2 TIMOTHY 2 (NOTES OF A READING)
2 TIMOTHY 2 ([p. 55] [p. 62] NOTES OF A READING)
CAC This passage reminds us of the craftsmen in Zechariah 1: 20, “cutting in a straight line the word of truth”. We ought not to be occupied with things that have no constructive element in them.
Ques What is, “cutting in a straight line the word of truth”?
CAC To minister the word so that it is not distorted, so that our application of Scripture is according to the truth. I am afraid Scripture is often handled to please men. We should be more definite and accurate in what we say as to the word. It is astonishing how mixed up and inaccurate the thoughts of many believers are as to Scripture — I suppose the result of wrong teaching. The result of the revival of the last century has been that accurate attention has been paid to Scripture and to the statements of Scripture, so that any deviation from them can be detected by the saints.
Rem The test is the plummet.
CAC Yes, things must bear the test of the plumb-line; the man using it is the kind of workman that is valuable. “Iniquity” is ‘not right’, out of the straight; it will not bear the plumb-line. Every thought on divine things is either right or wrong, there is no middle course, so none of us should be content to have loose ideas. God’s things are precise, and specially when He communicates His mind in the Scriptures. So the devil discredits the Scriptures to get rid of the measuring line. He has a subtle object in quoting Scripture (cf. verse 18).
Rem God’s ministry has a definite end in view.
CAC If twisted, the whole building is thrown out of line. All must fit into the plan, or all is spoiled. Wrong teachers get worse and worse. Subversion of Scripture is more dangerous than outright denial of the truth.
[p. 53] Rem We need to ask whence come and whither lead such statements.
CAC It is overthrowing — the opposite to building. God intends that things should be built up in the souls of saints, in persons. It is not much good for the truth to be only in the Bible! The saints are the pillar and base of the truth, the living witness and support of the truth. We should definitely stand in the truth.
Ques The foundation is in resurrection, would you say?
CAC I think the point here is that the saints are the foundation. “Those that are his”. The seal examined is seen to be the saints, God’s firm foundation on this earth that cannot be destroyed. If the devil destroyed all the bibles the foundation would still remain in the saints. It is a remarkable statement, like, “And on this rock I will build my assembly”. There are those that are owned of the Lord, He does not own any bad material. The seal shows something on earth marked by this, that there is something on earth owned by the Lord as His (cf. the signet in Haggai 2: 23). And then there is the responsibility to withdraw from iniquity. What delight for the Lord to see something of Himself in a human heart — some appreciation of Him, or a desire to be faithful to Him or to suffer for His name. How the Lord loves it wherever it is found.
Rem The apostle appeals to God — “God is my witness”.
CAC “Before the Lord”. It was important for Timothy that everything should be done before the Lord. What is the use of anything done merely before men or before the brethren?
There is also a public side, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity”. That brings the saints into evidence publicly. They are only known to be such as withdrawing publicly from what is not right — particularly in the profession. There is a tendency with us to water things down.
Ques What is naming [p. 54] the name of the Lord?
CAC To call on the name of the Lord marks a Christian, and he names the name of the Lord. We ought to bear that in mind, that we name the name of the Lord when it is suitable. It is a great matter to do it, and it has power, for it is a name of great power. But then I must not connect it with what is wrong. The name of the Lord is what takes the place of the Lord in His absence. His name is here and confessed by the saints. We are identified with His name.
“By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong” (Acts 3: 16). It is the gathering-point, we are gathered to His name, not to the Lord. One day we shall be gathered to Himself.
Rem “For the name have they gone forth” (3 John 7).
CAC There is only one name. It is characteristic of us that we “name the name of the Lord”, and that we call upon His name. Everything about us must be consistent with it, otherwise I am only a hypocrite.
“Iniquity” is ‘unrighteousness’ — what is not right. This is a very important scripture, because it defines our position. “The Lord knows those that are his” — J.T. has called this objective knowledge (cf. “I know him” [Abraham], Genesis 18: 19, i.e. I know how he will carry on; and, “I know them” [my sheep] in John 10: 27). He recognises what is of Himself. Lots of people pretend to be His, but He says He does not know them. It is not enough to say, I know the Lord. Does He know me and see features in me that are of Himself? Nothing else is built into His house. The way to begin the day is to say, ‘Something of Christ is to be in my heart and under His eye which is of Himself’, and at the end of the day take stock of how much has been of that character, and then have it all out with the Lord.
