Galatians 1:6-10
1918 91 "He that knoweth God, heareth us," says the apostle. "He that is not of God, heareth not us; thereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6).
Is it apostolic teaching? For in this we are called to continue; and though an angel preach otherwise than what we have received through the apostles (1 Cor. 15:1-2; 2 Tim. 3:14), Paul does not hesitate, in the Holy Ghost, to say, "Let him be accursed." For no lie is of the truth, but works evil always, however insidiously.
Are we wiser than God? Is not our duty to obey, unquestioningly, the plain word of God? "And this is love, that we walk after His commandments."
Extracts from a Letter
1918 96 There is one thing this general break up of things ought to lead us to do, and that is to make good use of our wings! The eagle stirs up her nest in order to teach her young ones to fly (Deut. 32. 2 ). Daring and presumptuous man has been learning to fly, not in faith and subjection, but in defiance of the divine order of the heavens and the earth. In the beginning the earth was the appointed sphere for man as man. He was told to have dominion and to subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28), not to conquer the air! The air was the appointed sphere for birds, who have wings to fly. The air is also the sphere now of the prince of darkness, a murderer and liar from the beginning! "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). How little men thought, when they began to talk of a man-lifting kite, what it would develop into, and what an engine of murder and destruction it would become in the hands of the enemy. But what could be expected when men presumed to rise out of their own proper sphere into that of another? So likewise, they have invaded the sphere of the fishes with like result! So now, man in the air, and man under the sea, can murder and destroy to his heart's content.
But we, as Christians, should learn to fly. The Lord in His great love has opened up for us a new sphere through His precious death and resurrection. Having through death conquered sin, death and Satan, He rose triumphant over all and led captivity captive! And passing through the heavens — the sphere of Satan and wicked spirits went up, up, and was made higher than the heavens: our perfect Saviour, our holy Priest, Advocate and Leader, who has opened up the way for us! In Him we have died to this lower sphere, in Him we have risen into His sphere, and should be rising the shiny way on the wings of faith, hope, and love (Eph. 4:8–10; Heb. 4:14; Heb. 7:26; Col. 3:1-4). And is He not coming to take us up to His world?
"Then as we upward fly,
That resurrection-word
Shall be our shout of victory,
'For ever with the Lord.'"
But should we not be using our wings now? Yet how prone to be making our nest here! Job thought to die in his nest (Job. 29:18), but what a shaking up poor Job had! But was it not in love for his ultimate good? So it ever is when the Lord stirs up our nest, and shakes all things here. Is it not that we may learn to fly? What a beautiful word that is of David's in Psalm 68:13, "Though ye have lien among the pots (a low, degraded, impure condition) yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove (beauty and purity) covered with silver (in the power of redemption) and her feathers with yellow gold" (in the beauty of divine righteousness and glory).
As I am writing, the guns are barking and I am thinking of you all, as I often do, and of the happy times in R_ in the days gone by.
Our nest there seems to be, not only disturbed, but broken up; but
Let's spread our wings and soar above
This scene of conflict and of woe;
And rise to His bright world of love,
His own sweet peace and joy to know. C.J.D.