 |  |
#8.
A synopsis of a year's testimony.
pp. 131 - 134
After the initial testimony, covering the first six months' witness at the Chapel of the
Opened Book, summarized in the preceding articles of this series, our next step was to
seek some acquaintance with the teaching of the Scriptures concerning the GOD Who
gave them, and MAN to whom they were given.
We traversed much the same ground as has been covered under the headings "This
God is our God" (Volumes XXII-XXV), and "Fruits of Fundamental Studies"
(Volume XXVII and onward), the early articles on Genesis in "Fundamentals of
Dispensational Truth" and "What is Man?" (Volume XIX). We do not therefore
propose repeating the substance of these addresses here, as, although they were presented
in very different form from the articles referred to, and many points given but passing
attention were elaborated with fuller detail in the pulpit; in the main, the conclusions
were very similar.
The addresses upon the Being and Attributes of God were prefaced by a reminder
from Job 11: 7 where we read: "Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find
out the Almighty unto perfection?" We realized that no title of God, or all His titles put
together, could fully reveal to man the nature and being of God, Who is Spirit, Who is
Infinite, Who is Absolute and Unconditioned. We realized that God must stoop down
out of the Absolute and Unconditioned, into the realm of the Relative and the Manifest,
where He comes into touch with limited and conditioned man. We did recognize with
much joy that, great as are the titles and names assumed by God in making Himself
known under the Old Covenant, the goal of the ages, as well as the crowning glory of all
His titles and manifestations, is to be sought for in the New Covenant name of "Father".
As our studies proceeded it became obvious that if we were to appreciate in any sense
of reality the nature and being of God, we should have to follow this series of addresses
with another, which sought a scriptural answer to the question, "What is man?" We
found that man was made, "for a little", lower than the angels; that his very name
"Adam" suggests his prime purpose in the scheme of the ages, allied as it is to the word
translated "likeness" in the verse where "Adam" is first mentioned in the original
(Gen. 1: 26), and we found much to encourage us as we realized that the first Adam, who
was of the earth, earthy, was a "shadow", a "figure", of Him that was to come.
The nature of the soul and the unscriptural dogma "The immortality of the soul" were
naturally included in this series, but, as time went on, the demand grew more insistent for
some Divinely appointed bridge, some living link, that could span the gap between the
Creator and His creatures; between Man, the sinner, and a God, too pure to look upon
iniquity. Consequently the third section of the new series of addresses dealt with the
need for, and the provision of, "The One Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ
Jesus".