NOTES OF A READING 2 Timothy 2: 22 - 26; 2 Timothy 3: 1 - 17 What is a “pure heart”, spoken of in verse 22? Could every Christian be said to have a pure heart?
CAC I suppose it is characteristic of Christians as such. Speaking of the conversion of the Gentiles in Acts 15: 9, Peter says their hearts were purified by faith.
Rem In his epistle, Peter also says, “Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth” (1 Peter 1: 22).
CAC Yes, it says, “Love one another out of a pure heart fervently”. I think a pure heart is a heart delivered from selfishness by the knowledge of the love of God. The love of God gives one a pure heart because it breaks the power of the selfish motives that had governed us. Nothing will break the power of selfishness but love. A heart brought under the influence of the love of God is free from all those things that mark the natural man. If God has given me everything in His love, I do not need to be seeking and grasping after something for myself; and then one can call on God with a simple reference to God’s will, with nothing but a true desire to walk in the path of God’s will. We see the model of all those things in the Lord; it is very encouraging to see that.
Rem We get an instance of the reverse of this in those who said, “Lord, Lord”, and did not the things that He said.
CAC Yes, that illustrates it exactly; that would be calling on the Lord out of an impure heart, a pretence to calling on Him with no intention of doing what He says. A pure heart calls on Him because it is set to do what He says.
Rem It is happy to own His authority; it is not doing so in an empty way. Many Christians choose their own path.
CAC That is a denial of the lordship of Christ. It is a fundamental truth of christianity that Jesus is Lord.
Rem There is a company which recognises that; it is “with [p. 56] those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart”.
CAC It is the owning of Jesus as Lord that brings us together rightly; it marks us off as true Christians.
Ques Is it walking in self-judgment?
CAC That would be involved in it.
Ques Does it suggest that in this day there are those who do not call on the Lord out of a pure heart?
CAC It suggests there is christian profession without a pure heart. Men have no intention of doing what the Lord says. The exercise with us should be to be here for God’s will; we are set to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace; all these things are in the will of God.
If people are caught in Satan’s snare, the servant is to seek to recover them. Satan is doing his best to get Christians to be here for their own will, which is really for Satan’s will, but our object should be to be here for God’s will. There is a beautiful word in John 7: 18: “He that speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he that seeks the glory of Him that has sent him, he is true, and unrighteousness is not in him”. It is what the Lord was; you see righteousness there, a blessed Man seeking the glory of the One who sent Him. When we begin to measure things by the will of God it throws a new light on everything. Christendom is full of good things which we like and even approve, but when we put them in the light of God’s will there is no justification for them.
Rem The beginning of the passage is, “If any one desire to practise his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine” (John 7: 17).
CAC Yes: the one who is said to practise the will of God has a pure heart. God has His right place in the thoughts of such a one; that is a Christian characteristically. It may make us very ashamed of ourselves, but that is a Christian.
Rem We are not always prepared to do God’s will.
CAC If we examine our motives we find them very mixed, and this necessitates self-judgment. We have to remember [p. 57] there is the snare of the devil referred to in the passage we are reading. The snare of the devil is anything that takes us off the line of God’s will, and of righteousness, faith, love and peace.
Rem It supposes something definite.
CAC It is a perversion of things brought about in a man’s mind which results in his opposing the truth. The servant is to recover him. He is not to be left as a bad job. This shows the recoverability of a bad case.
Rem Speaking of the qualities of an overseer it says, “The overseer then must be irreproachable ... . apt to teach, ... mild, not addicted to contention” (1 Timothy 3: 2, 3).
CAC Yes: it speaks of what the Lord was Himself. The devil did his best to take that blessed One in his snare; but nothing moved Him out of the path of God’s will.
Rem It is said of the Lord, “He shall not strive or cry out, nor shall any one hear his voice in the streets” (Matthew 12: 19).
