The Berean Expositor
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The Berean Expositor Acts xvii. 10, 11 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” II Tim. ii. 15 VOLUME XL. 1959 - 1960 The Berean Publishing Trust, 52a, Wilson Street, London EC2A 2ER England DEAR FELLOW-MEMBERS, This is Volume XL, and it completes fifty-one years of witness. We think of two words, as we record this fact, they are “Ebenezer” and “henceforth”. Ebenezer, as we all know, refers in the first place to a stone memorial erected to commemorate some signal deliverance, and is actually engraved on the famous Moabite Stone. In Scripture we read: “Then Samuel took a stone, and . called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” We not only look back over the years with grateful recognition of past deliverances, but “His love in times past Forbids us to think, He’ll leave us at last In trouble to sink. Each fresh Ebenezer, He brings to review Confirms His good pleasure to help us right through.” In the confidence that past grace begets, we go forward with the witness entrusted to us, and pray that all our readers will more abundantly share the hazards and the triumphs that are inseparable from such a work as is represented by The Berean Expositor. Yours by All-sufficient grace, CHARLES H. WELCH, STUART ALLEN November 1960. I N D E X A CORRECTION 8 AN ADVISORY MAKEWEIGHT-- 9 ANOINTED WITH THE HOLY GHOST 12 EPHESIANS— Chamber No.5. The Audience Chamber (ii. 11-19) Gentiles, “far off”, “made nigh” 18 Gentiles, Aliens and Strangers (ii. 11, 12) 21 The Middle Wall of Partition 27 The Creation of the New Man 34 Reconciliation, or Alienation reversed 38 Chamber No.6. The Living Room (ii. 19-22) Tabernacle, Temple, Dwelling Place 41 The Living Room (ii. 21) 45 Chamber No.7. The Secret Chamber (iii. 1-13) A Parenthesis of Extreme Importance (iii. 2-13) 49 The New Dispensation (iii. 2) 52 The Mystery made known “According to a revelation” 56 The Mystery, the term examined 59 Muth-labben, or the Secret of the Son 63 FIRST PRINCIPLES OF THE ORACLES OF GOD-- The corruption of man and the preservation of the Seed 67 The Fall, and the sin of the angels (Gen. vi.) 70 Why Adam? Why a little lower than the angels? 75 Enoch the seventh from Adam. Noah the eighth person 78 “There were giants in the earth in those days” (Gen. vi. 4) 84 The preservation of the Seed in Noah 88 “Abraham, The Hebrew” 91 Cain and Canaan . “of that wicked one” 94 Flesh v. Spirit, as set forth in Gen. xii.-xxii. 98 Promises, true and false. The two seeds 102 “Not of God” “Of that wicked One” The Enemy and the tares which he sowed in God’s field 105 “Their blot is that they are not His children” 108 FAITH-- “With sword and trowel” 8 FUNDAMENTALS OF DISPENSATIONAL TRUTH-- GALATIANS: “Jerusalem which is above” (iv. 26) Its dispensational place 111 The call to Freedom -- iv. 21 - v. 10 “To the liberty stand fast” (v. 1) 113 Fallen from grace (v. 2-9) 116 “Faith which worketh by love” (v. 5-10) 121 The troubler and the restorer -- v. 10 - vi. 10 Love, the fulfilling of all the law (v. 14) 126 Flesh v. Spirit (v. 16-26) 132 Sowing and reaping (vi. 3-10) 136 The large letter (vi. 11) 140 The Emphasized Summary and Salutation -- vi. 12-18 143 “GO YE AND LEARN WHAT THAT MEANETH” (Matt. ix. 13)-- Words—the material of the unashamed workman 147 Every word has a meaning 149 The meaning of a word is to be sought in its usage 151 Figures of speech 156 Scope and Structure 158 A few guiding principles in closing 161 HEBREWS-- The Right Hand of the Majesty on High 164 “He came where he was” 168 “This day have I begotten Thee” 174 “The oil of gladness” 179 Jesus Christ the Same (i. 12) 184 Confirmed Covenants and their Responsibilities (ii. 1-4) 190 The So Great Salvation (ii. 1-4) 193 Gifts for confirmation 197 HITHERTO—HENCEFORTH 5 “THE HOUSE OF JACOB SHALL POSSESS THEIR POSSESSIONS”-- The significance of the word “possess” 201 JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, THE-- “Saved, yet so as by fire” 206 The Judgment of intention 209 Chastening now, instead of condemnation then 213 What shall the believer “receive”? LETTER AND SPIRIT-- “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading” (Neh. viii. 8) 7 MEDITATIONS ON PSALM LI.