There is an evangel of the Circumcision, and an evangel of the Uncircumcision.  The one is for Jews, and the other is for gentiles.  To Paul is committed the evangel of the Uncircumcision, to Peter is committed the one for the Circumcision, Gal. 2:7, 8.  "Evangel" is here used instead of "gospel," because the latter word has become corrupted by usage.  Evangel is the translation of the Greek word, "euaggelion" which means "well-message." 

According to Peter, Circumcision saints are chosen in hallowing of spirit for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, I Pet. 1:1, 2.  In other words, their obedience is connected with the blood of Christ.  Every one of them is as certain to obey, as they are certain to receive the blood.  Both are absolutely certain, for all whom the Father is giving to Christ shall come to Him, John 6:37.  Coming to him is obedience.  They are certain to come, and they are certain to be raised in the last day.  Not one of them will be lost, verse 38-40. 

In their salvation, grace is present, but it is not put on display.  Works are put on exhibition.  For this reason, many believe that, while we are saved by grace, they are saved by works.  Even the twelve apostles seemed to believe that they were saved because they had chosen Christ.  He assures them this is not the case; He chooses them, not they Him, John 15:16. 

Not one of them, in the days of the affliction, shall be saved, except those who endure to the consummation.  This shows that all who have been given to Christ, and have been sprinkled by the blood of Christ, will obey until the end.  Those who begin in His "service," and fall away, were never given to Christ; they were never chosen.  They are the ones to whom Peter refers, when he says it has happened to them according to the proverb: "A cur turning back to his own vomit," and "A bathed swine to its wallowing in the mire," II Pet. 2:22.  They have never had any internal cleansing.  They had baptism—an outward cleansing.  But this did not change them, any more than a bath will cause a hog or a dog to become a sheep.  

They are described in Heb. 6:4-6, as having been once enlightened, besides tasting the celestial gratuity, and becoming partakers of holy spirit, and tasting the ideal declaration of God, as well as the powers of the future eon.  But it is not said they have had the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.  Neither have they been chosen.  Therefore they fall away, in spite of the fact that they have repented, or had a change of mind.  They cannot be renewed to repentance.  May a Jew have all this, and will not be saved?  Yes; he must also have the sprinkling of the blood.  It is in this sense that the just one is hardly being saved, I Pet. 4:18.  

None of this has any place in the evangel of the Uncircumcision.  To preach these things to gentiles is harmful.  In the evangel that is committed to Paul, grace is put on display, and emphasized.  Works are relegated to the rear.  

"Much rather, then, being now justified in His blood, we shall be saved from the indignation through Him,"  Rom. 5:9, is Paul's exultant cry concerning us.  Neither is it said anywhere, in Paul's evangel, that every saint who is a member of the body of Christ will be obedient.  Some are obedient.  This is because God is operating in them to will as well as to work for the sake of His delight, Phil. 2:13.  The evangel exhorts all saints to obey, or to carry their own salvation into effect with fear and trembling.  Some do it; others do not.  Those who obey, do so because of God's inward operation.  Those who do not, have no such operation.  

And why should God leave some of His saints without this inward operation, at times?  Because this is an era in which God is putting grace on display, not only in the salvation of sinners, but also in His dealing with the saints.  God has a right to create any situation that will give grace in this era.  Let no one be so presumptuous as to bring God before the bar of his own puny judgment.  He will display His grace, even if, in order to do so, He has to leave some of His saints to be attacked by sinful influences, at times.  It is His business, and we must not disparage Him because of it.  

How could He deal graciously with us, Col. 4:13, if some of us were not pretty sorry saints?  This "sorry-ness" must not be encouraged by us as teachers.  We should strongly urge all saints to obey.  To do less, would be to undertake to assume the place of God.  But we should remember that, even though we earnestly exhort to obedience, there will be no obedience unless God works it in them.  

Also, we are to deal graciously with each other, Col. 4:13.  This we would have no opportunity to do, if all saints were perfect in obedience.  God is showing grace.  Let us show grace also, and welcome the opportunity to do so.  

The good works for which we are created in Christ Jesus, and which God makes ready beforehand, that we should be walking in them, are to be in the heavens, as the context shows, Eph. 2:10.  God has not provided that all saints of the present era shall, without fail, obey Him now.  I repeat, this is to give Him an opportunity to display His grace toward us.  

