Let me show, “what the love of the Bible really is.”
I think it of great importance to have clear views on this point. It is precisely here that mistakes about love begin. Thousands delude themselves with the idea that they have “love,” when they don’t due from a downright ignorance of Scripture. Their love is not the love described in the Bible.
(a) The love of the Bible does not consist in giving to the poor. It is a common delusion to suppose that it does. Yet Paul tells us plainly that a man may “give all he possesses to the poor” (1 Corinthians 13:3), and not have love. That a loving man will “remember the poor,” there can be no question. (Galatians 6:10) That he will do all he can to assist them, relieve them, and lighten their burdens, I don’t for a moment deny. All I say is that this does not make up “love.” It is easy to spend a fortune in giving away money, and soup, and bread, and blankets, and clothing, and yet to be utterly destitute of Bible love.
(b) The love of the Bible does not consist in never disapproving anybody’s conduct. Here is another very common delusion! Read the rest of this entry »
I want you to belong to the one true Church: to the Church outside of which there is no salvation. I do not ask where you go on a Sunday; I only ask, “Do you belong to the one true Church?”
Where is this one true Church? What is this one true Church like? What are the marks by which this one true Church may be known? You may well ask such questions. Give me your attention, and I will provide you with some answers.
The one true Church is composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus. It is made up of all God’s elect of all converted men and women of all true Christians. In whomsoever we can discern the election of God the Father, the sprinkling of the blood of God the Son, the sanctifying work of God the Spirit, in that person we see a member of Christ’s true Church.
It is a Church of which all the members have the same marks. They are all born again of the Spirit; they all possess “repentance towards God, faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ,” and holiness of life and conversation. They all hate sin, and they all love Christ. They worship differently, and after various fashions; some worship with a form of prayer, and some with none; some worship kneeling, and some standing; but they all worship with one heart. They are all led by one Spirit; they all build upon one foundation; they all draw their religion from one single book that is the Bible. They are all joined to one great centre that is Jesus Christ. They all even now can say with one heart, “Hallelujah;” and they can all respond with one heart and voice, Amen and Amen.
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Why is holiness so important? Why does the Apostle say, “Without it no man shall see the Lord”? Let me set out in order a few reasons.
A) For one thing, we must be holy, because the voice of God in Scripture plainly commands it.
The Lord Jesus says to His people,
“Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20).
“Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Mt. 5:48).
Paul tells the Thessalonians,
“This is the will of God, even your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3).
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“Awake thou that sleepest.” (Eph. 5:14)
I put before you now a simple question. Look through the pages of this paper and you will soon see why I ask it. “Are you asleep about your soul?”
There are many who have the name of Christians, but not the character, which should go with the name. God is not King of their hearts. They mind earthly things.
Such persons are often quick and clever about the affairs of this life. They are, many of them, good men of business, good at their daily work, good masters, good servants, good neighbors, good subjects of the Queen: all this I fully allow. But it is the eternal part of them that I speak of; it is their never dying souls. And about that, if a man may judge by the little they do for it, they are careless, thoughtless, reckless, and unconcerned. They are asleep.
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Let me show, “what the love of the Bible really is.”