-- The “blotting out” of transgressions (verse 1) 224 Some characteristic marks of sin 226 David’s plea for mercy (verse 1) 227 MILLENNIAL STUDIES-- This is the sum 230 ONE LORD-- “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one LORD” (Deut. vi. 4) Why is Elohim, the plural form, employed? 232 Jesus Christ is Jehovah 235 Jehovah and Kurios in O.T and N.T. 242 The Only True God 248 The doctrine of the Trinity, and the use of the word “Person” 250 TRUSTEESHIP 11 Hitherto-----Henceforth pp. 39, 40 The Editor of this magazine was given the honour of conducting the funeral service on Saturday, January 10th, of a dear and loyal sister in Christ, Mrs. Edith Coulson, who fell asleep on Wednesday the 7th at her home in Draycott, Derby. She, together with her husband, opened her house and unreservedly devoted time and possessions, that a meeting place should be provided where the Word of Truth rightly divided should find a hearing and a home. This took place some thirty years ago; since when some who were children have become adults, and have not only stood for the Truth, but have carried it far and wide for many years. If ever a place of assembly can be said to have been ‘consecrated’, the room of meeting in Plum Tree House was indeed ‘sacred ground’. This room on the Saturday gathering was filled to overflowing, and sadness gave place to gladness as the true comfort of the Scriptures took possession of every heart. Quoting of Churchill at a critical moment in the last war we said: “This is the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end.” Most certainly an end had come, but it was the end of a pilgrimage, not the end of all things. The earthly house of the pilgrimage which is likened to a frail tent, had fulfilled its purpose and was dissolved; the tired body was now being laid aside to rest in hope. At the same time let us remember that our sister’s life is “Hid with Christ in God”. What words are here! Time no longer counts for her; her next moment of consciousness is to “Awake with His likeness, and be SATISFIED”. The words at the head of this brief notice are borrowed from the experience of Samuel and of Paul, and should be true of us all. “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen (Mizpeh meaning a ‘watch tower’, and Shen a ‘tooth’, symbols of Divine and watchful providence on the one hand, and the gnawing tooth of opposing circumstances on the other), and called the name of it EBEN-EZER, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (I Sam. vii. 12). This was a monument erected to commemorate deliverance, the ‘hitherto’ suggesting continued grace in time of need. Portions of two hymns come into mind here. “His love in time past “Here I’ll raise my Eben-ezer Forbids me to think Hither by Thy grace I’m come, He’ll leave me at last And I trust in Thy good pleasure In trouble to sink. Safely to arrive home. Each fresh Eben-ezer Christ did seek me, when a stranger He brings in review, Without hope, or peace or God; Confirms His good pleasure And to rescue me from danger To help me right through.” Interposed His precious blood.” This day of mingled grief and joy was the end of a pilgrimage. The hitherto of the past and of GRACE, anticipates the henceforth of future and of GLORY. We stand in an interval, a few beats of slow and quiet music, before the Hallelujah chorus becomes inevitable and bursts forth in praise. This waiting time is of unapproachable and almost unbelievable security, HID with CHRIST in GOD. The day approaches when this body of humiliation shall be transfigured like unto His body of glory (Phil. iii. 21) the henceforth. Paul knew this ‘henceforth’ saying: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, HENCEFORTH . .” (II Tim. iv. 7, 8). The crown laid up for him would not be received until ‘that day’, but the waiting time would be to him as nothing. We who are left and allowed a little further time and opportunity to serve, gather courage from what we have learned at this solemn meeting. May we too keep the faith unsullied, undiluted, rightly divided, and Christ honouring, and may we too: “Live . looking for that blessed hope” (Titus ii. 12, 13). Letter and Spirit No.1 pp. 47, 48 “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading” (Neh. viii. 8). We read that Daniel, after he had received a vision “sought for the meaning” (Dan. viii. 15), and Zechariah is found continually asking “What be these?” The Scriptures are valueless if they are meaningless.