Abortion is defined as
“induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of survival as an
individual.” The controversy that currently rages with respect to the legality
of abortion centers on the question of whether life as a person begins
at conception. All are agreed that a fetus in the womb of a human mother is
living, but many believe that the human fetus does not become a “person” until
birth. To the minds of those who believe this, abortion is not murder, but
merely the destruction of tissue.

  There are several passages
in the Bible that affirm that life as a person begins at conception, not birth.
First, the same Hebrew and Greek words are used in the Bible for a child in the
womb and a child after birth (compare Exod. 21:4 with 21:22 and Luke
1:41,44—“babe”—with Acts 7:19—“young children”).

  Second, Jeremiah was
sanctified by God as a prophet before he was born (Jer. 1:5; see also Isa.
49:1-5). Thus if Jeremiah’s mother had decided to have an abortion she would
have put to death God’s prophet. Third, we might ask, “When did the eternal Son
of God take up residence in His human body? Was it at His conception or at His
birth?” In Matt. 1:20 we read, “The angel said to Joseph, Fear not to take unto
thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”
What had the Holy Spirit conceived in Mary? Was it just a bunch of tissue (as pregnant
women are advised today) or was it the Person of the eternal Son of God?

  Finally, we consider two
passages in the Psalms that identify personhood with conception or with the
fetus. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me”
(Psa. 51:5). “Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my
mother’s womb…. My frame was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret,
and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my
unformed substance, and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were
ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them” (Psa. 139:13-16, NASB).
The Bible does not speak of fetal life as a mere chemical activity or growth
and development of living tissues. Rather, the psalmist vividly describes the
fetus in the mother’s womb as being formed, woven, made, and skillfully wrought
by the personal activity of God. Just as God formed Adam from the dust of the
earth, so He is actively involved in fashioning the fetus in the womb. If
everyone realized this wondrous truth, who would dare terminate purposely God’s
creative activity in the womb by abortion?

  Thus it appears that
Scripture implicitly condemns abortion as another form of murder, and we do
well to condemn it openly as well. But, some may ask, are there not special
cases where abortion should be permitted? What if the mother’s life is
endangered? What if it is determined that the child is likely to have a serious
birth defect? What if the pregnancy is a result of rape? Nowhere in Scripture
is there a hint that abortion should be condoned in such special cases. The
whole tenor of Scripture is opposed to the notion.

  The first question about
the mother’s life being in danger may be pretty much an academic question. A
former Surgeon General of the United States and longtime pediatric surgeon, Dr.
C. Everett Koop, has reported that in his 36 years of medical practice he has
never encountered a case where abortion was necessary to save the life of the
mother. There were always other alternatives.        What about potential birth
defects? No doubt a number of our readers, along with the writer himself, would
not be alive today if abortion of all fetuses showing evidence of serious
physical defects was in practice. However, this is not an adequate answer to
the question. Let us turn to Scripture and listen to what the Lord Jesus
Himself has to say about this:“And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was
blind from His birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has
this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made
manifest in him” (John 9:1-3). Yes, God sometimes allows babies to be born with
deformities. While the parents may tend to view this as a great inconvenience,
perhaps greatly interfering with their lifestyle, yet God may have allowed it
in order that His works might be displayed in that deformed or defective
child. If we are desirous of dedicating our lives to the Lord, presenting
ourselves a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1), then we should be willing to
accept whatever God is pleased to give us in the way of either healthy or
deformed babies as with all the other circumstances of life. Just as we would not
think of killing our child because he or she incurred a physical defect or
debilitating injury after birth, neither should we give the slightest thought
to killing our unborn baby because of a potential defect detected before birth.

  Finally, what about pregnancy
due to rape? First of all, it is exceedingly rare for rape to result in
pregnancy, and less than 3% of the abortions currently performed are due to
conception from rape or incest. Scripture refers on different occasions to rape
and incest but never hints at the possibility of abortion or death of children
that might be produced in this way. Surely it is true that becoming pregnant in
this way can be quite traumatic and a severe trial to the woman. Indeed, such
an incident surely calls forth from us all of the emotional, spiritual,
physical, and financial support that we as Christians can offer, both during
the pregnancy and after the child is born. If we know of such a person, let us
offer all the encouragement and support we can for her to carry her baby to
birth. The Lord is able to bring much blessing out of a conception and birth
resulting from rape or incest. His blessing upon and care for the mother and
the child can certainly be counted upon as a reward for her faithfulness and
obedience to His Word.

  If it would be a great
difficulty for the mother to provide and care for the child, it might be wise
to explore with her the possibility of putting the baby up for adoption. There
are a great many families seeking to adopt children, and there are adoption
agencies that attempt to place children in homes of born-again Christians.

  Let us seek to be alert
equally to the great needs of those who, because of their own sin
(particularly, pre-marital intercourse), may be in a situation where there may
be much internal and external pressure and temptation to get an abortion. It
requires great delicacy and spiritual wisdom to be able on the one hand to help
such a woman to face up to her sin, and on the other hand to help her through
the grief, distress, guilt, loneliness, and rejection that might tend to propel
her into getting an abortion. May God grant us the needed wisdom (Jas. 1:5),
care, and concern for such.

 

    The primary definition of
“sin” given in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary seems to have been taken
straight from the Bible, for it says, “Sin:transgression of the law of God.”
In 1 John 3:4 we read, similarly, “Sin is the transgression of the law.”
However, this is an instance where the King James Version provides a poor
translation of the text. Much misunderstanding of the true meaning of sin can
be traced to the mistranslation of this verse.

