REFORMED WITNESS

Volume XIII, March 2005, Number 3

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Time and Our Calling

By Rev. Rodney Miersma
From the October 1, 1977, issue of The Standard Bearer

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Also in this issue: The Gift Of The Comforter - by Rev. C. Hanko

Time is one thing about which we as youth seem to think so little. We are young; there is so much time left in our lives. But stop a moment, think, do we really know what time is? It is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and other similar terms. We can think of a time to get up in the morning, to lie down in the evening, a time to eat and drink, a time to go to school or to work, or a time to go to church. But do we still know what time is? Genesis 1:1 says this: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Yes, that was the origin of time. Time is a creature created by God just as well as the light, the firmament, and all else that God created on those first six days. In fact, time is so much a part of creation that to it we are bound. It governs and rules our entire life. One simply cannot escape its clutches for it controls all that we do and all the creation in which we live.

Since time is a creature, it also was affected by the fall into sin by our first parents, Adam and Eve. As the rest of the creation came under the curse, so also did time. The result of course was disastrous for man. Since the fall everything that man attempts to accomplish is foolish and empty, for time brings all man's work to destruction. Psalter #247, a versification of Psalm 90, says it this way: "Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; they fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day." That is right, irresistibly man is carried by this stream to the grave, and all of his mighty works perish with him.

We know that there is a purpose in all that God created, time included. There arises then the question, What is the purpose of time? Certainly it is not an endless succession of moments. No, time has an end, but that end is not a mere arbitrary stop at some arbitrary moment in the misty future. Rather, time works for the end of time, that is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the clouds of heaven. When that goal is reached, time shall be no more. All that God has determined to do in His counsel will have been realized when this end comes. However, in order to obtain that goal, time must also be redeemed from the curse which God placed upon the creation. This is necessary, for in the world of sin time is useless and vain; in fact, it is man's enemy, dragging him remorselessly to the grave. Therefore, time can only serve the purpose of God and point towards the day of Christ's coming again, because Christ has redeemed time. As the redeemer of time He rules over all God's works and therefore is Lord over time as well. He came into this world (our time), worked and ministered, set up the cross, suffered, died, and rose again. In that glorious work He redeemed time, for He came to atone for sin, to bear the burden of God's curse, to pay here the penalty for man's transgression. Thus Christ made time to serve the purpose of God. As Lord of God's creation, He rules time and history in such a way that the purpose of God is accomplished and time comes to its end in the return of Christ from heaven.

By this time you are perhaps asking yourselves, "To where is this all leading?" Look at it this way. We are redeemed by the blood of Christ. He saved us from our sins. But we still live in this world. Before eternity is ushered in we are called to live in time for a while. While we are living in the course of time we are called to redeem the time. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 5: 15, 16 says, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." This is the call to walk a sanctified life, the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man. If we do not redeem the time, then we live as the world lives and we are carried by this stream of time merely as creatures of time. The muddy stream with its hopeless current pushes us relentlessly to the inevitable end of destruction. Living this way we seek only those things which time has to offer. In other words, we divorce time from the purpose of God. Having divorced time from its purpose, our life also loses its purpose and we are caught in a whirlpool, a swirling eddy of hopelessness. Take a hard look at this truth as you drive through the neighborhood or listen to the conversation of fellow-workers. What do you see and hear? This: the ungodly are completely selfish, working only for a bigger home, a new boat, another car, a longer vacation, a better tennis racket or set of golf clubs, etc. Now none of these items are wrong in themselves but they are objects of time, which constitute the sole goal of almost everyone. However, since this is their goal, there is always a sense of emptiness, of not having achieved what life is all about, because time erodes these things and carries them away. Nothing lasts, they despair, and cry for more and more to fill an empty void. This we must guard against, for as children of God we are going to be most miserable if we do not lift up our eyes above the world. Our flesh wars against us for the temporal things which are objects of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life: We must seek the kingdom of heaven as pilgrims in a strange country seek a better country, yea, an heavenly country where our citizenship resides.