His greatest opportunity to display grace, will be at the advent of Christ.  Many of us will be drowsing, while a few will be "on the job."  Will the drowsing ones be left on earth?  Will they have to go through the "great tribulation?"  This would be the case, if God were the heartless One many imagine Him to be.  We must know that if Christ were to come for us now, He would find many thousand saints drowsing, and pretty well satisfied with the world.  His coming is distasteful to them.  They hear of it with dread.  They put such thoughts far from them.  

But, thank God!, the drowsing ones will not be lift behind.  All should be awake, seeing that "God did not appoint us to indignation, but to the procuring of salvation through our Lord, Jesus Christ, the One dying for us, that, whether we may be watching or dowsing, we should be living at the same time together with Him," I Thess. 5:9, 10.  Not only shall the drowsing ones live with Him, but they shall do so at the same time the watching ones live with Him.  What a display of grace that will be!  

"Where sin increases, grace superexceeds," Rom. 5:20, has no place in the evangel that is committed to Peter.  But it is a blessed part of the evangel found in Paul's teaching.  

We who are connected with Paul's ministry, should have a proper vocabulary.  The evangel with which we are connected does not speak of regeneration or the new birth.  These are found in the other evangel.  We speak of a new creation II Cor. 5:17.  

If we are to have a pattern of sound words, we should not speak so freely of people accepting Christ.  We find nowhere in the scriptures, that a person is saved by accepting Christ.  But we do find that saved people accept Christ Jesus the Lord, Col. 2:6.  The saints in Collosse had accepted Him as Lord, or Master, and Paul told them to walk in Him.  It is a matter of service, not salvation.  

Those who are saved, have OBTAINED Christ, John 1:12.  They did not ACCEPT Him.  Neither do we, now, any more than we accept life.  We obtain life, and afterwards we can accept things. Life must come first.  In the case of Israelites, they must first be forgotten of God.  In our case, we must first be made a new creation in spirit.  All accepting must come after that has been done.  

Saints accept the evangel, I Cor. 15:1, Gal. 1:9.  They accept service, Col. 4:17.  But salvation is not dependent on any person accepting Christ as Savior.  It depends on them obtaining Him.  And in this they are passive.  

God has not given us such a message to deliver as "Christ is begging you to accept Him."  No, the message is this: "In Christ, God was conciliation the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing in us the word of the conciliation.  We, are, then, ambassadors for Christ, as God entreating through us.  We are beseeching for Christ, 'Be conciliated to God,'" II Cor. 5:19-21.  

BROTHER JACKSON'S LETTER

I was surprised when I received Brother Jackson's letter, which is published in this issue.  I did not solicit it. It is with protest that I publish it.  However, I deeply appreciate the spirit that prompted it.  My car is a 1933 model.  It is almost worn out.  The saints want to get me another, and those to whom I minister personally, are not able, but they will do their part. 

Some saints have recently sent donations.  I want them to consider that they are not called on this time.  Brother Jackson sent a donation with his letter. 

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AN APPEAL

A few years ago you were called upon to contribute something, that Brother Screws might get a better car.  You responded well, for which he and many others were grateful.  Now, as before, he is in need of a car.  And now, as before, we have a wonderful privilege to come to his rescue.  We must not let him down. 

Brother Screws, as most of us know has no way by which to get money, except by the free will offerings of those whom he serves.  He has spent most of his life in the service of God and humanity; now let's show our gratitude by coming to his rescue. 

We are asking each one of his subscribers to send at least one dollar, and to send it as soon as you read this letter, lest you forget it.  We are counting on you.  Don't fail us in this hour of need.  His work is largely rural, and he can't do it without a car. 

Surely we can spend an extra dollar every few years for such service as Brother Screws is rendering.  Some will send five dollars; some, ten, or more. 

Let's put our shoulder to the wheel and put this matter over, if it takes a real sacrifice.  We are calling on, and counting on you.  Don't fail, please.  I know you will not. 

Yours in Christ,
J. B. JACKSON

NAMES

Some dear saints are unduly concerned about the name of God.  They seem to think that Christ was mistaken when He used the Greek word, Theos, for God.  Theos is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word for God.  The inspired scriptures say Iesou, for Jesus.  Just as they used the Greek translation of Hebrew, so we use the English translation of Greek. 

God magnifies His word above His name, the psalmist says.  This name business is just a ruse to get saints confused.