    To be sure, the
transgression of God’s law is included in the domain of sin. But sin can also
occur in matters concerning which no positive law or commandment of God has
been given. “As many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law”
(Rom. 2:12). Also, “Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had
not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression” (Rom. 5:14). From the
time Adam was expelled from the garden until the days of Moses, there was no
law given for man to transgress. Yet man’s sinfulness and wickedness were
displayed time and time again during that period, as the Book of Genesis
clearly reveals.

    What then is sin? The
more accurate rendering of 1 John 3:4 is this:“Sin is lawlessness.” In other
words, he who sins is one who behaves as if there is no law—as if God has no
will for him. Thus, sin is the spirit of self-will, the spirit of doing what we
want to do without regard for God’s will for us.

    There is much instruction
in all of this for us today. To consider sin to involve only the breaking of
one of the commandments given in God’s Word tends to have a deadening effect
upon the soul. One tends thus to become self-satisfied in the fact that he is
not breaking any of the commandments of Scripture (or at least not any of the
ones he considers to be important). At the same time he becomes lax about those
details of his life concerning which there is no specific commandment to be
found in Scripture.

    The vital question we
need to keep constantly before us is this:“Am I at this moment doing God’s will,
or am I doing my own will?” It must be one or the other. There is no
middle ground.

    All too often we
substitute for this vital question a somewhat different question. This question
takes various forms:“Is there any intrinsic evil in doing such and such a
thing?” “Is there anything wrong with it?” “Will any harm come from this or
will it hurt anyone?” But these are all such negative questions! Let us turn
these questions around and rephrase them so that they sound more like our
“vital question”:“Is there any good in doing such and such a thing?” “Is there
any possibility that God will be well-pleased with it?” “Will glory come to the
Lord from this?” “Is it God’s will that I should be doing this thing at this
time?”

    In this present age with
its generally low moral condition, it is not difficult to find children of God
who think they are living upright lives, but who are, in reality,
self-willed, “lawless” individuals. This is possible because they are content
to compare their lives with those about them who are morally corrupt.

    How apt we are to be
dragged down to the level of those Christians who walk after the spirit of the
age. Thus, how needful it is to have our eyes fixed on Christ; to have Him
before us as our only Object and the only Standard of our lives. Let us not
forget that “sin is lawlessness” and lawlessness—or self-will—is sin. May it be
the desire of our hearts, moment by moment, to seek His will and not our
own.

 

Introduction

      The definition and
description of so-called assembly meetings has been presented very clearly by
David Johnson in the preceding article. These are very special meetings in that
there is to be total dependence upon the leading of the Holy Spirit as to the
order and conduct of the meetings. In the present article I wish to address a
number of aspects of the conduct of such meetings, including the following
questions:

      1. Who is permitted to
participate in such a meeting?

      2. How can each brother
and sister prepare for such a meeting?

      3. Is there to be a
specific theme for the meeting?

      4. Is a particular
order to be followed?

      5. What can be done
about long periods of silence that may occur during such a meeting?

      6. What about the
opposite problem of not enough silence?

      7. What if a particular
brother does not edify the assembly by his ministry?

      8. How long should a
message be?

      9. How is such a
meeting to be concluded?

      Reference will be made
in this article to three types of assembly meetings—the remembrance meeting (or
Lord’s supper), prayer meeting, and meeting for ministry of the Word of God.

Who Is Permitted to Participate?

      It is clear from 1 Cor.
14:34,35 that the sisters are not permitted to participate verbally in such
meetings:“Let your women keep silence in the churches:for it is not permitted
unto them to speak;… it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” 1 Tim.
2:11,12 goes along with this:“Let the women learn in silence with all
subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the
man, but to be in silence.” The reason for this prohibition seems to have to do
with the God-ordained headship of the man over the woman, and is not intended
to imply that women are less spiritual, less gifted, or less able to
participate.

      It also seems clear
from 1 Cor. 14 that neither are men to participate verbally, unless they
are led by the Holy Spirit to do so, and unless they have something to
give that will edify the assembly (verses 12,15,26). The assembly meeting is
not a place for man to show off his intellect, skills in oratory, spiritual
gift, knowledge of the Word of God, or himself in any way. The Holy Spirit is
to be in charge; the brothers are to be instruments through whom the Spirit
either ministers the Word to the assembly or expresses the assembly’s prayers
and praises to the Lord. For this reason, a brother who has a so-called “public”
gift, such as teacher or evangelist, needs to be especially careful that it is
the Holy Spirit Himself and not his spiritual gift per se that motivates him to
participate in the assembly meeting.

How Can We Prepare?

      It may be thought that
since only the brothers are permitted to speak, only they have to be concerned
about preparing for an assembly meeting. This is not at all the case. The
“success” or value of an assembly meeting depends as much on the sisters coming
properly prepared as the brothers. One aspect of this preparation is prayer and
communion with the Father. We must pray that we will all—brothers and sisters
alike—be in a proper spirit to receive what the Lord has to give us (if it is a
ministry meeting) or to give what is worthy of the Lord (if it is a prayer or
worship meeting). We must pray also that the Spirit will have liberty to use
whomever He wants to minister the Word, pray, give out a hymn, or worship. This
means that those who are naturally timid and reluctant will be encouraged to speak
if the Holy Spirit leads, and that those who are naturally forward and gifted
will be restrained from speaking unless the Spirit moves them.

      Another way we can
prepare is to be often engaged in individual meetings—just ourselves and the
Lord—of the same character. What do I mean by this? We best prepare for the
assembly prayer meeting by being often alone with the Lord in prayer (Matt.
6:6); for the remembrance meeting by thinking of the Lord and His death often
during the week; and for the ministry meeting by regular personal reading,
studying, and meditating on God’s Word. (The Spirit is not likely to lead a
brother to expound the 24th chapter of Jeremiah if he has never read and
meditated on it before.)

