By Rev. Neil Cameron, St. Jude’s, Glasgow
(Continued from Page 36)
“Ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
— JUDE 3.
II. — Let us therefore review the contending parties.
1. The party against whom the contention must be sustained.
Satan has kept up a continual warfare with the seed of the woman since God revealed His purpose of mercy contained in the first promise, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” As the servant of the Lord must not contend without the direct command of the Captain of the Lord’s hosts, he must carefully read his orders. Were he to take as his enemies such as might be called bigots, narrow-minded, and infatuated men, he might be, all the while, slaying his best friends. Therefore the enemies are brought into the field in their true colours. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” They are such as have crept into the church unawares, and were not detected until they began to air their thievish propensities. They vowed to assert, maintain, and defend her doctrines and principles, and to follow no divisive courses contrary to these, but their entire destruction was their intention. This was what we understand by their having “crept in unawares.” Are there not many who make this their boast, that though they bound themselves by the most solemn vows, both to the Most High and to their fellow-sinners, to contend for the faith, they had in their hearts a secret purpose to destroy the whole work of Reformation in Scotland? “The Confession of Faith,” which, by the “Questions and Formula,” they have avowed to be based upon the infallible Word of God, and to be the confession of their faith, they scout as a thing which none ought to hold or believe. Is it against the Confession alone they contend? No, for all their complaints are clearly against the Word of God, but they endeavour to screen their impiety from the eyes of the people. Some have been so bold as to have distinctly stated that the most of the works of both the Old and New Testaments are writings of doubtful human authorship. This is perjury of the deepest dye, and will not escape its due punishment from the Judge of All. The Spirit distinctly states in the words before us, in the context, that “they were before of old ordained to this condemnation.” “Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!” They are further characterised as “ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness.” What are the most of the office-bearers of the churches in this land doing but this? Churches are almost converted into theatres. Concerts, soirees, vain songs, and dancing are carried on under the guise of religion. Instrumental music, secular hymns, and lectures upon profane subjects on the Sabbath day, and in the place where they pretend to worship God, have driven the Word of God out of both pulpit and pew. The poor, deluded people are lulled asleep with false prophesying. They are taught that man is not the lost, dead, guilty, and wretched sinner the Word of God declares him to be; that God is nothing but love and mercy; and therefore that they have nothing to fear. These spiritual thieves still go further, “they deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Many hold the doctrine of the Socinians — “That Jesus Christ is only a creature, and therefore is not God.” Did not some affirm that one might be a good Christian, and not believe in the divinity of Christ? Is that the doctrine of the Church of Scotland or of the Word of God on the most essential tenet of our faith? The Word of God reveals the great mystery of the incarnation, “God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” In our context Jude says of them, “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.” How different their views of the person of Christ are from those held by the apostles! Let us turn to the Epistle to the Hebrews, and look at the first chapter, and listen to the voice of God’s Spirit as to who Christ is: “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Again, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” And again, “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thy hands; they shall perish, but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture thou shalt fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” This is the Christ that was born in Bethlehem of Judah, and laid in a manger there. From the stable of Bethlehem to Calvary’s Cross the Son of God, in human nature, was under the law, its curse, and the penalty due to the sins of the elect. The obedience and sufferings were not that of a creature, but that of the Second Person of the Godhead. There never was such a sight as God vailed in flesh to obey His own law, and to make it honourable; and to atone for the guilt of sinners who had rebelled against Him, ruined themselves, and could never have saved themselves. His sacrifice is all-sufficient to satisfy divine justice, and to cleanse the sinner from the guilt and corruption of sin. This is the Christ held forth by our godly fathers in this land. This is the Christ of the Confession of Faith, because He is the Christ of the Word of God. If any other Christ be preached or declared in the confessions of men and churches he is only an idol of their own making. One thing is clear, that when men change their God they must of necessity change their creed to suit their new god. But as the Holy Ghost gives us three examples taken from the Old Testament Scriptures, we shall briefly consider them in their order.
(1) “Woe unto them! for they have gone the way of Cain.”