CAC Yes: it is a most important principle. When one has to do with all sorts of evil there is such a danger of getting into contentions. If we have the truth it keeps us quiet because we trust in the Lord to support it. We have to put it before people in a spirit of meekness, and the Lord supports it. We have not to contend. This gives us great peace as to controversies in which the truth is in question. The path of the testimony in the last days is beset by controversies. All the truth we have has been maintained notwithstanding controversies; we do not need to be alarmed about it.
Rem Division may result from it.
CAC Division among saints is the fruit of self-will. If no will is at work, brethren would never divide. If we are really brethren we shall never divide, but there are those among us who do oppose the truth, as we find in verse 25. If they are not really bad they will be recovered by the servant “in meekness setting right those who oppose”. If there is [p. 58] nothing bad at the bottom of a man’s heart he will be recovered, but if self-will is working he may be allowed to go on and fall over the precipice.
Ques Our attention is called in chapter 3 to those we have turned away from (verse 5). There are those God may give repentance to (chapter 2: 25), but it is a serious thing when we have to turn away from any. What is the difference between the two?
CAC The men in chapter 3 are clearly unconverted persons; they have “no love for what is good”; they are “lovers of pleasure”. You cannot do anything with them, there is nothing of God there. You do not keep company with persons of that sort. The Lord tells us not to cast pearls before swine. If people have no love for what is good, what can you do with them?
Rem One has been exercised about persons who are professedly servants of the Lord, as to how far one should combat that sort of thing.
CAC The Lord said of the Pharisees, “Leave them alone” (Matthew 15: 14). But another class is contemplated, not at all like these who come into opposition with the truth. We find brothers at a time coming into opposition, but they have to be dealt with in gentleness and meekness so that they may be recovered. We have to act in such a way that they may be won.
Ques In what way would they recover themselves?
CAC By repentance. If God gives it to them in the acknowledgment of the truth, they wake up and see they have just been [p. 63] in the snare of the devil all the time.
Rem It is a great deliverance when a man who has been opposing the truth is led to see it, and wakes up and repents, and is found once more for God’s will in this world.
CAC It is a blessed deliverance! It can only be brought about by coming into the atmosphere of Matthew 11. The Lord says, “Come to me”. ‘Just stand where I stand; look at things as I look at them’, and then He says, “Learn from me;
[p. 59] for I am meek and lowly in heart”. It is very beautiful. We are to be characterised by His Spirit; this is how He always had to do with opposers; He endured such contradiction of sinners, and those cavilling. See how quietly He answered them, and how gentle He was.
Rem He had to meet opposition in His disciples and in all around.
Ques Would you say there is restoration when they recover themselves?
CAC Yes: the snare is broken. To my mind it is very important that we should count on more power for recovery. Nothing exercises me more than the lack of power of recovery. If people get wrong it seems impossible to get them right again.
Ques Is it lack of exercise on their part?
CAC That may be, but what troubles me is my part. I feel I ought to have more power to get them right. We have to bear in mind that if there is anything of God in a soul it will respond to the Spirit of Christ. If a man is wrong and I can approach him in the Spirit of Christ, in the faithful grace of Christ, he will respond, and then I must not let him go till I have got him back for God’s will.
Rem The Lord says, “Those thou hast given me I have guarded” (John 17: 12); but Cain said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Ques Do you not think we fail in not having drunk sufficiently into the Spirit of the One who came down to recover men?
CAC Yes; a new order of man is brought into the world — man in Christ Jesus, not as glorified in heaven, but brought in morally down here. We find it all through this epistle: “Faith and love which are in Christ Jesus”; “Be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus”; “Live piously in Christ Jesus”. Paul spoke of his ways “as they are in Christ” (1 Corinthians 4: 17). That is, the qualities of Christ Jesus are brought in morally down here; it is down here they are seen. If we are [p. 60] in the line of what is in Christ Jesus we shall show His qualities. If we have not the Spirit of Christ we shall pretend to have it. In principle we are all men of God or magicians, we all either have the Spirit of Christ or pretend to. Jannes and Jambres imitated what Moses did; what he did by divine power, they did by human, or perhaps Satanic, power, but in the end the finger of God triumphed. There came a time when it was a question of life, and then they could do nothing. When Moses and Aaron turned the dust into lice the magicians tried with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could do nothing, and they had to say, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8: 19). The moment it was a question of life they were baffled. You can imitate what is external in a Christian, but it is irritation and will sooner or later be exposed.