Covenant youth, your strength and my strength is in Christ, Who calls us to redeem the time. This implies in the first place that we see and believe the works of God as He performs them in Christ. Then we can observe the fact that Christ reigns supreme over time and that He uses it to serve the purpose of God. Time will no longer be a puzzle, but we will understand it because we can see it correctly in the light of God's Word. Secondly, having seen that Christ is Lord over all, we know that He will bring time to an end in order to usher in the everlasting kingdom. Then the pleasures and treasures of this present world will lose their appeal and we will long for that new heaven and new earth where God shall tabernacle with His people forever. Finally, motivated by the love of God in our hearts we will live a life of gratitude, using God's time unto the purpose for which it was created. With our eyes fixed upon the return of Christ, we will utilize every moment of time to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The cause of God and the welfare of His church will always be foremost in our mind, that cause being the preaching of the gospel of salvation, for God through the preaching in the course of time gathers, defends and preserves His church. Therefore, all of our labors will be directed to God's kingdom. When we work, it will not be for the purpose of satisfying ourselves with all the pleasures of the earth, but that we and our children may be instructed in the truth of God's Word. We will attend church because that church is our connection to Christ, our contact with the kingdom into which we presently shall enter. Consequently, this redeeming of the time, this seeking of God's kingdom, covers the whole of our life. Always we desire to walk antithetically as children of light, that is, contrary to the world of sin in which we are called to live for a short while. Walking in this way we walk in hope of the end of time, when we shall be fully redeemed.

This kind of walk calls for wisdom. We must walk as a wise man walks, not as a fool. A fool, you understand, is one who knows reality but does not walk accordingly. This is true both naturally and spiritually. In this case reality is that time is under the curse of God, but redeemed by Christ, Who will bring it to an end and usher in the day of the everlasting kingdom. This reality the fool knows but ignores. He knows that the world is filled with death and decay, that sooner or later he too must die, that the creation in which he lives cannot last forever. But does he live according to that knowledge? No, rather he adjusts his life to fit his own ideas. He preaches the social gospel in a vain effort to make this world the best of all places. He labors to build a heaven here on the earth, thinking that his house shall stand forever. He lives entirely for himself, sating himself with the carnal pleasures of this present time. But no matter how intelligent he talks, no matter how he thinks he can solve the problems of the world, he is a fool.

The wise on the other hand are wise because wisdom is the gift of God's grace which Christ earned for them by His obedient death on the cross. They know reality, are able to see the work of God in time, and realize that it is not this world that counts but the kingdom of heaven. So what does the child of God do but adjust his life according to that knowledge. This knowledge is our knowledge whereby we redeem the time, walking as children of the light in the hope of Christ's return.

Referring back to Ephesians 5:16 we see that Paul not only warns us to redeem the time, but that there is an urgency with respect to that call "because the days are evil." Looking about us in the world it is not hard to see that. Contrary to what the modern philosophers and evolutionists tell us, the world is not getting better, but is getting increasingly more and more wicked. The cup of iniquity is getting more and more full. Sin like a tree begins small but grows and grows. The more man invents, the more he has with which to sin. A good case in point is the very country in which we live. Reputed to be the most civilized of nations, it is fast becoming a cesspool of iniquity and lawlessness. There is no respect for authority in the home as this basic institution is broken up by divorce and women's lib. This in turn influences the rest of society so that there is no respect for authority in the school, the church, in labor, or for government officials. It is fast becoming a nation where everyone does that which is right in his own eyes, and to make matters worse, this "doing your own thing," asserting your "rights," is approved and condoned by the world and the church alike. We are bombarded from all sides by the false philosophy of the devil, and it all looks so appealing, as the church attempts to clothe it in her pious robes, a sure sign of the "mother of harlots" uniting with the antichristian powers. What we see in the world is also true of that which calls herself the church. The love of the truth is gone. Oh the appearance remains - a form of godliness - but there is a denial of its power, it is a white-washed sepulcher filled with dead man's bones. Truly the days are evil.