      In my judgment, it is
not amiss for the brothers to ask the Lord in advance of the meeting to give
them specific Scripture portions or topics to meditate on and organize in their
mind. However, one should never go into a meeting with the thought that “I am
going to give out hymn such and such or read chapter such and such from the
Bible.” We must seek to be totally yielded to the guidance of the Spirit that
He might use the brothers of His choice to give the hymns, prayers,
readings, or teachings of His choice at each particular meeting.

      We should arrive at the
meeting in harmony and peace with one another if we expect to receive a
blessing from the Lord. “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there
remember that your brother has ought against you, leave there your gift before
the altar, and go your way:first be reconciled to your brother, and then come
and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23,24).

      And finally, we should
make every attempt to arrive at the meeting early so we can get settled in our
seats and have a few minutes of silent prayer before the meeting begins. In
these meetings we are acting upon the truth of Matt. 18:20:“Where two or three
are gathered together in [unto] My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Just
think of it:we are gathered together to meet with the Lord, with Himself in
our midst! Should this not lead us to gather in a spirit of eager, but sober
anticipation? All too often, especially at Bible conferences, people come into
the building talking and laughing with one another and this continues right up
to the appointed hour for beginning the assembly meeting. These things ought
not to be, dear brothers and sisters!!

Is There to Be a Specific Theme?

      In 1 Cor. 14:23,26,29
we read:“If therefore the whole church be come together into one place …
every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation,
has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying…. Let the
prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge.” The assembly meeting
described here seems to have been of a rather general character, including both
worship and ministry. In addition to this, there seems to be Scriptural warrant
for more specialized assembly meetings, particularly those for prayer (Matt.
18:19,20; Acts 4:31) and for remembering the Lord in His death (1 Cor.
11:17-29). I have also heard of assembly meetings being held in times past for
the purpose of public confession concerning the low spiritual state of the
local assembly and the Church in general.

      In the assembly meeting
described in 1 Cor. 14 prophesying plays an important role. Prophesying does
not primarily refer to prediction of future events but means literally
“speaking on behalf of another”—in this case on behalf of God, or “as the
oracles of God” (1 Pet. 4:11). The one who prophesies gives a message from God
based on the Holy Scriptures. This may be a development of a Scriptural
doctrine or teaching (1 Cor. 14:26), or a word of comfort, encouragement, or
exhortation (verses 3,31). It may even, on occasion, be a gospel message suited
to an unsaved person present (verses 24,25)—a message used by the Holy Spirit
to convict him and manifest to himself the “secrets of his heart,” leading him
to fall “down on his face” and “worship God.”

Is a Particular Order to Be

Followed?

      An observer who
regularly attends the remembrance meeting at a particular assembly may get the
impression that there are certain rules to be followed as to the order of the
service. For example, the meeting may always open with a hymn and close with a
prayer, and the giving of thanks for the bread and the wine invariably takes
place during the latter half of the meeting. The reading of Scripture, if done
at all, usually occurs just before or just after the passing of the bread and
the wine. Such regularity of order may well indicate that the assembly has
fallen into a rut of tradition rather than maintaining the freshness of waiting
on the Holy Spirit to lead and direct.

      A sister once remarked
to me, “I think it is so nice when the remembrance meeting closes with a
prayer.” And I have heard of assemblies where it was held that the remembrance
meeting had to conclude with a prayer. But is that up to us to
decide? I would appeal to all such that we try not to put God in a box. Let us
not limit the Spirit’s control by imposing our own rules and order on such a
meeting. If the Holy Spirit so leads, a remembrance meeting may open equally
with a hymn, a prayer, a reading of Scripture, or with the giving thanks for
the loaf and the cup; and it might close in any of these ways. Similarly, let
us guard against traditions such as always opening a prayer meeting with a hymn
(or two hymns), and opening a ministry meeting with a hymn and a prayer.

      Nevertheless, Scripture
does give us a few rules for the assembly meetings:(1) No more than
three brothers should minister the Word or read the Scriptures at a particular
meeting (1 Cor. 14:29); (2) the brothers should speak one at a time, not more
than one in different parts of the room as may have happened in the assembly at
Corinth (verse 31); and, as mentioned earlier, (3) the women are to “keep
silence in the churches” (verse 34).

What About Periods of Silence?

      Assembly meetings can
be agonizing experiences for some people. This is because they cannot tolerate
the quiet periods that may occur between hymns, prayers, Scripture readings,
etc. If one has brought a neighbor to the meeting, it may be a particular
embarrassment to have a long period of silence. Worse yet, the longer the
period of silence becomes, the more likely it is that one of the brothers will
act in the flesh—for example, giving out a hymn just to do something— rather
than continue waiting to be led by the Holy Spirit. What are the causes of long
periods of silence and what can be done about them?

      I would suggest four
possible reasons for long periods of silence during an assembly meeting; no
doubt there are others besides. First, the believers—brothers and sisters
alike—may not have come prepared in spirit. One family may still be upset from
an argument during the drive in; others may have difficulty getting their minds
off the ball game they were listening to just before the meeting; and others
may have been so occupied with their job or home responsibilities that they had
not given a bit of thought to the meeting before sitting down.

      Second, a brother may
have been led by the Holy Spirit to speak on a certain topic, but needs time to
locate the appropriate Scriptures and organize his thoughts.

      Third, the Holy Spirit
may have given a word to a brother who is naturally timid and reserved and thus
is resisting the Holy Spirit or else may be waiting for more definite assurance
that the Spirit really wants him to get up and speak.