Ques Would you say that we could imitate?
CAC I think there is a great deal of imitation in Christendom, and I find all the evils of Christendom in my own heart. Whatever is current in Christendom you find in yourself. But if you get on to the line of what is in Christ Jesus, that is the vital line and that will triumph.
Rem What I find in myself is assuming to be what I am not.
CAC Yes: there is an outward show that has nothing behind it; it is very humiliating. If we were only content to be what the grace of God has made us, how happy we should be!
Rem Even our quietness is a pretence sometimes.
CAC On the principle that “even a fool when he holdeth his peace is reckoned wise” (Proverbs 17: 28).
Rem We want the continuation of Christ in His people.
CAC Christianity is the continuation of Christ in the saints. I do not understand anything else. We want to keep clear of all imitation. Let us have the real thing. If people can get gold they do not want brummagem! What a contrast the apostle draws. Some are “found worthless as regards the faith” and the end is, “Their folly shall be completely manifest to all”. Then the contrast is in verse 10: “My teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, endurance”. There are the imitation and the genuine. Timothy had followed up the genuine; he had seen it in Paul, and that was the line Timothy was on. We have to be on that line too; we have to follow up what is vital.
Rem The Lord could say of Himself, “Altogether that which I also say to you” (John 8: 25), and Paul could point to his manner of life for us to follow.
CAC There was perfect transparency in the Lord and transparency in the apostle. We ought to consider more than we have done the life and character of Paul. You see Christianity in Paul, if I may say so; you cannot quite see it in Christ; that is to say, you do not see the divine triumph in Christ, because He was a Man out of heaven. But you see the divine triumph in Paul, “who before was a blasphemer and persecutor, and an insolent overbearing man” (1 Timothy 1: 13). It is in such a man you see the divine triumph. People say we must be occupied with Christ. Yes, I say, and with Paul also. He is put before us as a model, and the spirit and service of Paul are an integral part of Christianity. He says, “Thou hast been thoroughly acquainted with my teaching, conduct”. That is the triumph. In Christ you see the power and grace that could effect the triumph. But in Paul you see the triumph. If ever a man was marked by what was diabolical it was Paul, and yet you see such a man transformed, the spirit and life and ways of Christ reproduced and perpetuated in a man who still has the flesh in him, who is still, as we say, in mixed condition. There is the triumph of God.
Rem Yes; the Lord only could say, ‘The devil has nothing in me’.
Rem We read that Saul was to be “turned into another man” (1 Samuel 10: 6).
CAC Yes, those early chapters of Samuel show us the moral road to the kingdom; they are most instructive.
NOTES OF A READING 2 Timothy 2: 23 - 26; 2 Timothy 3: 1 - 9 Is there not a right and a wrong way of contending? Jude speaks of contending for the faith. A verse in Proverbs says, “Answer not a fool according to his folly”, and then, “Answer a fool according to his folly” (Proverbs 26: 4, 5).
CAC It is better to avoid some foolish questions altogether as waste of time. It might be better to ask such a man if his sins are forgiven! We should all avoid contention, and should be able to tell him something — if he will listen — so that things are met by the truth. It speaks of “setting right” those who oppose the truth; somewhat different from contending with them, is it not?
Rem With a mixed condition, men with their natural minds bring in unspiritual thoughts. In some parts of the country such terrible thoughts have been brought in as to make readings of the Scriptures impossible; only addresses can be given. Proverbs 8: 5 speaks of finding “sense”, “Ye foolish, understand sense” (or heart, see note a, Darby Translation). What comes out of and into the heart is then of God: “Those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2: 22). The Darby Translation has a footnote to verse 23 about a man following his own mind and will.
CAC The truth is to be maintained; there is to be no surrender of it.
Rem It is a question of bringing in the truth as governing the position, something positive, where there has been something negative.