Are you wise? If you are, you will soon see that all this points to the foolishness of ever expecting heaven here on the earth. Do not then seek this earth, but seek the kingdom of God, redeeming the time, looking for the return of Christ upon the clouds of heaven. This is our calling. Let us continue to call upon God's name to strengthen us that we may heed this calling to the end.

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"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." - John 14:16, 17

The Comforter

Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God. Ye believe also in Me. It was after the celebration of the Last Supper that our Lord spoke these words to His troubled disciples. Considering the circumstances, they certainly had reason to be troubled. The deep furrows of sorrow were plainly evident on the face of their Master as He anticipated the approaching hours of shame, derision, cruel accusations, unjust condemnation, painful crucifixion, and worst of all the bitter agonies of being forsaken of God before another day would come to its close. Yet He was privileged to look beyond His death to His glorious resurrection, His triumphal march into the heavens and the glory that awaited Him with the Father.

He and only He could comfort them, even as they were His chief concern at the moment. Having loved His own, He loved them to the end.

Indeed, their souls were like a tempestuous sea that can find no rest, as conflicting thoughts fought for mastery within them. Their Master would be taken from them. He would die, die in the hands of His enemies!

Yet how was this possible? Was He not the Christ, the Son of the living God, who had power over the winds and the seas, over sickness, demons and death? Could He not subdue any power that would attempt to harm Him?

Still worse, foremost in their minds was the thought that the time had come that He would establish His kingdom, restore the throne of David and deliver Israel from the Roman oppression. This was to be the hour of His triumph. Yet now, particularly at the Supper, He gives every evidence of approaching His death, departing from them that they will see Him no more. Worse than that, they had believed and confessed that He was the Christ the Son of the living God, who had come to save His people from their sins. Somehow, they could not understand how, but somehow He would establish an earthly kingdom and thus bring His church into glory. Now that their hopes were shattered as far as an earthly kingdom was concerned, how could He still be their promised Savior? How well did they recall that agonizing moment at Capernaum when the multitudes turned their backs to Jesus to follow Him no more. Jesus had put the question to them, "Will ye also go away?" It took only a brief soul struggle for them to respond, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." All their hopes of eternal salvation centered in Him. As guilty, lost sinners, they had found their refuge in Him.

Now their hopes seemed shattered by a single blow. Their sorrow knew no consolation. Conflicting thoughts gave them no rest.

They were like children who were told by their father, "Mother and I are leaving you now. We shall not forget you. But you won't see us again." Or like a bride at the eve of her wedding day being told by her prospective bridegroom, "I love you, but I am leaving you. I will still care for your needs, but the time for our parting has come."

Let not your heart be troubled. In the darkness of your night of sorrow cling to Me in faith. Trust Me. I must leave you, even though you do not understand. I seek your eternal welfare, for I am going to heaven to prepare a place for you in Father's House with its many mansions. I am the Way To that Father House because I am the Truth and the Life. Anxiously, verging on despair, Philip pleads, "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." It was virtually in answer to that urgent request that our Lord answers: "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter." My Father will send you One who will stand next to you, as it were. He will be My advocate, for He will tell you of Me, explain to you why I must go, why also this dark hour for you and for Me is a necessary part of My Work of salvation to bring you to glory.

Another Comforter!

Another, yet not different. He is one that is added, as it were to Christ. Even as the Father and the Son are One, so also the Son and the Spirit are One in Essence. For the three persons of the holy Trinity, though distinct in persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are one Being. The Son is the replica of the Father. He reveals all the fulness of the Godhead through the Spirit. The God of our salvation sent His Son into the world as Immanuel, God with us. The Son, who is fully and completely God, took on our human nature, becoming fully and completely man in the person of the Son. For thirty three years He dwelled among us. Our eyes saw Him, our ears heard Him, our hands touched Him, who is the Light and the Life. Apart from Him there is no light, no life, only emptiness, horrible darkness of death. The disciples had witnessed His power over creation, even over sickness, death, and hell. They had marveled at His power working through them as they performed miracles in His name. They had witnessed the wonder of grace when wretched, guilty sinners went their way in peace upon His word. It was the power of His Word that privileged them to confess, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Now again He spoke His Word, soothing their troubled hearts: I will not leave you comfortless, like orphans. I will come again in the Spirit.

