THREE BRUTAL MURDERS -
C. R. Stam
Every student of the Word should know the three brutal murders
around which all history revolves. These three murders represent
Israel's response to God's three-fold call to repentance. They explain
the unpardonable sin and form the background for the present
dispensation of grace.
It was John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets, who was
sent as the forerunner of Christ to call Israel to repentance. He was
beheaded by Herod, the wicked and licentious "king of the Jews". After
John, Christ Himself took up the cry: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven
is at hand". Him they crucified. Then, at Pentecost, Israel was given a
third opportunity to repent, until they shed blood again, stoning
Stephen to death.
It should be noticed, too, that their guilt, as well as their bitter
enmity, increased with the second and third murders! Had Israel,
responded to John's call to repentance Herod would never have dared to
even put John in jail. This explains why our Lord did nothing to release
him from prison, even though this had offended John. It was not His,
but theirs to do something about John's unjust imprisonment and every
moment he spent in prison testified against them. Read carefully Luke
3:18-20; 7:19-29; and Matthew 14:1-11. As to the beheading of John the
Baptist, they permitted it. As to the crucifixion of Christ, they
demanded it (Luke23:23,24). As to the stoning of Stephen, they committed
it, casting him out of the city with their own hands and stoning him
there.
And so that generation in Israel committed the unpardonable sin which
our Lord warned would not be forgiven, either in that age, or in the age
to come. Thus we close this article by quoting those precious passages
from Paul's epistles which clearly DENY the possibility of any
"unpardonable sin" during the present "dispensation of the grace of
God":
"We have redemption through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians1:7).
"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. BUT WHERE SIN
ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND: that as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:20,21).
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Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
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