eph. iii. where the apostle balances the great chapters of doctrine (i.-iii.) with the corresponding chapters of practice (iv.-vi.), and bridges the interval by a prayer, a prayer which leads on and up until the believer reaches the very goal of the ages.
“That ye might be filled with (“up to... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Friday, May 16, 2014,
#11. Measures of Defence and of Offence.Because there was a war on, the man of the world voluntarily relinquished many legitimate pleasures, forgoed even some necessities, endured a deal of discomfort, and in many ways put into practice, in the secular sphere, the tenets of Scripture laid down for the guidance of the believer in the days of spiritual conflict.
The subject is as endless as life’s experiences, for, from the cradle to the grave, man lives his life in a world of war. We cannot m... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Thursday, May 15, 2014,
#10. The Censorship of Information.The full inspiration of the Scriptures and the divinely appointed limits of the subject-matter revealed in them, as, for example, indicated in I Cor. xiii. 12, do not conflict with one another any more than the effectiveness of the electric torch as “a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path”, is nullified because it does not equal the light of day. In this respect the Scriptures are as and what they are because “There’s a war on”.
Another ind... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Thursday, May 15, 2014,
No.3. Love that exceeds Knowledge.
Before turning to Eph. iii., where we read of the Love of Christ that “passeth knowledge”, a word or two may be necessary to show the link that exists between this love, and the great act of Redemption which this love exhibits. In previous articles we were pondering the abounding grace manifested in Redemption “Wherein He hath abounded toward us” (Eph. i. 8), and the grace that “superabounds” (Rom. v. 20).
The particle that indicates the superlativ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014,
#9. “There’s a War On.”
The legitimate use of the Scriptures in a day of darkness and strife.Among the conditions of life imposed by the Great War was one which was called “The black-out”. Like Israel, the believer can have “light” in his dwelling, but the outside world will be found covered with a darkness that may be felt. It is the characteristic of our spiritual foe to work in darkness; our enemies, said the Apostle, are “The rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. vi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014,
No.2 Grace that Superabounds.At first thought one might say when dealing with such solemn truth as that which pertains to sin and salvation, no flights of fancy can be tolerated, nothing but the plainest of statements can be permissible. Yet experience will prove otherwise.
The very immensity of the subject, either of human guilt or of Divine grace, makes such demands upon the resources and powers of language that one has to adopt the words of Scripture and confess:
“Eye hath not seen, nor ea... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Tuesday, May 13, 2014,
No.1 The Superlatives of Grace.We are allowing ourselves a certain amount of liberty in the application of the wording of Scripture in this series of articles, our primary object being to minister some word of comfort and strength rather than give a straight exposition of any particular passage.
The Psalmist’s words, “My cup runneth over”, make us think of some of the superlatives that are associated with grace in the New Testament, and to the passages which thus speak we would turn the ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Tuesday, May 13, 2014,
#8. “There’s a War On.”
Its effect upon the liberty of the subject.Having reviewed the teaching of the Scriptures regarding the existence and character of the conflict of the ages, we now apply the lessons we may learn to the affairs of daily Christian life and experience.
A skeptical objection, which we occasionally met, to the belief that a wise and beneficent Deity still holds sway over this world, may be illustrated by the following conversation, which has been recorded elsewhere. The... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Monday, May 12, 2014,
#9. The Directed Way (Prov. iii. 5, 6).We have considered together a series of experiences that the Scriptures associate with a trust that clings to the Lord, and it is fitting that the last of the series should relate to the leading of the Lord. This need of leading is recognized by all who seek to walk worthy in a world so far removed from the ways and will of God as it is to-day.
The passage that provides us with a message concerning the leading of the Lord and its relation to whole hearted... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Monday, May 12, 2014,
#7. Underlying Principles.It is impossible to read the Old Testament Scriptures without becoming acquainted with war from a great variety of angles. We read of the conquest of Canaan, of civil war, and of war inflicted as a Divine scourge. Under the old dispensation God does not stand aloof from war. Indeed Moses, in Exod. xv. 3, speaks of Him as “a man of war”. We shall, therefore, expect to find that there will be some passages of Scripture, dealing with Israel, and with some particular... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Sunday, May 11, 2014,
#8. The Fixed Heart (Psa. cxii. 7).Among the blessings consequent upon trust in the Lord is confidence or, in the language of the Psalmist, a “fixed heart” (Psa. cxii. 7). Of the wicked it is written, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth” (Prov. xxviii. 1). “There were they in great fear, where no fear was” (Psa. liii. 5).
The Psalm that supplies us with our text is Psalm cxii., which, by reason of its alphabetical structure, is bound together with Psalm cxi., with which it should... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Sunday, May 11, 2014,
#6. The Conquest of Canaan.In our last article we devoted most of our space to consideration of the typical character of the Canaanite, and saw that in the Canaanite we have an example of Satan’s method of attempting to forestall the purposes of God, and supplant the true heirs of promise.
It will, however, be observed that, as always, the aggressor is first in the field and, for a time, apparently successful, but it is of the very essence of final victory that it shall be based upon truth a... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Saturday, May 10, 2014,
#5. The typical character of the Canaanite.While nothing short of a survey of the whole Bible would be necessary to set out full details of the conflict of the ages, we believe that were it undertaken the essential features already adduced would remain unchanged, though they might be more clearly seen in the light of the fuller study. As however we cannot contemplate so exhaustive a study in this series, we pass to others aspects of the subject, and in this article would look rather to the ul... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Saturday, May 10, 2014,
#7. The removal of Fear (Psalm lvi. 3).It is a far cry from the story of the men of valour of I Chron. v. 20, which formed the basis of the last article of this series, to the one we are now to consider, where the historic reference over Psalm lvi., “Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath”, sends us back to I Sam. xxi. 13, to find David feigning madness, scrabbling on the doors of the gate, and letting his spittle fall down his beard.
