The Contemplation Of God # 2

 The Contemplation Of God # 2

"The saints in Heaven will see God with the eye of the mind, for He will be always invisible to the bodily eye. They will see Him more clearly than they could see Him by reason and faith, and more extensively than all His works and dispensations had hitherto revealed Him. But their minds will not be so enlarged as to be capable of contemplating at once, or in detail, the whole excellence of His nature. To comprehend infinite perfection, they must become infinite themselves. Even in Heaven, their knowledge will be partial, but at the same time their happiness will be complete; because their knowledge will be perfect in this sense, that it will be adequate to the capacity of the subject, although it will not exhaust the fullness of the object. We believe that it will be progressive, and that as their views expand, their blessedness will increase. But it will never reach a limit beyond which there is nothing to be discovered, and when ages after ages have passed away, He will still be the incomprehensible God." (John Dick).

Secondly, from a review of the perfections of God, it appears that He is an all-sufficient Being. He is all-sufficient in Himself and to Himself. As the First of beings, He could receive nothing from another, nor be limited by the power of another. Being infinite, He is possessed of all possible perfection. When the Triune God existed all alone, He was all to Himself. His understanding, His love, His energies - found an adequate object in Himself. Had He stood in need of anything external He would not have been independent, and therefore He would not have been God.

He created all things, and that for Himself (Colossians 1:16) - yet it was not in order to supply a lack - but that He might communicate life and happiness to angels and men, and admit them to the vision of His glory. True, He demands the allegiance and services of His intelligent creatures - yet He derives no benefit from their offices; all the advantage rebounds to themselves (Job 22:2-3). He makes use of means and instruments to accomplish His ends - yet not from a deficiency of power, but oftentimes to more strikingly display His power through the feebleness of the instruments.

The all-sufficiency of God makes Him to be the Supreme Object which is ever to be sought unto. True happiness consists only in the enjoyment of God, His favor is life, and His loving-kindness is better than life. "The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:24). His love, His grace, and His glory are the chief objects of the saints desire and the springs of their highest sanctification.

"Many are asking: Who can show us any good? Let the light of Your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound." (Psalm 4:6-7).

Yes, the Christian, when in his right mind, is able to say: "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine, even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle bars are empty - yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation." (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Thirdly, from a review of the perfections of God, it appears that He is the Supreme Sovereign of the universe. It has been rightly said: "No dominion is so absolute as that which is founded on creation. He who might not have made anything, had a right to make all things according to His own pleasure. In the exercise of His uncontrolled power, He has made some parts of the creation mere inanimate matter, of grosser or more refined texture, and distinguished by different qualities, but all inert and unconscious. He has given orgination to other parts, and made them susceptible of growth and expansion, but still without life in the proper sense of the term. To others He has given not only organization, but conscious existence, organs of sense and self-motive power. To these He has added in man the gift of reason, and an immortal spirit, by which he is allied to a higher order of beings who are placed in the superior regions. Over the world which He has created, He sways the scepter of omnipotence. (John Dick).

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 3)

The Contemplation Of God # 1

 The Contemplation Of God # 1

In the previous studies we have had in revew some of the wondrous and lovely perfections of the divine character. From this most feeble and faulty contemplation of His attributes, it should be evident to us all that God is:

First, and incomprehensible Being, and, lost in wonder at His infinite greatness, we are constrained to adopt the words of Zophar, "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens - what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave - what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea" (Job 11:7-9). When we turn our thoughts of God's eternity, His immateriality, His omnipresence, His almightiness than our minds are overwhelmed.

But the incomprehensibility of the divine nature is not a reason why we should desist from reverent inquiry and prayerful strivings to apprehend what He has so graciously revealed of Himself in His Word. Because we are unable to acquire perfect knowledge, it would be folly to say we will therefore make no efforts to attain to any degree of it. It has been well said: "Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued, investigation of the great subject of the Deity. The most excellent study for expanding the soul, is the science of Christ and Him crucified and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity" (Charles Spurgeon).

Let us quote a little further from the prince of preachers; "The proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can engage the attention of a child of God - is the name, the nature, the person, the doings, and the existence of the great God which he calls His Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity. It is a subject so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can comprehend and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-contentment, and go on our way with the thought, "Behold I am wise." But when we come to this master science, finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought - "I am but of yesterday and know nothing." (Sermon on Malachi 3:6).