      Fourth, if the period
of silence follows a Scripture reading or meditation already given, the Holy
Spirit may want to give the entire assembly an extended period of quietness
simply to meditate upon and assimilate the Word that has just been given to
them.

      How should we behave
during such periods of silence? First, brothers, do not panic and go ahead of
the Holy Spirit. Second, sisters, do not sigh, clear your throats, look
disgusted, look at the clock, or in any other way try to convey to your
brothers that things would be a lot better if you were in charge. Such behavior
only deepens the sense of panic (see above) and further distracts the brothers
from seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit. It will be far more profitable to
continue the period of silence than to have it interrupted by one speaking from
himself and not from the Holy Spirit.

      Third, in accordance
with Matt. 5:24 and 1 Cor. 11:28, all should take this time to examine
themselves as to whether there is anything in their own behavior or
relationships with others in the assembly that may be hindering the Holy Spirit
in this meeting.

      Fourth, put this quiet
time to good use, just as you would a period of quiet at home. Use it to pray
(first of all that the Holy Spirit will maintain control of the present
meeting), read the Word, or meditate on a portion you have read recently. You
might even (I speak now to the sisters) ask the Lord to impress a portion from
His Word on your heart as if you were free to participate in the meeting. Who
knows? Perhaps the Lord is at the same moment preparing a brother to expound on
this very portion of Scripture. And if not, you will still be blessed with what
the Lord has given you personally.

      A brother once told me
of a time when he was in an assembly with only one other brother besides
himself, but still they had periodic assembly meetings for ministry of the Word
and worship as described in 1 Corinthians 14. On at least one occasion, he
related, neither he nor the other brother spoke throughout the entire meeting
(though perhaps there was a hymn or a prayer). “What a waste of time,” some
might exclaim, if this were to happen in their assembly. However, others who
come in the proper spirit might very well exclaim that it was one of the most
precious hours they have ever spent.

What About the Absence of

Periods of Silence?

      The opposite problem of
not enough silence may also occur, particularly at Bible conferences. Let us
take care to leave time for meditation on the hymn just sung or the Word just
ministered before giving out another hymn or ministering on a different portion
of Scripture. Let us be sure to leave room for the Holy Spirit to do His
perfect work in leading whom He wishes in such meetings. Sometimes it
appears that brothers are afraid they might not have an opportunity to speak if
they don’t jump up as soon as there is an opening. But this is not giving room
for the Holy Spirit to lead.

      As stated earlier,
Scripture imposes a limit on the number of “prophets” (that is, those who read
or minister the Word), namely “two or three” (1 Cor. 14:29). So those who would
stand up to minister the Word without the clear leading of the Spirit create
two problems:(1) they are not giving out what the Spirit intended for that
audience at that time; and (2) they may well deny the opportunity for one who does
have a word from the Lord to speak. So let us take seriously our responsibility
to have the clear leading of the Holy Spirit when participating in an assembly
meeting.

What If There Is No Edification?

      As noted previously,
according to 1 Corinthians 14 the purpose of the assembly meeting is edification
of the saints. But suppose a particular brother who participates rather
frequently in the assembly meeting repeatedly fails to edify. Let me suggest a
few things to consider in this regard.

      First, the problem may
be in me and not in the speaker. I may be harboring some unjudged ill feelings
toward that brother that effectively blocks my spirit from receiving any
ministry that the brother may give.

      Second, it is well to
keep in mind that the people attending an assembly meeting often cover a wide
range of ages and of spiritual maturity. A brother’s ministry may be
unprofitable to me because it typically covers lessons I learned long ago; but
the lessons may be just what are needed by some of the younger ones present.
And rather than be bored by it all, I should be praying that those to whom the
message is directed will receive it and live it. Further, it will not do me any
harm to challenge myself whether the truths that are being presented are as
fresh, and real, and living in me as they once were. (If I find them boring,
perhaps they are not as real to me as they ought to be!) And finally, if I pay
close attention, I may get some pointers as to how better to present simple
truths to young believers.

      Third, it may be that
the person is acting in the flesh and not in the Spirit, and is truly edifying
nobody. If, after talking with several other brothers and sisters of all ages,
I find that all are agreed that they are not edified by the brother’s ministry,
it is Scriptural for other brothers to go to him, in a spirit of meekness (Gal.
6:1), and tell him the problem and seek to help him to become more attuned to
the leading of the Holy Spirit. “Let the prophets speak … and let the others
judge” (1 Cor. 14:29).

How Long Should a Message Be?

      The apostle Paul said,
“In the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my
voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue”
(1 Cor. 14:19). It is generally found that the shorter and more succinct a message
is, the higher the likelihood the main points will be remembered by the
hearers. The unknown tongue, while referring to a foreign, unintelligible
language in the case of the Corinthians, could apply to speakers who try to
cover Genesis to Revelation and all major (and some minor) doctrines in one
message. In general, the messages should have one or two key themes or points
to impress upon the audience, and care should be taken not to ramble all over
and get off on many different tangents while trying to make those main points.
Dependence on the Holy Spirit does not end with standing up to speak.
There should be equal—if not greater—dependence on the Spirit while giving the
message in order to stick to the main point the Spirit wants you to bring out
and in order to know when to stop and sit down. Verse 30 of 1 Cor. 14
seems relevant in this regard, though it is difficult to know exactly how to
carry it out in practice:“If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by,
let the first hold his peace.” I would suggest that if the brother who is
speaking continues to look to the Holy Spirit for guidance while he speaks, the
Spirit will make it plain to him when he should conclude and “hold his peace”
so that another brother can minister what the Spirit has given to him.

How Is an Assembly Meeting

Brought to a Close?