For the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

Jesus had said, "I am the Truth." He is the true and living God as the Son, who bears the image of the Father. Eternally the Spirit of the Father rests upon Him, and the Spirit of the Son proceeds from Him to the Father, bringing the three persons into intimate communion of life. Moreover, the Son of God is the Christ, who came into our flesh to tabernacle among us and to reveal the Father, the fulness of God's perfections and glory unto us. He is the Way of salvation, the Way to Father's House with its many mansions, because He is the only true and complete Savior, the Truth and the Life. At the time of His baptism, when He began His public ministry, the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove to qualify Him for His earthly ministry which brought Him to the cross. As the Captain of our salvation He went through the gates of hell, even through death and the grave, to arise triumphantly and to be exalted at the right hand of the Father in the highest heavens. It was the anticipation of that glory that made it possible for Jesus to speak of another Comforter, even the Spirit of truth.

I will pray the Father.

Christ is now our Intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary before the throne. He prays without ceasing day and night. He prays for all those given to Him of the Father, that they may receive from Him every spiritual blessing to bring them with Him in His glory.

Thus upon His exaltation He prayed that the Father would bestow on Him the Holy Spirit to qualify Him for His mediatorial work as our Intercessor before the throne, to carry out His work of salvation in us.

The Father heard Him and granted Him this Spirit, who in turn was sent into the church on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit, now as Spirit of Christ, our exalted Lord, came to dwell in us as Christ's Advocate. He made His presence known with the sound as of a mighty, rushing wind, with tongues of fire resting upon the heads of all those present in the room, and with endowing them with power to go out among the crowd that had gathered, to speak to each one in his own tongue proclaiming to him the mighty works of God: the cross, the resurrection, and the glory that follow.

Suddenly as in a moment, the light dawns. The minds of the disciples are enlightened, their hearts are put at ease, their sorrow is turned to gladness. For they hear the Christ speaking to them through the Old Testament Scriptures, now interpreted for them by Christ's Spirit. The Spirit does not speak concerning Himself. He speaks of the Christ, as the Lord Himself had said, "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (John 16:13,14). They heard the voice of the Lord speaking to them, interpreting the Scriptures, applying it to their hearts and lives, so that they received every spiritual blessing which Christ receives for them from the Father. Christ and the Spirit are one.

Wonderful gift!

No, the world cannot receive that gift. You and I, as we are in ourselves, have no right to that gift. The world apart from Christ lies in the darkness of sin and death, under the righteous judgment of God. They are like a blind man who is still in darkness even though the sun shines brightly round about them, even worse because they are willfully blind.

How were the disciples different? They were chosen of God, renewed by the Spirit, called to be Jesus' disciples. The Holy Spirit was with them, speaking to them through the Old Testament Scriptures and, more particularly, through Jesus. They heard the words of eternal life, and they believed in God. They believed also in the Christ. On Pentecost the Spirit of the risen Lord came to dwell in them. Christ was no more with them, but now He was in them in a far more intimate communion of heavenly life.

The same applies to us. As God's chosen, redeemed saints we are renewed by the Spirit of Christ. We can say with the apostle Paul, "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." We have the complete Scriptures that reveal to us the fulfillment of all God's promises. We live in the day of the Lord, awaiting His return with the clouds.

Christ in His Spirit has come to abide with us forever. Now we still see in a glass darkly, but then we shall see face to face. Now we know in part, but we are looking forward to the day when we shall know as we are known in Father's House, where a mansion is being prepared for each of us.

For sorrow like a pilgrim,
May tarry for a night,
But joy the heart will gladden
When dawns the morning light.

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