Yes, the incomprehensibility of the divine nature should teach us humility, caution, and reverence. After all our searchings and meditations we have to say with Job, "Lo, these are parts of His ways; but how little a portion is heard of Him?" (Job 26:14). When Moses besought Jehovah for a sight of His glory, He answered him, "I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you" (Exodus 33:19). As another has said; "The name is the collection of His attributes." Rightly did the Puritan John Howe declare: "The notion therefore we can hence form of His glory, is only such as we may have a large volume by a brief synopsis; or of a spacious country by a little landscape. He has here given us a true report of Himself, but not a full account; such as will secure our apprehensions - being guided thereby from error, but not from ignorance. We can apply our minds to contemplate the several perfections whereby the blessed God discovers to us His being, and can in our thoughts attribute them all to Him, though we have still but low and defective conceptions of each one. Yet so far as our apprehensions can correspond to the discovery that He affords us of His several excellencies, we have a present view of His glory.

The difference is indeed great between the knowledge of God which His saints have in this life - and that which they shall have in Heaven. Yet, as the former should not be undervalued because it is imperfect, so the latter is not to be magnified about its reality. True, the Scriptures declare that we shall see "face to face" and "know" even as we are known (1 Corinthians 13:12). But to infer from this that we shall then know God as fully as He knows us, is to be misled by the mere sound of words, and to disregard the restriction of that knowledge that our finiteness necessarily requires. There is a vast difference between the saints being glorified - and their being made divine. In their glorified state, Christians will still be finite creatures, and therefore, never able to fully comprehend the infinite God.

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)

The Scriptures And The Promises # 4

 The Scriptures And The Promises # 4

Thus it was with Abraham: "Who against hope believed in hope...and being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb; he staggered not...through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God" (Romans 4:18-20).

Thus it was with Moses: "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward" (Hebrews 11:26).

Thus it was with Paul: "I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told to me" (Acts 27:25).

Is it so with you, dear reader? Are the promises of Him who cannot lie, the resting place of your poor heart?

6. We profit from the Word when we patiently await the fulfillment of God's promises. God promised Abraham a son, but he waited many years for the performance of it. Simeon had a promise that he should not see death until he had seen the Lord's Christ (Luke 2:26), yet it was not made good until he had one foot in the grave.

There is often a long and hard winter between the sowing-time of prayer and the reaping of the answer. The Lord Jesus Himself has not yet received a full answer to the prayer He made in John chapter 17, nineteen hundred years ago. Many of God's promises to His people will not receive their richest accomplishment until they are in glory. He who has all eternity at His disposal needs not to hurry. God often makes us tarry so that patience may have "her perfect work," yet let us not distrust Him. "For the revelation awaits an appointed time, it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3).

Various ends are accomplished by God in delaying His execution of the promises. Not only is faith put to the proof, so that its genuineness may the more clearly appear. Not only is patience developed, and hope given opportunity for exercise; but submission to the Divine will is fostered.

7. We profit from the Word when we make a right use of the promises. First, in our dealings with God Himself. When we approach unto His throne, it should be to plead one of His promises. Observe how Jacob pleaded the promise in Genesis 32:12; Moses in Exodus 32:13; David in Psalm 119:58; Solomon in 1 Kings 8:25; and you also, my Christian reader, do like wise.

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1). That is the effect they should produce in us, and will if faith really lays hold of them. "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great an dprecious promises - that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4).

Now the gospel and the precious promises, being graciously bestowed and powerfully applied - have an influence on purity of heart and behavior, and teach men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly. Such are the powerful effects of gospel promises under the Divine influence as to make men inwardly partakers of the Divine nature and outwardly to abstain from and avoid the prevailing corruptions and vices of the times.

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)

The Scriptures And The Promises # 3

 The Scriptures And The Promises # 3

4. We profit from the Word when we make a proper discrimination between the promises of God. Many of the Lord's people are frequently guilty of spiritual theft, by which we mean that they appropriate to themselves something to which they are not entitled, but which belongs to another. "Certain covenant engagements, made with the Lord Jesus Christ, as to His elect and redeemed ones, are altogether without condition so far as we are concerned; but many other wealthy words of the Lord contain stipulations which must be carefully regarded - or we shall not obtain the blessing. One part of my reader's diligent search must be directed toward this most important point. God will keep His promise to you; only see to it that the way in which He conditions His engagement is carefully observed by you. Only when we fulfill the requirements of a conditional promise, can we expect that promise to be fulfilled to us.