      This is perhaps the most difficult of our questions to
answer. I can easily tell you from personal experience how such meetings
traditionally are ended. The weekly remembrance and prayer meetings generally
are announced for a specific time period (say, one hour). At the appointed
time, Bibles and hymn books are put away and the Holy Spirit is dismissed, as
it were.

      No doubt it would be
more in keeping with the character of these meetings—that is, assembly meetings
with the Holy Spirit in full control—to allow more flexibility to go
over the appointed hour if the Spirit so leads. If another meeting, such as
Sunday school, is scheduled to start immediately after the remembrance meeting
is scheduled to end, this severely limits the flexibility of letting the
Spirit—rather than the clock— bring the meeting to a close. So it would be wise
to schedule a break between the two meetings if the remembrance meeting is
first.

      On the other hand, if
several families are missing (due to bad weather, vacations, etc.) and there
are only one or two brothers left, there is no reason a remembrance meeting
need necessarily last a whole hour. It need not be more than the giving of
thanks for the bread and wine and perhaps a hymn or two—of course, all
according to the Spirit’s leading. Even when several brothers are present,
allowance must be given to the Spirit to close the meeting early, perhaps to
allow the assembly the final few minutes to silently meditate upon the thoughts
already expressed.

      In the case of an
assembly meeting for ministry of the Word, the length of the meeting is defined
in part by the number of prophets—that is, those who read and/or expound the
Scriptures—who have spoken. “Let the prophets speak two or three” (1 Cor.
14:29). No doubt this restriction, imposed by the all-wise God, takes account
of man’s inability to take in and retain more than a few main ideas in a single
sitting. Even after the third speaker has sat down, allowance should still be
given to the Holy Spirit to lead in additional hymns, prayers, and worship.

Conclusion

      To conclude this topic,
I would say that the brothers have an awesome responsibility to carry out with
regard to the assembly meetings. It is not an easy thing to wait upon the Holy
Spirit to lead in an assembly meeting. It is often difficult to discern the
voice or prompting of the Spirit and to distinguish it from the prompting of
Satan or the flesh. It is difficult to sit through long silences without doing
something—anything! The sisters should not be envious of the public place given
to the brothers, and should gladly support the brothers with their prayers and
encouragement.

      On the other hand, let
us not allow the sense of this awesome responsibility, and the intense
spiritual exercise required by it, to hinder us from conducting assembly
meetings. A great deal of blessing and spiritual edification awaits those who
desire to gather together as an assembly to wait upon the Spirit alone, letting
Him draw out our prayers and praises and allowing the omniscient, all-wise God
to minister to current spiritual needs of the assembly as He sees them.

 

  “And confessedly the
mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16 JND).

  “And the Word became flesh,
and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 JND).

  “Awake, O sword, against My
Shepherd, even against the Man that is My Fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts”
(Zech. 13:7).

  Only three times in the
account in Genesis 1 is creation spoken of:the heavens and the earth (verse
1); the living SOUL—the animal creation (verse 21); and man, who is SPIRIT, as
well as soul (verse 27).

  Man was created in the
image of God and is HUMAN spirit, soul and body (see 1 Thess. 5:23). He is a
PERSON, or human being. It is the possession of a spirit that sets man apart
from animal life as created in the image and likeness of God. By virtue of his
spirit man has reasoning power, creativity, conscience, responsibility, moral
qualities, and ability to know and believe the invisible God.

  How far above plants and
animals in the scale of being is a man! And how infinitely far above a man is
THE Man, Christ Jesus! Man—Adam—was a figure of Him who was to come. He who
came after Adam is God’s final realization of what THE ideal Man is according
to His thoughts and eternal purpose. We look at ourselves among all of God’s
creatures and ask:Is this the most that God had in mind when He created man in
His own image—man, who brought only dishonor and reproach upon Him? But when we
look at Christ we have the answer that silences every question and satisfies
the longing of every heart. Then we look at the redeemed ones who stand upon
the foundation of His atoning work, and see the glory of His grace. We see THE
man “come of David’s seed according to flesh, marked out Son of God in power” (Rom. 1:3,4 JND). We see God and Man thus brought together in eternal union in His One
glorious Person, and God’s new creatures in eternal relationship with Him,
Christ Jesus, in whom they have been created and with whom they are identified
in “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

  1 Corinthians 15 plainly
teaches that the spiritual was not first, “but that which is natural, and
AFTERWARD that which is spiritual” (verse 46). Adam was the first man, and head
of the first race of man. He was first in order of time, NOT in position and
preeminence. The second Man was after Adam in order of time, the preeminent Man. He is the “Last Adam,” a “Quickening Spirit” (verse 45), Head of the second race of
men that will live and abide in Him eternally. His humanity had beginning in
time:“The Word became flesh.” He took part (Greek, metecho—see Heb. 2:14)
in it in incarnation. He was born, HUMAN spirit (Luke 23:46), soul (John
12:27), and body (1 Pet. 2:24).

  There are many evidences in
Scripture that our blessed Lord Jesus was fully human. He was conceived (Luke
1:31); He was born (Luke 2:7); He was circumcised (Luke 2:21); He increased in
wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52); He slept (which He could not do if He were God
alone and not Man; see Psa. 121:4 and Mark 4:38); He hungered (Matt. 4:2); He
thirsted (John 4:7; 19:28); He ate (Luke 24:43); He drank (John 19:30); He was
weary (John 4:6); He wept (John 11:35); He died (Matt. 27:50); He was buried
(Matt. 27:60). He was, and is now and eternally, perfectly human; and without a
question or doubt He is God at the same time. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
[His beginning as Man], and today, and to the ages to come.” (Heb. 13:8 JND).