David was “sore afraid of Achish, th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Friday, May 9, 2014,
#6. Prayer and Deliverance (I Chron. v. 20).Trust in the Lord is not confined to one aspect of experience, but, as the Scripture itself enjoins, should be exhibited “at all times” (Psa. lxii. 8), and not only at “what time I am afraid” (Psa. lvi. 3). As we have seen in the case of Hezekiah under the threats and taunts of Rabshakeh and Sennacherib, it is nevertheless true to experience that times of great peril or distress are often occasions when trust rises to its supreme place.
“Th... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Friday, May 9, 2014,
#4. Types of the Usurpation.When we read the blessed words, “The Lord God omnipotent reigneth” we know that they refer to Christ; He Who was born at Bethlehem, Who lived as man, and Who died and rose again. When Satan is said to be worshipped in Rev. xiii. 4, his agent, the Beast, who was slain and who had been raised again, is, according to verse 12, worshipped too. Throughout the unfolding of the ages there have been men who were outstanding types and foreshadowings of this final “Man... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Thursday, May 8, 2014,
#5. Hezekiah’s pre-eminence (II Kings xviii. 5).It is interesting and sometimes corrective to observe exactly what feature is singled out by the Holy Spirit as of eminence in the lives of those who figure in the Scriptures.
For instance, were we to be called upon to do so, what one thing of eminence should we choose out of all the many incidents in the life of Joseph? It is morally certain we should not have lifted into isolated pre-eminence the fact that Joseph “gave commandment concernin... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Thursday, May 8, 2014,
#3. The Objects before the enemy:
“Dominion” and “Worship”.We have seen from the teaching of Scripture that the great enemy, the prime antagonist, in the conflict of the ages, is Satan. We need not be disciples of Hegel to reach the conclusion that contraries are a very real part of any given thing. Though he stand all day in the market place, no man can be a “seller” unless another becomes a “buyer”. To eliminate the idea of “husband” and to think only of the idea of “wi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Wednesday, May 7, 2014,
In :
bible study
#2. “The Enemy.”We meet references to an “enemy” in one form or another in thirty out of the thirty-nine books of the English Old Testament, and in thirteen of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. If we were to widen the scope to include all references to enmity, strife, contentions, war, battle, arms and armour, we should have to include a still larger proportion of the books of both Testament.There is one enemy however who stands out above all others, and who antedates them ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Wednesday, May 7, 2014,
In :
bible study
#4. The association of trust and hope (Psa. lxxi. 5).We have before us at the moment certain blessings and experiences which are linked together in the Scriptures with that form of trust which can be represented by “clinging” to the Lord.
In the present article we consider the relation of “hope” with “trust” which is indicated in Psa. lxxi. 5.
“For thou art my HOPE, O Lord God, Thou art my TRUST from my youth.”
The word “youth” is used with some latitude: it can refer to a ne... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Tuesday, May 6, 2014,
#1. The Field Surveyed.In this opening article we must explain the general scope of the series, and the object we have in view.
Behind all the enmity that belongs to the world of human history, lies the greater and deeper enmity that exists in the spiritual world. In these studies we shall attempt to survey this conflict of the ages, and seek to discover the respective goals that the conflicting parties have in view. By examining Israel’s history we shall obtain many sidelights on our subjec... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Tuesday, May 6, 2014,
#3. The blessedness of this trust (Psa. xl. 4).In the O.T. there are seven different words translated “Trust”. These we considered in the opening article of this series. We discovered that the first one of this set of seven has the significance of “clinging”, as the Melon plant does by means of its tendrils. Out of the hundred or more occurrences of this word we selected seven, and set them out on page 13. The first of this set of seven was the “blessedness” that was pronounced up... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Monday, May 5, 2014,
In :
bible study
Truth is so vast and its implications so great, that the
mind is compelled to analyze, dissect and separate in order to attain to
some semblance of understanding, but both teacher and taught should
ever remember that truth so dissected is dead: we are but conducting a
post-mortem examination. Consequently we differentiate between faith and
works, and can consider each separately, yet in strict truth “faith if
it hath not works is dead, being alone” (James ii. 17), and so are works
... Continue reading ...
Posted by Marvin Pagkanlungan on Monday, May 5, 2014,
In :
bible study
#2. Seven results of a trust that clings.
Having seen something of the scriptural meaning of the seven O.T. words translated “trust”, we now consider a few relative outstanding passages, and note the bearing of the context upon the varied ways in which trust may be exercised.
Confining ourselves first to the one conception of trust which we saw was illustrated by the clinging of the melon by its tendrils, we observe the following conditions which Scripture associates with it:
(1) BLESSING.... Continue reading ...
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About Me
I am a 66-year-old former political activist who became a Christian in 1991. I did not write these articles ( I am not academically qualified to be a writer or bible teacher ), I just gathered them from various sources and re-posted them here "to enlighten all as to what is the stewardship (committed to the Apostle Paul) of the mystery that hath been hidden from the ages in God" - Ephesians 3:9.
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