Many of the Divine promises are addressed to particular characters - or, more correctly speaking to particular graces. For example, in Psalm 25:9 the Lord declares that "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way." But if I am out of communion with Him, if I am following a course of self-will, if my heart is haughty - then I am not justified in taking to myself the comfort of this verse.

Again, in John 15:7, the Lord tells us, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you - then you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you." But if I am not in experimental communion with Him, if His commands are not regulating my conduct - then my prayers will remain unanswered.

While God's promises proceed from pure grace, yet it ever needs to be remembered that grace reigns "through righteousness" (Romans 5:21) and never sets aside human responsibility. If I ignore the laws of health, I must not be surprised that sickness prevents me enjoying many of God's temporal mercies. In the same way, if I neglect His precepts I have only myself to blame if I fail to receive the fulfillment of many of His promises.

Let none suppose that by His promises God has obligated Himself to ignore the requirements of His holiness - He never exercises any one of His perfections at the expense of another. And let none imagine that God would be magnifying the sacrificial work of Christ, were He to bestow its fruits upon impenitent and careless souls. There is a balance of truth to be preserved here. Alas, that it is now so frequently lost, and that under the pretense of exalting Divine grace, men are really turning it into a license to sin.

How often one hears quoted, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you" (Psalm 50:15). But that verse begins with "And," and the preceding clause is "Pay your vows unto the most High!"

Again, how frequently is "I will guide you with my eye" (Psalm 32:8) seized by people who pay no attention to the context! But that is God's promise to one who has confessed his "transgression unto the Lord (verse 5).

If, then, I have unconfessed sin on my conscience, and have leaned on ar arm of flesh or sought help from my fellows, instead of waiting only on God (Psalm 62:5) - then I have no right to count upon the Lord's guiding me with His eye - which necessarily presupposed that I am walking in close communion with Him, for I cannot see the eye of another while at a distance from him.

5. We profit from the Word when we are enabled to make God's promises our support and stay. This is one reason why God has given them to us; not only to manifest His love by making known His benevolent designs - but also to comfort our hearts and develop our faith. Had God so pleased He could have bestowed His blessings without giving us notice of His purpose. The Lord might have given us all the mercies we need without pledging Himself to do so. But in that case we could not have been believers; faith without a promise would be a foot without ground to stand upon. Our tender Father planned that we should enjoy His gifts twice over: first by faith, and then by fruition. By this means He wisely weans our hearts away from things seen and perishing, and draws them onward and upward to those things which are spiritual and eternal.

If there were no promises there would not only be no faith, but no hope either. For what is hope but the expectation of the things which God has declared He will give us? Faith looks to the Word promising - and hope looks to the performance thereof.

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 4)

The Scriptures And The Promises # 2

 The Scriptures And The Promises # 2

How terrible, then, is the blindness and how great is the sin of those preachers who indiscriminately apply the Divine promises to the saved and unsaved alike! They are not only taking "the children's bread" and casting it to the "dogs" - but they are "handling the Word of God deceitfully." (2 Corinthians 4:2), and beguiling immortal souls!

And those who listen to and heed them are little less guilty, for god holds all responsible to search the Scriptures for themselves, and test whatever they read or hear by the unerring standard. If they are too lazy to do so, and prefer blindly to follow their blind guides - then their blood is on their own heads. Truth has to be "bought (Proverbs 23:23), and those who are unwilling to pay the price must go without it.

2. We profit from the Word when we labor to make the promises of God our own. To do this we must first take the trouble to become really acquainted with them. It is surprising how many promises there are in Scripture which the saints know nothing about - the more so seeing that they are the peculiar treasure of believers, the substance of faith's heritage lying in them. True, Christians are already the recipients of wondrous blessings - yet the capital of their heavenly wealth and the bulk of their glorious estate, is only prospective. They have already received a "pledge," but the better part of what Christ has purchased for them lies yet in the promise of God. How diligent, then, should they be in studying His testamentary will, familiarizing themselves with the good things which the Spirit "has revealed" (1 Corinthians 2:10), and seeking to take an inventory of their spiritual treasures!