  Then we have the words of
Jesus Christ Himself:“He who overcomes, to him will I give to sit with Me in
My throne; as I also have overcome and have sat down with My Father in His
throne” (Rev. 3:21). Why the distinction between His throne and His Father’s
throne? The answer is clear. Jesus Christ alone in His absolute deity has the
right to sit down in the Father’s throne with Him, something we creatures can
never do. But we who are identified with Christ in new creation will sit with
Him, the Man, Christ Jesus, in His throne. The Son of Man has linked Himself
with humanity:the divine-human One of the Scriptures will establish His throne
in righteousness on the earth and will give us the right to sit with Him in His
throne and share His reign. He is not upon HIS throne apart from being God, but
does that exclude His being a real Man, perfectly human, with whom we share the
glory of His reign?

  Our blessed Lord is not
truly God apart from being Man, in the human, personal sense. It is His Person.
We cannot divide Him. If you take away His true humanity you also take away His
true divinity. He is one Person, one personality, both divine and human. As Man
He is God; as God He is Man. You cannot have His true divinity without His
humanity. Therefore, it is just as wicked not to bring the doctrine of the true
humanity of Christ as it is not to bring the doctrine of His deity (1 John 4:2;
2 John 7).

  The great enemy, Satan,
whom our Lord, in Manhood, met and defeated in the power of the words, “Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY WORD that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4), still seeks to deceive by a one-sided teaching and
wrong emphasis on the deity of Christ. How much, in fact, would he cleverly
concede on this side, if by so doing he could destroy the proper balance of
truth and take away the humanity of Christ—and with it the atonement, and every
fundamental aspect of the Christian faith that subsists in the essential and
surpassing truth of God and Man in one Person. Without both the deity and true
humanity of Christ the Throne of God falls and the framework of the universe
collapses. Serious indeed is the error of such a doctrine that does not confess
“Jesus Christ come in flesh” (1 John 4:2).

  Who shall deny Him the
place it has pleased Him to take for the glory of God and the eternal blessing
of men:“Christ Jesus, who, subsisting in the form (Greek, morphe) of
God … emptied Himself, taking a bondman’s form (same Greek word, morphe).”
Behold the radiance of His incarnation, the glory of His humility, and
condescending grace in taking His place among us, sin apart. He is our
Kinsman-Redeemer who has brought us back to God, with our sins washed away, as
new creatures patterned after Himself, in the new creation which stands
eternally in Him, the Creator and Head—the Man Christ Jesus.

  When we contemplate the
glory of the humanity of Christ we are filled with deep reverence and holy
worship. The infinite God has come so near. He has won the confidence of our
hearts. There is a feeling of being in the presence of God in perfect peace and
security. We are conscious of His perfection, His deity; still He is a Man, and
we say, this is what God the Son is like. God is not far away:He is right
here, and, in the Person of His Son, He is just the Man in whose presence we
feel perfectly at home. There is no timidity, no fear, but rather the freedom
of love and holy intimacy. Does this closeness to Him produce a sense of
equality? Does it lower Him? Far be the thought! But neither does it produce a
sense of inferiority that would cause us to shrink from the greatness of His
Person. When Thomas put his hand into the side of the Lord Jesus was there a
doubt in his mind that the loving, tender, compassionate Person before him was
perfectly human, with feelings and inclinations proper to a (sinless) Man? Was
there a shadow of unbelief that He was God? Was there the faintest suggestion
of a thought that He was two Persons, as his overflowing heart responded in
worship, and acknowledged Him, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28)? Thomas saw
and believed. Ours is the blessed portion of those “who have not seen and have
believed,” and who “exult with joy unspeakable” in the presence, through faith,
of the same divine-human Person, who loved us and gave Himself for us.

  (Adapted By Edwin C. Read
from an article written by his father, Edwin M. Read, in New York City in
1928.)

 

  “God will not suffer you to
be tempted above that you are able to bear” (1 Cor. 10:13).

 

For a time the way seemed
easy,

   Oh, my soul!

Peace and joy were all
unhindered,

   Happy soul!

Little did I think that still

Lurked within my breast a
will

Which would soon with sorrow
fill

   All my soul.

 

With the confidence of
childhood,

   Thou, my soul,

Fearless in thy strength,
petitioned

   [Poor, weak soul!]

That the Lord would
straightway

     prove thee;

For I knew, Lord, Thou didst
love me,

And I thought that naught
could move

     thee,

   Oh, my soul!

 

Little knew I what I asked
for—

   How would roll

Conflict after conflict over

   Thee, my soul.

Peter-like, I loved my Lord;

But He took me at my word—

Sent a sharp and piercing
sword

   Through my soul.

 

All-enticing came the
tempter,

   Ah, my soul!

Fierce the struggle, in my
longing

   To control

All my being for His Name.

Yielding, I was put to shame—

Found my treacherous heart
the same,

   Faithless soul!

 

Ah! I never thought to grieve
Him

   Who could save

My poor soul from lasting
ruin

   And the grave.

But I did not know my heart—

That it was the counterpart

Of all others; but the dart

   Pierced it well.

 

Sinned against the God who
loved me!

   How I groan

Over that which brought Thee,

     Saviour,

   From the throne,

In Thy love, to die, to
bleed,

Live for me, and intercede!

Such surpassing grace,
indeed,

   Lord, I own.

 

Weak and wavering, still thou

      trustest,

   Oh, my soul!

Christ thy strength—He will

     sustain thee,

   Fainting soul.

Let me all my weakness feel,

Then Thy strength Thou wilt
reveal—

By Thy might, in woe or weal,

   All control.

 

Then Lord, ever, in
temptation

   Let me plead

All Thy strength in all my
weakness,

   For my need;

And beneath Thy sheltering
wing

All my heart’s deep trial
bring,

And Thou’lt teach me there to
sing

   Praise indeed.