What way did Cain go in worshipping God? “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; but unto Cain, and to his offering, he had no respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell.” This mode of worship was instituted by God in the garden of Eden, before he drove our sinful parents out. Therefore Abel worshipped in accordance with “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.’’ He did not worship God in accordance with the revelation He had given as to the worship He would accept, and therefore the Lord had no respect unto the inventions of Cain’s wisdom. He came to God, not looking by faith unto the one sacrifice and shedding of the blood of the Son of God on Calvary’s Cross, as godly Abel did. “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh.” Cain thought he had a right to bring innovations into the worship of God. As God had respect unto Abel, and unto his offering, but had no respect unto him, nor unto his offering, he immediately began to premeditate murder. He found fault with Abel for worshipping differently from him, and as Abel earnestly contended for the faith, he rose up and slew him. Many worship nowadays after Cain’s fashion. They worship God by hymns of human composition and human authorship, instead of the inspired psalms of David. They may be coming with the best of the fruit of the earth (in their hymns), but they are only the fruit of that which is earthly. Let them consider Cain. “Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” They worship with organs, instead of “By him (Christ), therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.” They deny man’s total depravity, and, therefore, have no need of the atonement made upon the cross. Cain-like, those who will not submit to their unscriptural mode of worship, and declarations of faith, are made the objects of their hatred and envy. Were the law of the land favourable to their projects, the blood of their brother would have fouled their hands before this time. “For this is the message that ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.” No works are more wicked, in the sight of God, than those which lead immortal souls away from worshipping God, as He has appointed in His own Word. Satan’s aims are to get this nation to disbelieve the truth of God, to pull down that which our godly fathers built upon Christ, the rock, and to set up idolatrous worship, and he finds too many Cains willing to assist him.
(2) The next class composing the enemies’ forces are described — “Woe unto them! for they ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward.”
The error of Balaam is recorded in the Word of God. Balak, king of Moab, sent elders to Balaam to come to curse Israel, so that he might destroy them. “And God said to Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them: thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land; for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you.” Balaam refused to go with idolaters to curse the people of God, but hints that had God allowed him he should go. It does not appear that he abhorred the very idea of complying with Balak’s request. So Balak sent him princes more honourable than the first, saying — “Let nothing hinder thee from coming unto me; for I will promote thee unto very great honour. . . . And Balam answered, and said to the servants of Balak, If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.” How many are there in Scotland who said the same words? When the Moabites of this land desired to unite with a body who hold doctrines and principles antagonistic to the crown rights of the King of kings and Lord of lords, and to the teaching of the Bible and the Confession of Faith about the atonement, many said — “My congregation and others will not allow me to go with you.” Others said — “We cannot commit so terrible a crime against God, His Word and people, and our own consciences, as to go with you.” The latter stood boldly till death removed them one by one. The Moabites came back again with a Declaratory Act to sweep away, by one stroke, all the blessings of the true Israel of God. At first, men declared that this Act meant “Bible or no Bible, atonement or no atonement,” and that nothing could ever prevail upon them to go with these men in their accursed work of destruction. When the time came to act, they — like Balaam — went with the Moabites to take part in their idolatrous worship, and to curse Israel. Who could believe a few years ago that the men who lectured to the people, in towns and country throughout Scotland, against such sacrilege, should be now fighting against the Word of God, the subordinate standards of the Church, their own statements in the past, and the few who could not follow them in their traitorous conduct? Wherein lay the secret of all this? The words of our text are very explicit on this point, “ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward.” We have no doubt but promotion and the desire for being popular weighed much with some, but the love for reward was at the very root, and caused their contending for the faith to wither and die. The Apostle Peter, in warning the true Church against such men and their pretensions, points at this same thing. “Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” Let men say what they choose to the contrary, but the greed for reward, or the love of the wages of unrighteousness, and of a great place among men, were at the root of all the disgraceful compliance and most sinful compact formed between prophets and Moabites in Scotland. When men trample upon the conscience of the godly, break their vows to God and men, and are teaching Israel’s enemies to lay stumbling blocks before the people, their case is very desperate. Had Israel kept aloof from the Moabites, Balaam’s snares could not hurt them; but, going after strange flesh, twenty-three thousand of them fell of the plague. Let us therefore take the warning — “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning; that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.” “Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
(3) The third company appear with Core as their leader. “Woe unto them! for they perished in the gainsayings of Core.”