Not only must I search the Scriptures to find out what has been made over to me by the everlasting covenant, but I need also to meditate upon the promises, to turn them over and over in my mind, and cry unto the Lord for spiritual understanding of them. The bee would not extract honey from the flowers as long as he only gazed upon them. Nor will the Christian derive any real comfort and strength from the Divine promises until his faith lays hold of and penetrates to the heart of them. God has given no assurance that the slothful shall be fed, but He has declared, "the soul of the diligent shall be made fat" (Proverbs 13:4). Therefore did Christ say, "Labor not for the food which perishes, but for that food which endures unto everlasting life." (John 6:27). It is only as the promises are stored up in our minds, that the Spirit brings them to remembrance at those seasons of fainting when we most need them.

3. We profit from the Word when we recognize the blessed scope of God's promises. "A sort of affectation prevents some Christians from seeking religion, as if its sphere lay among the commonplaces of  daily life. It is to them transcendental and dreamy; rather a creation of pious fiction than a matter of fact. They believe in God, after a fashion, for things spiritual, and for the life which is to be; but they totally forget that true godliness has the promise of the life which now is, as well as that which is to come. To them it would seem almost profanation to pray about the small matters of which daily life is made up. Perhaps they will be startled if I venture to suggest that this should make them question the realoity of their faith. If it  cannot bring them help in the little troubles of life, will it support them in the greater trials of death?" (Spurgeon).

"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promises of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:8). Reader, do you really believe this, that the promises of God cover every aspect and particular of your daily life? Or have the dispensationalists deluded you into supposing that the Old Testament belongs only to fleshly Jews, and that "our promises" respect spiritual and not material blessings? How many a Christian has derived comfort from "I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5); well, that is a quotation from Joshua 1:5! So, too, 2 Corinthians 7:1 speaks of "having these promises," yet one of them, referred to in 2 Corinthians 6:18 is taken from the book of Leviticus!

Perhaps someone asks, "But where am I to draw the line? Which of the Old Testament promises rightfully belong to me?" We answer that Psalm 84:11 declares, "The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will be withheld from those who walk uprightly." If you are really walking uprightly you are entitled to appropriate that blessed promise and count upon the Lord giving you whatever "good thing" is truly required by you. "My God shall supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus!" (Phil. 4:19). If then there is a promise anywhere in His Word which just fits your present case and situation - then make it your own as suited to your need. Steadfastly resist every attempt of satan to rob you of any portion of your Father's Word.

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 3)

The Scriptures And The Promises # 1

 The Scriptures And The Promises # 1

The Divine promises make known the good pleasure of God's will to His people to bestow upon them the riches of His grace. They are the outward testimonies of His heart, who from all eternity loves them and fore-appointed all things for them and concerning them. In the person and work of His Son, God has made an all-sufficient provision for their complete salvation, both for time and for eternity. To the intent that they might have a true, clear and spiritual knowledge of the same, it has pleased the Lord to set it before them in the exceeding great and precious promises which are scattered up and down in the Scriptures as so many stars in the glorious firmament of grace. By these precious promises, they may be assured of the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning them, and take sanctuary in Him accordingly, and through this medium have real communion with Him in His grace and mercy at all times, no matter what their case or circumstances may be.

The Divine promises are so many declarations to bestow some good, or remove some ill. As such they are a most blessed making known and manifesting of God's love to His people. There are three steps in connection with God's love:

first, His inward purpose to exercise it; the last, the real execution of that purpose; but in between there is the gracious making known of that purpose to the beneficiaries not only show His love fully to them in due time, but in the interim He will have us informed of His benevolent designs, that we may sweetly rest in His love, and stretch ourselves comfortably upon His sure promises. Thee we are able to say, "How precious also are your thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them" (Psalm 139:17).

In 2 Peter 1:4 the Divine promises are spoken of as "exceedingly great and precious." As Spurgeon pointed out, "greatness and preciousness seldom go together, but in this instance they are united in an exceeding degree." When Jehovah is pleased to open His mouth and reveal His heart, He does so in a manner worthy of Himself, in words of superlative power and richness. To quote again the beloved London pastor:

"They come from a great God,

they come to great sinners, 

they work for us great results,

and deal with great matters."