 

  Such deep exercise as is
expressed in the above lines is not, as is frequently supposed, the result only
of some gross, outbreaking sin. What by many would be esteemed a small sin, has
often caused a sensitive soul the deepest anguish and severest self-judgment.
Would to God we had always a tender conscience about all sin! Sin is hateful
and hideous to God, in whatever shape or degree. We are apt to measure it by
its immediate consequences, or the disgrace attaching to it, such as
drunkenness, etc. But this is not God’s way. He would teach us, first, that all
sin is against Himself, against His holiness.

  Every sin being the fruit
of our sinful nature, comes under the sentence of God’s wrath, even the cross
of Christ, and must needs come under the severest judgment of the believer, if
he would walk with God. He cannot go on with unholiness, however small it may
seem; and if we do not judge the first approach of sin, our consciences will
soon cease to be our faithful monitors, and who can tell to what lengths we may
go? Oh, to shudder at the very approach of sin! but alas, how easily we are
caught in the enemy’s trap, if the shield of faith is down!

  May the Lord help us, that
we abuse not the grace of God, nor do despite to the cross of Christ, that we
may not have to weep the bitter tears of Peter, nor cry with David, in his
sorrow and humiliation, “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned!” (Psa. 51:4).
Yet, if we will have our own way, He lets us have the sorrow of it. But blessed
is he who, through the discipline thus incurred, reaps the peaceable fruits of
righteousness.

  (From Help and Food,
Vol. 13.)

 

Review

  In Part I of this article,
we considered examples of righteous anger expressed by God, by the Man Christ
Jesus, and by other persons in the Bible. We then gave a number of examples of
people in the Bible who expressed sinful anger and looked at the main reasons
for this anger. We noticed that often this sinful anger was in response to
people who were simply carrying out the will of God.

Sinful Anger in Response to Sin

  There are also a few
examples in the Bible in which anger was directed at a person who had sinned.
For example:

  Esau was angry with Jacob
for stealing the blessing from their father Isaac (Gen. 27:23,41).

  Jacob was angry with his
wife Rachel because she was sinfully complaining (Gen. 30:1,2).

  Simeon and Levi were angry
with Shechem for raping their sister. Their anger was justified at the outset,
but it degenerated into sinful retaliation (Gen. 34:2,7,25,26).

  Moses was angry with the
children of Israel because they were sinfully complaining against God; Moses’
anger led to his sinful misrepresentation of the character of Jehovah before
the Israelites (Num. 20:1-12).

  If a person sins against me
and I respond in anger, does the fact that it is a response to sin
automatically make my anger righteous? Not necessarily. In each of these
examples there is evidence of wounded pride; the anger is not used to make a
godly appeal to the person to repent of his/her sin, but to attack and/or get
even with the sinner. Perhaps you firmly believe that you have a right before
God to become angry every time you perceive that someone has sinned against
you. There are several things wrong with this idea:

  1. Your perception may be
wrong; you may have misunderstood or misinterpreted the person’s words or
actions; thus your anger would be totally wrong.

  2. Your perception may be
correct, but if your anger is only for the purpose of punishing the person, it
is wrong, because you are to leave vengeance in the Lord’s hands (Rom. 12:19).

  3. God may sometimes want
you to “pass over a transgression” (Prov. 19:11). (We will discuss this in more
detail later.)

  4. You may be confusing sin
as defined in God’s Word with the fact that you personally have been
embarrassed or inconvenienced by another’s misfortune. For example, suppose
your young child graciously asks if he can help dry the dishes. After you come
out of your faint, you hand him a dish towel. He tries to be very careful, but
because of his small hands and lack of coordination, he drops one of your best
china plates. If you get angry at your child for something like this, it is you
who are sinning, and not the child!

Anger as a Means of

Controlling Others

  There is one more example
of anger in the Bible that we need to look at more closely. This is Peter’s
anger at the time of the crucifixion of Christ when people kept insisting that
they recognized him as a disciple of Jesus. The people were right and Peter was
lying to them. So why did he get angry? As a means of control, I suggest. The
situation was getting out of control, and he feared for his life. So he used
anger as a means of getting the people to back off. This is a very common use
of anger—for controlling other people and getting them to do what I want them
to do. I have seen it happen many times, and probably have done it myself.
There is absolutely no warrant for it, no Scriptural support for it:it is a
result of pride and selfishness through and through.

How Is Anger Expressed?

  How is anger manifested and
expressed? We most often think of people losing their temper, blowing up,
shouting, and so forth. But there are other ways. Here is an example from
Scripture:“Ahab spoke unto Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that I may
have it for a garden of herbs…. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it
me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto you. And Ahab came
into his house heavy and displeased … and he lay down upon his bed and turned
away his face and would eat no bread” (1 Ki. 21:1-4). Ahab was angry because he
was not getting his own way even though he was king. He did not blow up in
anger; rather he went off and pouted, and perhaps became depressed. I remember
a brother making the observation that depression often results from suppressed
anger—not always, but often. Much of what people today call “stress” is due to
going on day after day with suppressed anger and holding grudges.

  Another way anger is
manifested is the silent treatment. Some people sort of realize that losing
one’s temper is wrong, so they express their anger by being silent, not
communicating with the ones who make them angry. I remember reading about two
sisters who lived together in the same house. They had a falling out, and lived
the last 20 years each keeping to her side of the house, and never once
speaking to the other. How awful! How stressful!

