The Lord raised Paul up to be
an apostle and equipped him with the necessary gifts he needed
to perform the very task which the Lord ordained him for. The Lord always prepares those
messengers whom he sends, as well as preparing those whom
he gives ears to hear the message which he is pleased to send.
Thus we are given the letters of Paul to the various churches
and individuals which form a large portion of the New Testament
Scriptures. These letters are not just general thoughts which
are put out in some random fashion for whoever may come along and
read them, but are specific words which are sent for particular
persons. Now it is true that Paul had
a particular people in mind when he wrote them, yet the Lord had
a much greater audience in mind when he sent them. Thus, while
Paul wrote to specific churches and individuals, the Lord designed
the whole body of Paul's work for the benefit of all those
whom he would be pleased to give faith in all ages. While the
eons of time continue to progress, and many situations arise which
are not specifically addressed in these letters, Yet the truth
which changes not is designed to meet the exact needs of all
of God's children in all ages. Many supposed teachers have come
along over time and tried to tell us that the sons of God
need new revelations and explanations of truth which are relevant to
these more modern and enlightened times. Yet the fact is that the
very same basic truth which the Lord gave to the Apostle Paul
is the exact message which is to be declared in all ages and
never ceases to be relevant to those who are given ears to hear.
Paul was a very learned man and had a very analytical mind and
was skilled in setting forth his premise and his conclusion. Yet the power of Paul's declaration
was not in his skill nor in his learning, but rather in the power
of the Holy Ghost, who is able to apply the truth which he proclaimed
unto those whom the Lord is pleased to cause to hear and believe.
Having said that, let us be absolutely clear about this. that what Paul
declared were the unequivocal facts concerning the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He never strayed from this message,
and all of his exhortations and admonitions to the sons of God
stem from his unwavering confidence in that truth and his belief
that God's people cannot be encouraged by any other message, nor can
their lives be enhanced by the requirements of law and duty,
however presented. Paul told the Corinthians that
if those things which he preached and they believed were not so,
then their faith would indeed be in vain. His point is that
there must be a basis upon which a man's faith rests, and this
is the gospel he preached and they believed. He goes on to
build his case for the certainty of the resurrection of Christ
as being the very basis upon which the whole gospel, as the
Corinthians had come to believe it, rested upon. but some had
raised questions about. But if there be no resurrection
of the dead, then is Christ not risen? And if Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain? So we
must ask ourselves this question. Have we believed in vain? True
faith is not measured on the basis of how sincere a person
may be in what they believe. It is not measured by how long
they have believed it, nor does it matter how many people may
believe it. That faith which is in vain is
faith which does not rest solidly upon an incontrovertible foundation. Many have believed in vain because
their confidence is in their profession of faith rather than
the finished work of Christ. An attempt to save men which
relies on their free will is no salvation at all. The preaching
of a true foundation declares the completed salvation of a
particular people by the finished work of Christ. Their salvation
depends upon Him and not their faith. Men, in general, will
be satisfied to be told that they can partake of general redemptive
work by an action of their own free will, and they will believe
in vain in an attempted work of atonement which in reality
saves none. Have you believed in vain? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream.net.