"IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE."
By Editor
This Inquirers' Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, only as they agree with the infallible Word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the Word. Such questions only will be answered as, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply. 3316.— Why Be Made Perfect without Us?
Please give some thoughts of Heb. 11: 39, 40, where, referring to those that are dead, it seems to indicate that they lack perfection without us. How and why? The word "perfect" is the rendering of a Greek word which means the end, limit, or conclusion of an act or state, the ultimate. Of course it may apply to the individual character, and it may include also all that the perfection of character means in the glorious inheritance as well. The promise of verse 39 includes the eternal inheritance. Verse 10 declares, "He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God;" verse 16, "Now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly." But the city and country will not be obtained until God finishes His work and is ready to take His children home to Himself, to that glorious inheritance which begins in the New Jerusalem, which is above, and which will be made the capital of the whole earth. God does not gather home His people by halves. He does not come to those who have been faithful to Him in the past when they die, but all His children will be gathered home to Him together. That advent will not be until probation closes, and the work of our Lord as High Priest is over; and then all will be made perfect together. Not simply in character, as that has been developed under test before death or the coming of the Lord; but the perfect character in Christ will be given the perfect immortal body when the end will be accomplished. So God does not reward those of the past in part. He waits until the "better thing" is at hand, and then brings them all home to their reward. Taking the expression "some better thing for us," and connecting it with verse 37 of chapter 10, we can see that it applies to the second coming of our Lord: "For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry." That is the better thing than death; and when that better thing shall take place, then those who sleep in faith will be called back from the dead, and God will reward all His children together. 3317.— Repentance Impossible
The explanation given in the Question Corner in No. 3281 is very good. I should like to know how you explain that familiar text in Heb. 6:4-6 where it says it is impossible to renew. In this scripture, as in the other, we should read the context, especially that which follows. In verses 4 to 6 we are told, "For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." First, let it be noted that the class spoken of here had possessed genuine Christian experience,—experience of real depth, not mere superficial profession,—they had been partakers with Christ; yet, notwithstanding all these blessings, they turned from them. Second, this turning away is a progressive process. It is not that they have crucified Christ sometime in the past, and come to repentance; but that they crucify, they continue to do it. The only means of salvation there is, is the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Spirit of Life. When men, however much they may have partaken of these powers, continue to set them aside, of course it is impossible for them to be renewed to repentance. Note the illustration which enforces this. Here is a piece of ground which is bringing forth good products. It produces fruit for those who till it; the rain descends upon it not in vain; it receives a blessing from God, and is a blessing. But if it bears thorns and thistles—not if it has borne sometime, but if it continues to bear thorns and thistles—while the rain continues to fall upon it and the sun to shine, it is rejected, and its end is to be burned. All forgivable sins are repentable sins; but sin which is continued under light, blessings which are used in a selfish way contrary to the appeals of the Spirit of God, only harden the heart all the more, and render it more and more unresponsive to every true appeal. This is true in the case of the wicked. How much more does it become true of one who has truly known God and yet turns away from Him and indulges in the things that are wrong! There is always hope for every soul, always repentance for every soul, who stands where the Spirit of God can convict him of his sin. There is never repentance when one identifies himself with the sin and continues on in it despite the appeals of the Spirit. 3318.— Those Raised from the Dead
What became of those who came out of their graves at Christ's resurrection? Were they made immortal? The record is found in Matt. 27:52, 53; that is, the record of their resurrection. They came out of their graves after the resurrection of Christ. The next time they are seemingly referred to is Eph. 4:8: "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." This refers to our Lord Jesus Christ. When He ascended up on high He took some captives made by Satan, in honor of His eternal victory over sin and death. The margin reads "a multitude of captives." This very advent had been predicted in the 24th Psalm, verses 7 to 10, where is described Christ's ascension after His victory over death, when those angels who escorted Him sang, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in;" while the angels within the gates ask, "Who is this King of Glory?" The response is: "The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in." He had shown His power and might by raising from the sleep of death those referred to in the 27th chapter of Matthew. These may also be referred to as composing the four and twenty elders noted in Rev. 4:4. In all probability they were made immortal, the pledges of immortality to all who were faithful to Christ thereafter. Will you please explain the above scripture, and what the loss will be to the one spoken of? The text very clearly tells us that the loss is occasioned by the burning of the man's work. There is one foundation, Christ (verse 11); there can be no other. Some Gospel workmen build unwisely, gather very much material that is worthless, sometimes through emotionalism, failure to do thorough work. These are likened to wood, hay, and stubble. Other laborers, and perhaps the same ones, gather in their work some who are solid, genuine, in whom Christ is formed. These are likened to gold, silver, and precious stones. In the last day the devouring fire of God's presence will test all characters, the light, the trifling, the frivolous, as well as the deep, the solid, the true. It is possible that the man who has gathered out the stubble has been earnest, diligent, and sincere himself. His failure has been a lack of wisdom more than sin of heart, yet his works may be destroyed. Those whom he has gathered out may not be worthy of salvation, yet he himself may be saved. This, it seems to us, in general is the teaching of the text.