Nov 16
12
‘If You Be Circumcised’
Joe Terrell
Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall
profit you nothing. (Galatians 5:2)
It is a man’s guilt that makes Christ necessary for Him; but it is a
man’s righteousness that will render Christ ineffective for him. The
blood of Christ is the remedy for a man’s sin, but what shall avail for
a remedy for a man’s righteousness? Only the sovereign work of the Holy
Spirit of God is able to overcome a man’s resistance to the grace of the
blood and to make him despair of even his righteousness. But, to refine
the point even more, it is the Holy Spirit’s work in revealing the
testimony of the blood of Christ that breaks the self-righteous will of
man and makes him submit to Christ as his only righteousness before God.
So it is the blood poured out by Christ that remedies the sin of a man,
and it is that same blood revealed by the Holy Spirit that remedies the
righteousness of man.
The offence of the Cross
“And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer
persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased.” Galatians 5:11
The preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ is offensive to the natural
man. We that believe look at the cross and we see grace, mercy, love,
forgiveness, and hope; but this world sees a “stumbling stone and a rock
of offence.” I want to look at this by asking one question:
What is the offence of the cross of Christ?
First, it offends the wisdom of men. This world and its religion believe
that man can by wisdom know God. That by sincere and heart felt study,
man can know His creator in such a way as to bring him to heaven. They
think the preaching of the cross is foolishness and that they by wisdom
understand that there are better ways to save sinners. But the preaching
of the cross tells us that this message, and means, was ordained of God
for the salvation of His People apart from the wisdom of this world.
(1Cor 1: 17-31)
Second, it is offensive to man’s ability. This world believes that all
men have a “free will” in this matter of salvation. That man is the
sovereign of his destiny, and he will come to Christ if all the right
circumstances exist. But the preaching of the cross of Christ, tells us
that no man can come to Christ unless the Father draw him. (John 6:44)
This is because all men are born dead in trespasses and sins, which make
men both unable and unwilling to come to God by Jesus Christ. The only
hope for sinners is that God the Holy Spirit quickens their dead souls
to life and faith in Christ. This too is offensive to the natural man.
Third, it offends the merit of men. All men by nature believe that they
can by their will, works, and self righteousness merit the favor of God.
But the Psalmist asks, “Who shall ascend to the hill of the LORD . . .?
He that hath clean hands and a pure heart…” (Ps. 24: 2-3). But the
gospel of the cross teaches us that “there is none righteous, no not
one.” (Rom.3:11-20) The gospel teaches that the only way for man to
approach unto God, is to have the “righteousness of God which is by the
faithfulness of Jesus Christ to all them that believe.” (Rom 3:21-22)
This is offensive to the natural man.
Therefore, how foolish is it for men to oppose the only hope for their
salvation. It is like a drowning man despising the rope that is his only
life line. Though Satan, devils, and all men oppose this gospel, it
shall prevail to save all of God’s elect. It will save all those who
believe on Jesus Christ, and see His cross as their only glory. (Gal
6:14) Believers let us not ever be ashamed of this gospel, but rather
proclaim it to all and mind not their offense of it.
Don Fortner.
The Will of the flesh
… Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13
The so-called “free-will” of man being the determining cause of
regeneration is at the heart of all false doctrine. The supremacy of the
natural will is the delusional dream of the demented mind of depravity.
There is not one verse or context of Holy Writ that even suggests man is
empowered with an ability to move himself to Spiritual life or has a
natural desire for the True and Living God.
The will of the flesh is the god of the flesh. Man’s natural ungodly
will is concerned with and in bondage to self in three areas which
constitute the whole man – “For all that is in the world, the lust of
the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of
the Father, but is of the world” 1John 2:16. Man’s will is only
functional in the realm in which it is in captivity, and that is the
realm of spiritual death and darkness. Man’s spiritual demise forbids
him to move to the Light and to Life – “And this is the condemnation,
that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil” John 3:19; “And ye will not come
to Me, that ye might have life” John 5:40. Spiritual birth, or
regeneration, is not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God .
