Mar 17
22
The Pillar and Ground of the Truth
The church of the living God as she is seen in her local assemblies is
the pillar and ground of the truth. Though these assemblies are few and
far between they alone have the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They stand wherever God has gathered them as a light in a world filled
with darkness and ignorance. We are not here to reform the world, take
up its issues, or influence its politics. We are here to preach the
gospel of God’s sovereign grace in Christ to as many as will give us a
hearing. There are four things concerning the church of which I am being
made more aware of every day.
The gospel is the only thing left in this world that can do sinners any
good at all. To change or reform the habits and practices of men by laws
and punishments only leaves men in self righteousness and false hope.
The gospel of Christ regenerates, creates anew, and is sufficient in the
power of Gods’ Holy Spirit to do what all else is doomed to fail.
In order for man to benefit of this gospel it must be received. It must
be published in such a way that he can be confronted with it. What a
blessed thing it is for God to make his gospel accessible to a man! What
a glorious work it is that God was manifest in the flesh, justified in
the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in
the world, and received up into glory. (I Timothy 3: 16) It is a divine
work of grace that enables a person to receive and embrace the Lord
Jesus Christ.
It is plainly declared in the word of God that faith cometh by hearing.
Any hope of salvation, regeneration, conversion, or faith apart from
hearing is an empty and baseless hope. “How shall they believe in him of
whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10: 14) Paul presses this issue to
the conscience of the church at Galatia, “This only would I learn of
you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing
of faith? (Galatians 3:2)
Hearing comes by way of preaching. (I Corinthians 1: 21) Nothing
demonstrates the sovereignty of God in the salvation of a sinner more
than this, “How shall ye hear without a preacher and how shall they
preach except they be sent?”
God give us the grace and determination of heart to be faithful to this
stewardship he has trusted to us. Amen
Darvin Pruitt.