  Then there are those whose
motto is:“I don’t get angry; I just get even.” Surely that is wrong because
the Bible says, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19,20).
But are not all these other forms of anger, including the silent treatment,
also a form of vengeance? A variation of this is using cutting or mocking
words. For example, I remember a high school teacher of mine who, when a
certain boy misbehaved in class, called him “Butterball.” If, in our anger, we
attack or make fun of the person (in this case, the physical appearance of the
person) rather than using the energy derived from our anger to attack and
resolve the problem (in this case, his misbehavior), then we are really taking
vengeance into our own hands.

  Finally, some people use
the gunny sack approach to expressing irritation and anger. Here’s how it
works. Consider a married couple:we will call them George and Sally. Sally
goes to brush her teeth and finds the tube of toothpaste squeezed in the
middle. She thinks to herself, “I just hate it when George squeezes the
tube in the middle,” and she drops it in the gunny sack—figuratively, not
literally. Then she goes to the bedroom and finds George’s pajamas strewn on
the floor. Again, she thinks bitter thoughts about George and … drops the
pajamas in her gunny sack. She goes down to the kitchen and the morning paper
lying on the table reminds her of how her husband never pays attention to her
at the breakfast table … and she drops the paper in her gunny sack. And so it
goes until Saturday when she catches George slicing bread on the kitchen counter
without using the bread board. She blows up, and out comes the gunny sack. She
berates him, not just about scarring the kitchen counter, but also about the
toothpaste and the pajamas and the newspaper. The verses “Let not the sun go
down upon your wrath” and “It is his glory to pass over a transgression” apply
here.

Biblical Instruction

Concerning Anger

  Let us now briefly explore
some Biblical instruction concerning anger. The first one we have considered
already:

  We are to be angry, but
without sinning. “Be angry and sin not:let not the sun go down upon your
wrath:neither give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:26,27). In other words, there
is a kind of anger that is not sinful. There are occasions in which we should
express righteous anger, following the example of Christ. But at the same time,
we must be very careful not to allow righteous anger to degenerate into sinful
anger. We are to keep short accounts with God and with other people; therefore
we should make sure that our anger has been resolved before the sun goes down.

  We are to stop our
sinful anger. “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath:fret not yourself in
any wise to do evil” (Psa. 37:8).“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice” (Eph. 4:31;
also Col. 3:8; Gal. 5:19-21). We shall come back to the very important question
of how to deal with our problem of anger.

  We are to consider the
effects and consequences of our anger. “A wrathful man stirs up strife”
(Prov. 15:18). “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous” (Prov. 27:4). “Whoever
is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:
and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the
council:but whosoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire”
(Matt. 5:22). “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”
(Heb. 12:15). “For the wrath of man works not the righteousness of God” (Jas.
1:20). “If you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and
lie not against the truth” (Jas. 3:14).

  We are to be slow to
anger. “He who is slow to wrath is of great understanding” (Prov. 14:29).
“He who is slow to anger appeases strife” (Prov. 15:18). “He who is slow to
anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit than he who takes
a city” (Prov. 16:32).“Love suffers long [or is long-tempered] … is not
easily provoked” (1 Cor. 13:4,5). “I will therefore that men pray everywhere,
lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Tim. 2:8). (Engaging in
public prayer while nursing an angry, bitter spirit in private is gross
hypocrisy.) “A bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not
self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker” (Tit. 1:7).
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak,
slow to wrath” (Jas. 1:19).

  We have the privilege of
passing over some transgressions. “The discretion of a man defers his anger;
and it is his glory to pass over a transgression” (Prov. 19:11). The deferring
of one’s anger here does not mean putting it in your gunny sack to bring out
later. Rather, I believe it means that we stop and consider and pray about the
matter to find out how God wants us to respond. The second part of the verse
says that God may sometimes want us to pass over a transgression. Husbands!
wives! before you lash out at your spouse for some trivial misdeed (like
squeezing the tube of toothpaste in the wrong place), pray! Ask God and ask
yourself if it is worth bringing conflict and disharmony into your marriage
over such a matter as this. Also ask God to remind you of the many times your
spouse has passed over your transgressions.

  The apostle Paul might have
whammed the Philippians for engaging in petty conflicts, but instead he gave
them—and us—the wonderful ministry of Chapter 2, verses 5-11 concerning the
humility and subsequent exaltation of Christ Jesus. And in the Old Testament,
Moses was out of touch with God’s thoughts when he expressed anger at the
people’s sin while God wanted to win the people’s hearts by an expression of
grace. For this inappropriate expression of anger toward the people’s sin,
Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land (Num. 20:1-12).

  “It is his glory to pass
over a transgression.” I would include under this verse the annoying habit of
some to “nit pick”—constantly correcting their children or spouse or even
parents with respect to grammar or pronunciation or details of a story they are
telling.

  How we are to deal with
other people’s anger. “A soft answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1). If
your two-year-old is having a temper tantrum, try whispering in his/her ear.
“Wise men turn away wrath” (Prov. 29:8). “A gift in secret pacifies anger:and
a reward in the bosom strong wrath” (Prov. 21:14; see Gen. 43:11,12; Matt.
5:44).

  We are to avoid stirring
up anger in others. “Grievous words stir up anger” (Prov. 15:1). “Fathers,
provoke not your children to wrath:but bring them up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). “Fathers, provoke not your children to
anger, lest they be discouraged” (Col. 3:21). If a member of our family has an
anger problem, the other members should be much in prayer and in the Word to
discover any behaviors on their part that may be helping to kindle the anger of
the other. This does not at all excuse one’s anger. “The devil made me do it”
or “my parents drove me to anger” does not cut it with God. But at the same
time, the more reasons and excuses we can remove from the path of angry
persons, the greater the possibility of helping those persons with their
problem of anger.

  (To be concluded.)