|
From Our Banner: July 15, 1959
The life of a regenerated soul finds expression in a desire to love the
Lord his God with all his heart, soul, strength and mind and his
neighbour as him self. To fulfil this desire, to know the way in which
he should humbly walk, the Christian searches the Scriptures and seeks
to obey the commandments revealed in it, for these are the same laws
which God has promised to write in our hearts. And these are the laws
on which the way of holiness is built, the only way acceptable to God,
the only way of spiritual life.
As men redeemed by God, whose eyes have been opened, we have turned in
preparing this paper to the Word of God, which is His will made
articulate for our guidance. We have found in it the answers to the
questions which this subject poses and we would impress upon all that
unless the Scriptures are for them the only rule of faith and practice,
and unless they are prepared to follow it unswervingly, then their
lives must fall short of the commandment of our Lord and Master "Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect" (
Matt. 5: 48 ) .
To the renewed soul there is but one chief object of life - the glory
of God, and the resulting enjoyment of Him (Q1, S.C.). It is with this
in mind that Paul instructs us "Whether, therefore ye eat, or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10: 31). We
cannot pass this by, for if the glory of God is not the object of our
every action, then we might well question the truth of our
regeneration. We cannot go beyond it, for the glory of God is the
reason for our being, and if we would live our lives to the full, if we
would have an abundant life then this is the way.
The Christian lives out this object in three areas: the family, the Church, and the world.
The Family
The idea of the family has varied greatly throughout the ages. The
words of the fourth commandment give us some idea of the ancient
family, "thou ( i.e., the father), thy son, thy daughter, thy man
servant, thy maid servant, thy stranger that is within thy gates."
Today, however, the term family is restricted to mean father and mother
and children. Parents and children are used throughout the Bible, and
commands are given to both parties as to their duty one to the other.
The great foundation of the family is love, as Paul says, "Love worketh
no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law
(Rom. 13: 10). Calvin says, commenting on this, "He who is endued with
true love will never entertain the thought of injuring others" (P. 486
Comm. on Rom.).
Within the second book of the law we find our duty to mankind set
forth. We are well aware of the wide scope of the fifth commandment and
wish only to take, at this stage, the reference to the superiors and
inferiors (L.C.) in connection with family. In this fifth commandment
we are commanded to "Honour thy father and thy mother." As the Larger
Catechism points out, responsibilities rest with both parties, parents
and children.
Let us first consider the duties of the superior (or father) to the
children. We see in the answer to Q.129 of the L.C. that those in
authority in the family should (i) love one another and their children,
Titus 2: 4. "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love
their husbands, to love their children." (ii.) Pray one for another, 1
Sam. 12: 33. "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing
to pray for you." (iii.) Instruct their children, Ps. 78: 3. "Which we
have heard and known and our fathers have told us." (iv.) Reprove and
chastise their children, Prov. 29: 15. "The rod and reproof give
wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." (v.)
Provide for their children, 1 Tim. 5: 8. "But if any provide not for
his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the
faith, and is worse than an infidel." (vi.) Be an example to their
children, 1 Tim. 4: 12. "Be thou an example of the believers in word,
in conversation, in charity in spirit, in faith, in purity."
We see further, in answer to Q.127 of the L.C., that children do have
their responsibilities. They are exhorted to (i.) honour their parents,
Mal. 1: 6 "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master." (ii.)
Imitate them, Heb. 13: 7 "Remember them which have the rule over you .
. ." (iii.) Obey them, Eph. 6: 1. "Children, obey your parents in the
Lord, for this is right."
Paul in writing to Timothy reveals the great blessings which flow from
the performance of these duties. In 2 Timothy 1: 5, we read, "When I
call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt
first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and I am
persuaded that in thee also." Was this faith transmitted by natural
generation? No. For we are told of the performance of a duty by Lois
and Eunice to Timothy, and of his receiving the knowledge they imparted
to him. 2 Tim. 3:14-15. "But continue thou in the things which thou
hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast
learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy
scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through
faith which is in Christ Jesus."
The Church
Before considering life in this area let us first clarify what we mean
by "the church." We do not mean the building, nor the institution, nor
the spiritual order, but that body which "consists of all those
throughout the world that profess the true religion together with their
children. It is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and
family of God out of which there is no ordinary possibility of
salvation." This church exists merely for the sake and glory of God.
"Regeneration is sufficient for the elect man, to make him sure of his
eternal destiny, but it is not enough to satisfy the glory of God in
His work among men. For the glory of God it is necessary to have
regeneration followed by conversion and to this conversion the Church
must contribute by means of the preaching of the Word" (Kuyper, p. 66).
Attendance on the means of grace is thus enjoined by the Apostle in his
epistle to the Hebrews 10: 25, "Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together as the manner of some is," one of the reasons for
this is stated in the definition above. Another is the edification of
believers "building up yourselves on your most holy faith" (Jude 20).