While the natural intellect is capable of perceiving much of their greatness - only the renewed heart can taste their ineffable preciousness, and say with David, "How sweet are your words unto my taste! yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103).

1. We profit from the Word when we perceive to whom the promises belong. They are available only to those who are in Christ. "For all the promises of God in Him (the Lord Jesus) are yes, and in Him. Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). There can be no communion between the thrice holy God and sinful creatures, except through a Mediator who has satisfied Him on their behalf. Therefore must that Mediator receive from God all good for His people, and they must have it at second hand through Him. A sinner might just as well petition a tree, as call upon God for mercy while he despises and rejects Christ.

Both the promises and the things promised, are made over to the Lord Jesus and conveyed unto the saints from Him. "This is the chief and grandest promise that he has promised us, even eternal life" (1 John 2:25); and as the same epistle tells us, "This life is in His Son" (1 John 5:11).

This being so, what good can they who are not yet in Christ have by the promises? None at all. A man out of Christ is out of favor of God, yes, he is under His wrath; the Divine threatenings and not the promises, are his portion. Solemn, solemn consideration is it that those who are "without Christ" and "and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12). Only "the children of God" are "the children of the promise" (Romans 9:8). Make sure, my reader, that you are one of them.

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)

The Knowledge Of God # 2

 The Knowledge Of God # 2

There is no danger of the individual saint being overlooked amidst the multitude of supplicants who daily and hourly present their various petitions, for an infinite Mind is as capable of paying the same attention to millions, as if only one individual were seeking its attention.

So too, the lack of appropriate language, the inability to give expression to the deepest longing of the soul - will not jeopardize our prayers, for "It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24).

"Great is our Lord, and of great power! His understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:5). God not only knows whatever has happened in the past in every part of His vast domains, and He is not only thoroughly acquainted with everything that is now transpiring throughout the entire universe - but He is also perfectly cognizant of every event, from the least to the greatest, that ever will happen in the ages to come.

God's knowledge of the future is as complete as is His knowledge of the past, and the the present - and that, because the future depends entirely upon Himself. Were it in any ways possible for something to occur apart from either the direct agency or permission of God, then that something would be independent of Him, and He would at once cease to be Supreme.

Now the divine knowledge of the future is not a mere abstraction, but something which is inseparably connected with and accompanied by His purpose. God Himself designed whatever shall yet be, and what He has designed must be effectuated. As His most sure Word affirms, "He does according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand" (Daniel 4:35). And again, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Proverbs 19:21).

The wisdom and power of God being alike infinite, the accomplishment of whatever He has purposed is absolutely guaranteed. It is more possible for the divine counsels to fail in their execution than it would be for the thrice holy God to lie!

Nothing relating to the future is in any way uncertain so far as the actualization of God's counsels are concerned. None of His decrees are left contingent either on creatures or secondary causes. There is no future event which is only a mere possibility. "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning" (Acts 5:18). Whatever God has decreed is inexorably certain.

The perfect knowledge of God is exemplified and illustrated in every prophecy recorded in His Word. Such prophecies could only have been given by One who knew the end from the beginning.

It should be pointed out, however, that neither God's knowledge nor His cognition of the future, considered simply in themselves, are causative. Nothing has ever come to pass, or ever will, merely because God knew it. The cause of all things is the will of God. 

A word or two by way of APPLICATION. The infinite knowledge of God should fill us with amazement. How far exalted above the wisest man is the Lord! None of us knows what a day may bring forth, but all futurity is open to His omniscient gaze. The infinite knowledge of God ought to fill us with holy awe. Nothing we do, say, or even think, escapes the cognizance of Him with whom we have to do. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Proverbs 15:3).

What a curb on sin this would be unto us, did we but meditate upon it more frequently! Instead of acting recklessly, we should say with Hagar, "You God see me!" (Genesis 16:13).

The apprehension of God's infinite knowledge should fill the Christian with adoration. The whole of my life stood open to His view from the beginning. He foresaw my every fall, my every sin, my every backsliding, yet, nevertheless, fixed His heart upon me. Oh, how the realization of this should bow me in wonder and worship before Him!

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)