In the 16th chapter of Numbers the conspiracy of Core, &c., is recorded. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, with two hundred and fifty of the renowned princes of the congregation “gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and the Lord is among them: Wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord? And when Moses heard it he fell upon his face.” Notice the creed of these men. Moses spake much by the Word of God about the exceeding sinfulness of the congregation; but these men declare, “the congregation are holy, everyone of them.” There are many Korahs who hold this creed in our day. Moses and Aaron were set apart by God to lead the people — the one their lawgiver, the other their high priest. The Church of Christ must not lose a pin of either law or gospel. These two men took no undue honour to themselves; for the truth distinctly states that both were called of God. Why did these men raise such a cry against them? Probably they thought that they were abler leaders themselves. At any rate their creed was too narrow for them. They endeavoured before the whole congregation to ruin the influence of God’s servants. Had they attained their wish Moses and Aaron would not have had a single follower. The Lord can make of the lump of sinful clay one vessel to honour and another to dishonour. “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people, and causeth them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way.” When He takes the worm Jacob by the hand, mountains are threshed like chaff before him, and carried away with the wind. Men say, “Do you take upon yourself to say that such an one is not more godly than any of you?” That sounds like the gainsayings of Core. Does that man of yours contend earnestly for the faith? Is he appearing against the enemies of the faith? or is he helping them, and causing them to succeed in leading the people astray better than they could otherwise do? Does he continue to warn the people against the destroyers of the faith now, as he did in the past? “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” Allow the truth of God to be doubted and carved by ungodly men at their pleasure, and you cannot be guiltless in church fellowship with such. The master mariner in mid-ocean who should throw his chart and compass overboard in a storm when neither sun, moon, nor stars could be seen, would not be so infatuated as the most of the so-called divines of Scotland today. The truth declares the need of “holding faith and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.” This is metaphorical language, but very suggestive. A shipwreck is a most dangerous thing, as the apostle could certify by experience. Now, when some make shipwreck of the faith, and do all in their power to keep immortal souls in the wreck to ruin themselves and their posterity, who could find fault with the man that would “command the people that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and get to land. And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship.”
2. The defending party.
As I have taken up so much space already these can only be mentioned by quoting a text or two of the Word of God. “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them: for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” That is the Captain of the Lord’s hosts, with a part of His followers, and who can doubt the issue of the fight? The Lamb alone shall overcome them. Christ alone is more than a match for all His enemies. His soldiers overcame also as we are told, “And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.”
III — The method prescribed for the saints in the contending, “That ye should earnestly contend.”
1. The soldier must obey the orders of his captain.
“Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” This soldier must disentangle himself from earthly things, and set his face against wind and rain to make sure of fighting to the last. Demas stood many a battle, but the love of the world conquered him at last. Phygellus and Hermogenes turned away from “holding fast the form of sound words, and all they which are in Asia” followed them. Therefore Timothy must contend the more earnestly. Like Gideon’s army, the Lord’s orders are, “Whosoever is fearful and afraid let him depart early from Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand. . . . And the Lord said unto Gideon, By these three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand.” The man who has got one eye towards the world, and the other towards the cause of Christ is in great danger. He may be compared to one holding a rope in each hand. While the tension is easy he can hold the two equally well, but let the tension become strong, and he must immediately let one of them go. He will act according to the value he sees in them respectively. If the Word of God be more precious to him than gold or silver, he will let the world go, and cling to the cause of Christ; on the other hand, if the world be greater and more precious in his estimation than the cause of Christ, he will let it go, and stick to the world.
2. The good soldier of Jesus Christ should do all in his power to get rid of the strength of the flesh with its weapons of warfare.
Like David when “Saul armed him with his armour, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with his coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.” David slew a lion and a bear in the strength of the God of Israel, and he would now do in His name what Saul, with his armour, and the whole army failed to do; he would slay Goliath, and pull down the insulting pride of the Philistines. “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; holding faith, and a good conscience.” The righteous is bold as a lion. He sees the power of carnal weapons extremely weak, whether they be for or against him. The strongholds, which he has to attack both outwardly and inwardly, are impregnable without the perfect strength of Christ. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” In order to accomplish his arduous task, this soldier must make up his mind to overcome all his spiritual and carnal enemies, or rest assured that he shall be overcome by them. There are no quarters in this fight. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
3. Christ’s promise is, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” Sin causes many bitter tears, hard words and thoughts, and much strife even among the true followers of Christ. Therefore, “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you, let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envy and strife is there is confusion and every evil work.” The Apostle Paul found Christ as good as His promise, and so will we if we hold fast the confidence of our hope, steadfast unto the end. He had to say, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me; I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me.” “I have fought a good fight, I have finished by course, I have kept the faith.” May the Lord grant us grace to contend earnestly for the faith, so that, when the hour of our departure comes, we may have a conscience clear from the blood of all men, and that it can be said of us, “All these died in the faith.” To God be all the praise for ever and ever. Amen.