"Young men wanted; separate from the world, out and out for God, devoted to Christ; young men in whom the Holy Spirit not only dwells, but rules"

"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine [teaching]; continue in them:for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:16).

This passage sets before the workman two deeply important, absolutely essential duties, to which he must give his diligent, constant, prayerful attention if he would be an efficient workman in the church of God_"a good minister of Jesus Christ." He must take heed to himself, and he must take heed to the teaching.

First, then, let us consider the solemn clause, "Take heed to thyself." No language can adequately set forth the importance of this thought. It is, of course, important for all Christians; for the workman, it is especially so, for to’ such it is here particularly addressed. He, above all, will need to take heed to himself. He must guard the state of his heart, the state of his conscience, his whole inward man. He must keep himself pure. His thoughts, his affections, his spirit, his temper, his tongue, must all be kept under the holy control of the Spirit and Word of God. He must be "girt about with truth" and have on "the breastplate of righteousness" (Eph. 6:14). His moral condition and his practical walk must answer to the truth ministered, else the enemy will, most assuredly, get an advantage over him. The teacher ought to be the living exponent of what he teaches. At least this should be his sincere, continuous aim. He should ever keep this holy standard before "the eyes of his heart." Sad to say, the best will fail and come short; but where the heart is true, the conscience tender, and the fear of God and the love of Christ have their due place, the workman will never be satisfied with anything short of the divine standard for his inward state and his outward walk. It will be his earnest desire, at all times, and in all places, to show the practical effect of his teaching; to be "an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in [love], in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12).

Let it not be supposed, however, that the Lord’s servant should set himself up as a model for those to whom he ministers; or that he should make his own experience the standard of his ministry. An inspired apostle could say, "Be ye followers of me," but where is the preacher or teacher now, who could adopt such language? As to his ministry, he should ever be able to say, "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake" (2 Cor. 4:5).

May it be, then, the deep-seated earnest purpose and aim of all those who minister in the Word and doctrine to feed upon the precious truth of God; to make it their own; to live and move and have their being in the very atmosphere of it; to have the inward man strengthened and formed by it; to have it dwelling richly in them that thus it may flow out in living power to others.

Now let us discuss the second point in our subject, namely, the doctrine, or teaching, for such is the true force of the Greek word. Oh, how much is involved in this! "Take heed to the teaching." What care is needed! What earnest, constant waiting upon God for the right thing to say, and the right way to say it. God alone knows the state and the need of souls. He knows their capacity. We do not. We may be offering "strong meat" to those who can only bear “milk,” and thus do only harm. "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God" (1 Peter 4:11). He does not say, "according to the oracles of God." A man may rise and speak for an hour, in the assembly, and every word he says may be in strict accordance with the letter of Scripture, and yet he may not at all speak as an oracle of God_as God’s mouthpiece to the people. He may minister truth, but not the truth needed at the time.

We want to sit much at the Master’s feet, to drink deeply into His Spirit, to be in fellowship with His heart of love for the precious lambs and sheep of His flock. Then shall we be in a condition of soul to give the portion of meat in due season. It is not the truth which interests us, but the truth which the assembly needs, that should be given out. We should look simply and earnestly to Him, and say, "Lord, what wouldest Thou have me to say to Thy beloved people? Give me the suited message for them." Then He will use us as His channels, and the truth will flow down from His loving heart into our hearts, and forth from us, in the power of His Spirit, into the hearts of His people.

Oh, that it were thus with all who speak and write for the church of God. What results we might look for! What power! What growth! What manifest progress in the divine life! The true interests of the flock of Christ would then be thought of in all that was spoken or written. Nothing equivocal, nothing strange or startling would be sent forth. Nothing but what is sound and seasonable would flow from the lips or the pen.

“Strive diligently to present thyself approved to God, a workman that has not to be ashamed, cutting in a straight line the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15, J.N.D. trans.).

"We, being many, are one body In Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:5).

"One of another." Although we may all accept this as a part of Scripture teaching on Church truth, in fact, an awareness of it, practically, may be lacking, to a great extent, in our relations with and behavior toward one another. The following Scriptures are most pertinent and searching.

Since it is true, blessed be God, that we are members one of another (because we are of the one body, spiritually, of Christ), then it surely follows that "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another" (1 John 4:11).

It is no less a consequence that we are to "By love serve one another" (Gal. 5:13).

Again, the effect of this truth will be to stimulate us to "Encourage one another, and build up each one the other" (1 Thess. 5:11 J.N.D. trans.).

Also, to "be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility" (1 Peter 5:5),

"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any:even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Col. 3:13).

And be "able also to admonish one another" (Rom. 15:14).

"Bear ye one another’s burdens" (Gal. 6:2).

"Use hospitality one to another without grudging" (1 Peter 4:9).

"Lie not one to another" (Col. 3:9).

“Speak not evil one of another” (Jas. 4:11).