CAC The Lord did not always answer questions, but dealt with the questioner’s state of soul. Wisdom and spiritual power are needed to meet such questions. To bring forward what is positive truth is the thing, and they may be set right. “If God perhaps” — it is doubtful, but there is the possibility. There are professing believers who may be taken in the snare of the devil, a very solemn thing to contemplate. People who are wrong may not be subject to Scripture; I have no more to say to them if they do not submit to what Scripture says.
With the preaching of the gospel you open people’s eyes, whether they accept it or not; that is, you give them the truth of the position. Their eyes are opened all the same and they have the opportunity of seeing things as they are.
Ques That they might wake up for God’s will, could you say (verse 26)?
CAC Yes. One may have a thought not according to God’s will, and then wake up to it.
Rem We may be brought up in what is erroneous, and the light comes and releases the wrong thought.
CAC It is a wonderful thing for any of us to be brought into harmony with God’s will, having always wanted to pursue our own. It is the greatest miracle conceivable. There is nothing we are more fond of than our own ideas.
Ques Is there the side of proving all things by the Scriptures?
CAC It would refer to what is said in the assembly.
Rem We ought to be glad to be adjusted to the truth. The point is to be balanced in the truth, not to ‘specialise’. Some get taken up with an idea and never get away from it the rest of their time.
Ques The product of the underlying will comes out in detail in chapter 3. Self-expression comes out in this sad category, would you say?
CAC Much of modern philosophy would encourage a man to develop greatness on that line, but it is correspondence with the devil, nothing of God in it. It is increasingly difficult in an environment like this to get a man’s ear for the gospel, or for what is of God, so as to make headway. It will be more and more difficult to maintain anything that is of God. It will lead up to men reverting to the original type — what they were as natural men before christianity came. As [p. 64] christianity is given up they will revert. It is going to be more and more difficult to maintain any testimony for God.
Ques Is there any difference between “the latter times” (1 Timothy 4: 1) and “the last days”?
CAC “The latter times” are more the things seen in popery, more what was seen in the last century. “The last days” would be more the giving up all that there is of God — what is morally like God given up. Along with it all there is a certain imitation, “A form of piety but denying the power of it”, like Jannes and Jambres. So the antichrist is always like a man, as Christ is, though his voice is like a dragon’s.
[p. 65] NOTES OF A READING 2 Timothy 3: 16, 17; 2 Timothy 4: 1 - 8 What is meant by “instruction in righteousness”?
CAC Righteousness is an extensive subject and there is need for constant instruction. It is a subject for the higher classes as well as the lower ones. It is educational. We are learning what is eternal; the new heavens and new earth will be marked by righteousness dwelling. It is an eternal state, the dwelling there of righteousness.
Ques Does it not enhance the triumph of God that He can teach us this in a time of lawlessness?
CAC In the psalms, righteousness is regarded as an attractive subject. Would it contain everything that is in the will of God?
Ques Would you say more what is in your mind?
CAC I was asking a question!
Rem We speak about righteousness reigning.
CAC At the present it is more a question of righteousness reigning, but the assembly should surely go beyond that in apprehension and should be the dwelling-place of righteousness as it will be known in the eternal state, when the will of God has taken the place of every other element. It would now include the mystery, the thought of the assembly; that is, what is right. It is a great thing to be instructed in what is right in the divine estimate; it is instruction in what is eternal. Perhaps we have been a little limited in our thoughts of it. We are favoured to be here this afternoon to be instructed in what is to be eternal, and we find it all in a written and permanent form as a record. We are all, seniors and juniors alike, set together to be instructed in what is going to subsist eternally. We are accustomed to what is all wrong.
We are to pay attention to every word of God to us. We are encouraged by instruction to go from a scene of [p. 66] lawlessness into a scene of righteousness. The assembly and our relations with the brethren are things we do not come into suddenly; they are not like being born again, but they are things we get into by instruction. As it says, “They shall be all taught of God” (John 6: 45). “Born of God” is initial. We must put the instruction in righteousness into practice or we get a bad conscience.
Rem So a position physically is not sufficient.
Ques “He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23: 3). Is that what you were referring to in the Psalms?
CAC A number of psalms refer to righteousness and our having pleasure in it, delighting in it, loving it. Loving righteousness is a great thing.