What part does man have in regeneration? NONE! Here is the determining,
sufficient and efficient cause of a once dead sinner being alive unto
God – “No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw
him: and I will raise him up at the last day” John 6:44; “And I give
unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of My hand” John 10:28. Any message that is not clear
as to God’s free-will in the salvation of the elect and the bondage of
man’s will to sin and self is blasphemous in content and damning in
consequence. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in
the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew
of thy youth” Psalms 110:3. This is the work of God!
Tommy Robbins.
How can a man be a new man, and yet be constantly sighing because he
finds in himself so much of the old man? The Holy Spirit guided the
Apostle Paul to instruct us upon this matter. There is the new man
within us, which leaps for joy because of the heavenly life; but, alas!
there is also the old man. Paul calls it “the body of this death.” There
it is, and you know that it is the older of the two, and that it will
not go out if it can help it. It says to the new nature, “What right
have you here?” “I have the right of grace,” answers the new nature;
“God put me here, and here I mean to stay.” “Not if I can prevent it,”
cries the old nature; “I will stamp you out, or I will smother you with
doubts, or puff you up with pride, or kill you with the poison of
unbelief; but out you shall go somehow.” “No,” replies the new nature;
“out I never will go, for I have come to stay here.
I came in the name and under the authority of Jesus; and where Jesus
comes, he comes to reign, and I mean to reign over you.” He deals some
heavy blows at the old nature, and smites him to the dust; but it is not
easy to keep him under. That old nature is such a horrible companion for
the new nature, that it often makes him cry, “O wretched man that I am!
who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” But even while he is
thus crying out, he is not afraid of the ultimate issue; he feels sure
of victory. The new nature sits and sings; even, as it were, within the
ribs of death, with the stench of corruption in its nostrils, it still
sits and sings, “I thank God though Jesus Christ our Lord,” and triumphs
still in him. We are not going to be overcome, beloved. “Sin shall not
have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
But, my brethren, it is a tremendous struggle; and if our Lord had not
instructed his servant Paul to tell us about his own experience, some of
us would have been obliged to cry, “If it be so, why am I thus?” Christ
knows all about the inner life of his people, and his Word explains what
may appear mysterious to you; so, when next you feel this conflict
raging within your spirit, you will understand it, and say, “It is not
because I am dead in sin; for, if I were dead, I should not have this
struggle.
Charles Spurgeon.
The Glory of the Lord shall be revealed
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40.5).
There can be no sweeter sight to the eye of the child of God than to see
His Savior glorified in the sight of all flesh. To the child of God, the
truth of the gospel is not merely doctrine to be debated and defended,
or even just a body of settled truth to be confessed as a matter of
orthodox religion. No, to the believer the gospel of the Lord Jesus is a
declaration of the glory of the One who loved him and gave Himself for
him. It is a portrait of his Beloved, and he could no more tolerate a
corruption of the truth than a woman could tolerate that a picture of
her beloved husband should be desecrated in her presence.
What patience does the church exhibit as she sets forth the truth of her
heavenly husband and lovingly instructs the children of the Kingdom
giving time for them to absorb and come to terms with the truth. But see
her kind face flash with anger when her Husband is insulted by a
rebellious refusal to acknowledge His sovereign rights. Many
religionists become upset when their particular form of religion is
assaulted for they take it as an insult against them. But for the church
of the Lord Jesus, it is not her own glory for which she is jealous, but
for the glory of the One Who loved her and gave Himself for her.
It may be tempting to establish theological benchmarks and test all men
by these. The danger in such a system is that it easily taps into our
innate self-righteousness and can make us act as theological legalists.
Instead, let us be enamored of the glory of the Lord Jesus. Then, as we
make our way in this religious world we will know who it is that has
seen the same Savior as we have seen, and we will be fit to defend His
glory in this world.
Joe Terrell.