Some people are very much concerned because they cannot point to any particular time when they were converted. For that reason they sometimes wonder whether they have ever been converted at all. We think they trouble themselves needlessly. There are those who are able to tell the very hour when this great transaction took place. They could show you the spot where God met with them, and tell you all the attendant circumstances. The Apostle Paul could do this; so could the jailer at Philippi; and Lydia of Thyatira would remember that eventful Sabbath day when some strangers joined the little band of worshipers by the riverside and spake to them of Jesus and the resurrection, and her heart was opened to receive the message (Acts 16). But it is not everyone who can. Perhaps you cannot. That which we stress here is, can you say now that you trust in Christ as your own personal Saviour? Do you thankfully confess Him as your Lord and Saviour at this very moment? Are all your hopes centered in Him now? Do you now see that apart from Him you must forever perish, but trusting Him you are forever saved?

"On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand."

If that is our song, then we may be quite sure that we belong to Christ and are among His loved ones, even though we cannot name the hour when this became true.

And let us also remember that no two conversions have ever been exactly alike. God’s way of dealing with souls varies according to His manifold wisdom. With some it is an instant transition from night to day. With others it is gradual; they pass through a lingering agony of conscience about their sins and sinful state. The pains of hell get hold of them. They tremble on the edge of the dark abyss. One such was John Bunyan of Bedford. Others are attracted by the grace of the Lord Jesus and are drawn to Him by a power which they neither can nor would resist. Of such was the one written about in Luke 7:36-49. Let no one be unhappy because his conversion does not answer in every feature to that of somebody else. It is what we should expect. There are not two blades of grass alike, nor two leaves alike on all the forest trees, nor two flakes of snow the same. So it is with the history of souls in the new creation.

There is another question which troubles some people greatly. Have I accepted Christ? Now that is not the thing to be inquired about at all. Such a question is apt to turn our thoughts in upon ourselves, and then we need not wonder if darkness and uncertainty result. Indeed, it may be doubted whether Christ is ever offered for our acceptance. Essentially, the question rather is, "Has God, against whom we have all sinned_has He accepted Christ?" The Saviour’s sacrifice, while offered on our behalf, was certainly presented for God’s acceptance, not ours. If a man be heavily in debt, who is it that has to be satisfied_himself or his creditors? If we have sinned against God, who is it that has to be propitiated_the sinner or the One sinned against? Now we know of a surety that God has accepted Christ. He is much more than satisfied with the atonement Christ has made. And if God is satisfied, ought not we to be?

"Have we not, then, to accept Christ?" asks some one. We would not put it in that form. The acceptance is on God’s side. To us the gospel is preached_glad tidings concerning Jesus, who died for our sins and has been raised from among the dead and is now in glory. This gospel we believe, and in believing we are forgiven, justified, saved, and have life through His name. The tendency of our deceitful hearts is to turn from Christ to self in some shape or form. We shut ourselves up in a dark dungeon and then sorrow because the sun does not shine!

The gospel is a royal proclamation sent out to all the earth. Its terms are grandly simple. "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38, 39). Nothing could be plainer. Thus forgiveness of sins is announced and the assurance given that all who believe are justified from all things. These are blessed tidings indeed! They are God’s glad tidings_sent by Him to guilty, ruined, lost, perishing men. They bear His signature and seal. Let us believe them. If we do not, we shall starve in the midst of plenty and perish from thirst with water all around.

And that is what so many are doing. Instead of believing the gospel, they are for ever thinking of themselves, of something they must do, or be, or feel in order to find peace. No wonder that doubts and fears plague them. Does the reader happen to know any of these unhappy folks? You may recognize them by their speech, for they have a dialect of their own. I and me are their favorite pronouns. They cannot say five words without them. In this respect they bear a striking likeness to the one whose experiences are described in Romans 7. Nearly forty times within as many moments does that dejected man talk of I and me! The great vision of his soul is full of self from one end of it to the other. So it is with them. And as in his case so in theirs a harvest of wretchedness is the only result. And so it must go on till, turning from themselves, they cry out for a deliverer, and find Him in Christ.

Oh, let us turn away from self_let us loathe it, hate it, and never listen to it again. Christ is rest to the weary. He is the Fountain of living waters where the thirsty may drink and be satisfied. He is bread for the hungry, clothing for the naked, the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Here our souls, worn out by constant effort to be other than what they are, may lie down and be at rest. "Not I but Christ!" "Not I, but Christ!" The lesson is learned at last. May it never, never be forgotten.