Ques What would “every good work” mean?
CAC That goes with what was said as to working things out practically. Preaching and the ministry of the Lord’s servants are all part of this great instruction. The assembly is the only place where you can get a good education.
The man of God is qualified, having passed the test, and so can be trusted to impart the right kind of instruction.
Rem The disciple shall be as his teacher.
CAC Very good indeed. The object is to bring us up to the measure of the teacher. It applies in the fullest way to the Teacher.
Rem A divine work is going on to produce meekness for the place we are to occupy.
CAC “Blessed they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5: 6). It is something to live on, is it not?
Rem The enemy would discredit the Scriptures, and we can see why.
CAC All Scripture is divinely inspired, every word of the Scriptures coming to us as giving what is in the mind of God. And all this is in view of the appearing.
Ques Does this charge, “Before God and Christ Jesus, who is about to judge living and dead”, show the great issue at stake?
CAC It is a most solemn appeal, is it not?
Ques Is that why he says, “Proclaim the word”?
CAC Yes. He has in mind the general departure and the need for the word to be authoritatively proclaimed.
Ques Would you distinguish between the three things in verse 1: Christ Jesus, who is about to judge living and dead; His appearing; and His kingdom?
CAC They are three very solemn things; they all will actually happen in this world — He is about to do this. Everyone will have to pass His scrutiny.
Rem God “has set a day in which He is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by the man whom He has appointed” (Acts 17: 31). We are to be linked with the glory of that day and the righteousness of it now.
CAC Yes. Hundreds of millions alive on the earth will see Him coming with the holy angels.
Rem One sees the need of setting things right before the incoming of these events.
CAC The rights of Christ are soon to be asserted publicly. The thought of the rapture has taken too great a place in the mind of the saints, and it has tended to looseness, J.B.S. said. The great objective is the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. The rapture has come in by the way, in two scriptures only, while the appearing is mentioned in numerous Scriptures. It is the secret of the assembly that we are coming with Him; “When the Christ is manifested ..., then shall ye also be manifested with him in glory” (Colossians 3: 4). It might be asked, ‘How can we come with Him?’ The answer to that is the rapture, when He will descend from heaven for us with a shout, etc. What is in view is coming with Him. This is the reason of the alteration of the line of 235:6 to, ‘bring us with Thee as Thine own’. The old hymn book had given far too much prominence to the rapture, it [p. 68] was felt, so several hymns relating to it have been left out to restore the balance of the truth. “And to await his Son from the heavens”, 1 Thessalonians 1: 10 says. We are waiting for Him to judge the living and the dead and bring in His kingdom.
Rem “Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13: 43).
CAC So it is a test of righteousness. If I pursue the line of righteousness I shall get the crown of glory. I could not love the appearing otherwise, though I might look for the rapture to take me out of pressure.
Rem The rapture has not quite to say to a moral state, the appearing does.
CAC So the Master takes account of His bondmen (Matthew 18: 23). “Trade while I am coming” (Luke 19: 13) is to carry on in the light of the coming kingdom. What I am doing this week is going to stand the scrutiny of Him whose eyes are as a flame of fire. The Lord would have us consciously standing at the judgment-seat all the time.
Rem Timothy is told, “Fill up the full measure of thy ministry”.
CAC All is to further righteousness amongst the saints, and it becomes more urgent as things get worse around us. What little measure we have, we are to go on with it and not be limited to available opportunities. “Do the work of an evangelist”. Timothy was not an evangelist, but that does not absolve him from the work of an evangelist. We cannot let ourselves off from doing the work of an evangelist, any one of us.
Rem We only have one evangelist named as such in Scripture, and that is Philip.
Ques What is the work of an evangelist?
CAC The work of an evangelist is summed up in three words. A verse in Isaiah says, “O Zion, that bringest glad tidings, get thee up into a high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest glad tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up,
[p. 69] be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God” (Isaiah 40: 9). I should say that is the work of an evangelist, that is the gospel in three words, to get people, if we possibly can, to look at God as we know Him. Zion and Jerusalem are looked at here as bringing in glad tidings and crying to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” and the gospel is what God is for poor fallen man.