p. 786 | THOROUGHLY FURNISHED by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 28, 1888

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 14, No. 50.

THOROUGHLY FURNISHED.

By Editor

PAUL tells Timothy what the man of God is to do. The object of his Bible training is good works. Not that good works are in themselves meritorious or saving, but they are the evidences of regeneration. The man of God must do them because of the new life that he has received. Life will reveal itself in action. Spiritual life cannot lie dormant any more than natural life. How intensely active is a child. Its vitality is irrepressible. But the child’s activity needs to be wisely directed, and so does the Christian’s. He is to be thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

That word translated "thoroughly furnished" occurs only here in the New Testament. It means completely equipped—fitted up with all that is necessary. The figure is that of a factory. At first there is an empty building. Then an engine is put in, then dies and drills and tools of all kinds adapted to the manufacture of something useful. It requires great labor and skill to furnish a factory for the production of any one article of utility. But let us imagine a factory that is to turn out everything good and useful—to make buttons and brooms, carpets and curtains, pianos and plows, hats and harness, clothing, furniture and implements of all kinds—what wonderful furnishing that factory would need! But such a factory is the man of God, the Christian soldier, the servant of the Most High. He is to do all sorts of good works, from soothing the sorrows of a little child, to rebuking sin in high places, and helping a fellow-citizen to triumph over the last enemy, death. How important, then, that the man of God make the word of God his vade mecum—his constant companion and counselor. How important that he lay up the word in his heart!

Our Saviour illustrates the result of this thorough furnishing in his conflict with Satan in the wilderness. Wherever the adversary attacked him he was ready to repel him with a quotation from the word of God. In this we are to imitate him. All that we need is in the inspired word. If we are not good soldiers of the cross, efficient laborers in the vineyard, thoroughly furnished unto every good work, ready at last to render up our account with joy, and to be welcomed as the blessed of our Father, it will be simply and solely because we did not equip ourselves fully out of the armory of our Lord.—Interior.