There is a mystery in human hearts,
And though we be encircled by a host
Of those who love us well, and are beloved,
To every one of us, from time to time,
There comes a sense of utter loneliness.
Our dearest friend is "stranger" to our joy
And cannot realize our bitterness.
"There is not one who really understands,
No one to enter into all I feel."
Such is the cry of each of us in turn.
We wander in a "solitary way";
No matter what or where our lot may be,
Each heart, mysterious even to itself,
Must live its inner life in solitude.
And would you know the reason why this is?
It is because the Lord desires our love.
In every heart He wishes to be first;
He therefore keeps the secret key Himself,
To open all its chambers, and to bless
With perfect sympathy and holy peace,
Each solitary soul which comes to Him.
So when we feel this loneliness, it is
The voice of Jesus saying, "Come to Me";
And every time we are "not understood,"
It is a call to us to come again;
For CHRIST alone can satisfy the soul,
And those who walk with Him from day to day
Can never have a "solitary way."
And when beneath some heavy cross you faint,
And say, "I cannot bear this load alone,"
You say the truth; Christ made it purposely
So heavy that you must return to Him.
The bitter grief, which "no one understands,"
Conveys a secret message from the King,
Entreating you to come to Him again.
The Man of Sorrows understands it well;
In all points tempted He can feel with you.
You cannot come too often, or too near;
The Son of God is infinite in grace.
His presence satisfies the longing soul,
And those who walk with Him from day to day
Can never have a "solitary way."

Among the various definitions of the word "perfect" found in an English dictionary are "flawless," "pure," "errorless," "faultless." The application of these definitions to the word "perfect" as found in English translations of the New Testament has, unfortunately, led to certain doctrinal errors. Notable among these errors is the doctrine of the attainment of sinless perfection by man on earth.

A study of the Greek words which are translated "perfect" in our English Bibles reveals that none of the above definitions ("flawless," "pure," etc.) is applicable to the New Testament use of the word "perfect." In this and a subsequent issue we will consider, respectively, the two most common of these Greek words, teleios and katartizo.

Greek dictionaries give the following meanings for the word teleios (tel’-ay-os):"ended," "finished," "complete," "full grown," "mature." We will illustrate these definitions by looking at a few verses from the New Testament.

A verse which has been widely misinterpreted to support the notion of sinless perfection is, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). To be sure, our Father which is in heaven is perfectly sinless and holy, but it is seen from the context that this is not the thought expressed in this verse. Just as the Father "maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust," the disciples are exhorted to manifest love for all men, not their neighbors only. "Perfect" in this context, therefore, has reference to the complete, thorough, unbiased love and grace we should show toward others, without respect of person.

The word "perfect" also has the connotation of "complete" in scriptures referring to our Saviour. Luke 13:32, Hebrews 2:10 and Hebrews 5:9 all speak of Christ becoming perfect at the end of his course on earth. It would be gross error to say that "perfect" means sinlessness in these verses. Rather, it is referring to the completion of His work of salvation by His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection and glorification.

There have been some interesting responses from readers to the added feature on "balance" introduced in the last issue ("take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine"). These indicate a renewed awareness of the importance of maintaining in our spiritual life a much-needed balance. We are glad for this reaction, and will continue to bring to the attention of our readers similar penetrating passages of Scripture. We pray they may be used of God to arouse, stimulate, convict, if need be, and recover us to a godly balance of the truth in our lives.

The concept of balance is taken for granted by us in most other areas. We have two legs; yet how tragic is the loss of balance here! The principle of it is basic in, for example, mechanical design and in architecture. Even such terms as balance of power and balance of trade are familiar, and their great importance is recognized. The significance of balance in our Christian profession and testimony cannot be overestimated.

We believe that nothing is more applicable and material to the character and testimony of those in relationship with God, than an earnest endeavor to live consistently with what we profess and, it may be, teach. In Acts 1:1, there is the phrase, "of all that Jesus began both to do and teach." Here is our divine Example. Not only is the matter of balance (in perfection), to be observed here, but the order_first the doing, then the teaching. We draw your attention to the following article, "Thyself and the Doctrine," which comments upon this theme. The author writes from a different viewpoint, however, as to "the doctrine."

In this issue we have presented on page 47, a verse ("maintaining faith and a good conscience") that stresses the importance of balance in the area similar to that in the last issue. Pertinent to this verse, the Apostle Paul avows, in his defense before Felix, that "herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men" (Acts 24:16). This is absolutely indispensable in order to "war a good warfare" (1 Tim. 1:18). One has said, in writing on this subject:

“Some having put away, not the faith, but a good conscience, made shipwreck of the faith. Thus, no matter what you may hold or appear to delight in, abandoning watchfulness over your ways, giving up self-judgment in the great or small matters which each day brings us, is fatal. It may be a very little sin that is allowed, but this, where it is unjudged in God’s sight, becomes the beginning of a very great evil. Having put away a good conscience, their ship no longer answers the helm, and as to faith they made shipwreck:’of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander’.”

May God sanctify both writer and reader alike by the truth. "Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17).

FRAGMENT. "They said therefore to Him, Who art Thou? And Jesus said to them, Altogether that which I also say to you" (John 8:25, J.N.D. trans.). How unexpected a reply! He is in His life what He says, and both expressing perfectly the mind of God.