The confession puts it this way: "Unto this catholic (universal)
visible church Christ has given that ministry, oracles and ordinance of
God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints in this life, to
the end of the world; and does by His Own Spirit, according to His
promise, make them effectual thereunto." Accordingly we see it is our
duty as Christians to attend upon the means of grace. At this stage let
us note that it is our relation to Christ that connects us with the
church and not our connection with the church that places us in a
saving relation with Christ.
What our attitude to the church, the bride of Christ, should be is
plainly set forth in Scripture, it is, in fact, the first principle of
Christian behaviour - our love to God. To love God we must know Him,
and to know Him we must study His word, where Christ reveals the Father
to us, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The word is expounded at
public worship, faithful attendance at which is our duty as reasonable
creatures, and how much more our privilege as redeemed individuals. By
revelation we know in what manner we ought to worship Him. "They that
worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth." With this injunction as
your guide we cannot stray very far. Public worship which consists of
prayer, praise, the preaching of the word and the dispensing of the
sacraments, should be in spirit and truth. Our praise then will only
include those plenary inspired songs of praise - the 150 Psalms, hymns
and spiritual songs. Anything else being of human composition (even
though commendable of itself), we will exclude lest we do despite to
the Spirit. The preaching shall be of sound doctrine, diligent in and
out of season, plain, faithful, wise, zealous and sincere. We that hear
such preaching should wait upon it with diligence, preparation and
prayer, comparing what we hear with Scripture; receive the truth with
faith, love, meekness and readiness, and thereby bring forth its fruit
in our lives (L.C. Q.159, 160). For our relation to the sacraments we
refer you to the various questions on them in both the shorter and
larger catechisms. Suffice us to quote here "a sacrament is an holy
ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and
the benefits of the new covenant are represented, sealed, and applied
to believers" (Q.92 S.C.).
So we see that if we should neglect to study His word and ordinances
and to attend upon the means of grace and fail to appreciate the
sacraments, then we have violated the first principle, we are not
loving God with all our heart, soul and mind, and thus must expect
Divine disfavor.
The second principle of Christian behaviour is to love our neighbour,
and more specifically to love the brethren. This has a like bearing on
our activities in the church. The church exists for the perfecting and
edifying of the saints. It is our duty then not only to draw upon the
riches the church offers us personally, and to increase in knowledge
but also to strengthen the weaker members by word and example, to
preserve the purity of the church and to commit no sin nor harbour any
false doctrine which will destroy its unity.
The World
Here, as in the other areas, those who are in possession of the spirit
of meekness, humbleness, wisdom and fear of God - virtues which unite
them to their risen Redeemer as the branch to the vine (John 15: 1-6) -
are to lead an exemplary life in all godliness and honesty, thereby
displaying the fruits of the spirit. These fruits as enumerated by Paul
in his letter to the Galatians are: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5: 22-23), or,
as he admonished Titus, to be sober, just, holy, temperate - qualities
of a soul renewed in the inner man.
By sober and temperate Paul refers not only to meat and drink but also
to our whole life, in which we must display honesty and modesty; our
hands, eyes, ears and mouths must be bridled. We are to have no
improper dealings; no vain, lewd or dissolute actions; but we are to
love in obedience to the will of God, and this obedience is the
holiness referred to. By justice Paul means upright dealings, in which
a man should take care that every one has his proper due; or, as he
says to Titus, "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and
powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work" (Titus 3:
1).
If we consider the divisions quoted earlier we find that all the
redeemed owe a common duty to God and also to one another. Those who
are superior in the world, whether kings or magistrates, owe to their
inferiors the same care as the father to the child - already discussed
under family. The inferiors in the world have the one duty toward their
superiors as the child to its parent - also discussed under family.
While equals likewise have similar duties. They are "to regard with
dignity and worth each other, in giving honour to go one before
another; and to rejoice in each others gifts and advancements as their
own" (L.C. 131).
The soul that has been awakened to these duties and has experienced the
benefits that flow from their fulfilment has also the knowledge that
the world and the things of the world are gifts of God to be used and
enjoyed to His glory and their own well being. He is also ever mindful
of the approaching judgement day when he shall account for his
stewardship.
May we ever bear in mind the two principles that direct us in our life
as Christians; first our duty to God, and secondly our duty to our
fellow man. With these two as our guide we shall know that we are
walking in the way of God's command and shall not then fall into the
undesirable position of becoming slaves to the commandment of men.
Then when our life's journey is over and we leave the scene of time,
may the Almighty God be pleased to grant to each of us the
commendation, "Well done good and faithful servant . . . enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord" (Matt. 25: 23 ), for our stewardship in
family, church and world.
|