Dial Daily Bread: Cherishing "The Blessed Hope"

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It's nice to remember that if and when we die, we can come up in the first resurrection. But is that the "blessed hope" Paul talks about in this passage?

"The grace of God that brings salvation to all men [margin] has appeared, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-14).

Hardly! The "blessed hope" is that of being "alive and remain" on the earth (1 Thess. 4:15, 17) to welcome the Son of God at His second coming. Some say it doesn't matter; we can come up in a special resurrection prior to His coming and thus "remain," but this implies there is no real significance to "the signs of the times" we have witnessed for the past century and a half.

Multitudes of believers have died in the past 2000 years; but Daniel's "time of the end" defines when these who cherish "the blessed hope" will be living, and that time is now. It's Paul's "last days" he speaks of (2 Tim. 3:1). And it's the same time Jesus speaks of: "There will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, ... men's hearts failing them for fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth. ... Know that the kingdom of God is near" (Luke 21:25-31). Matthew adds, "even at the doors" (24:33).

"The Son of man is coming in an hour when you do not expect Him" (vs. 44). The suddenness of His coming will surprise everyone.

Cherishing "the blessed hope" of seeing Him come in your lifetime is not a quirky little idiosyncrasy for unbalanced elders; it's Christian duty for us all because it's "present truth" faith (2 Peter 1:12).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 31, 2007.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Greatest Love-and-Reconciliation-Building Ministry on Earth

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Queen Jezebel outright hated the prophet Elijah, but King Ahab probably feared him more than hated him. She was a non-Israelite; her hatred was that of the wicked world against Christ. Ahab was capable of feeling guilty for his fear. The mass of the people were bewildered; not one (with the possible exception of Obadiah who hid some of the Lord's servants in a cave) had the courage to stand with the holy prophet of the Lord. Everybody except Elijah trembled on Mount Carmel. The air was charged with tension.

Well might we all tremble today as we inexorably approach our rendezvous at our last-days "Mount Carmel." It will be a preview of the last day of Judgment, when the apostle John says we shall all be judged by the one indispensable question: "Have you learned how to love (with agape)?" (Yes, read 1 John 4:8: "He who does not love [with agape] does not know God.") The newly-sent "Elijah's" mission will be teaching God's people how to love: "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers" (Mal. 4:5, 6). That's his primary task, not administering lethal judgment.

Elijah's mission will be the greatest love-and-reconciliation-building ministry ever performed on earth since Pentecost. Satan can perform physical miracles (he is a very qualified orthopedic or cardiac surgeon), but reconciling alienated human hearts is a greater miracle. A five by-pass in the operating theater may not bring husband and wife together again. Only "Elijah" can do that; but that's what he has come to accomplish, and if we condemn him like Jezebel and Ahab did and stubbornly disregard the fire that falls at "Elijah's" prayer, then mustcome the "Brook Kidron" (1 Kings 18:40).

Elijah was very patient for 3-1/2 years; then came Carmel and the end of patience forever. God is infinite, but His patience is not. Let the one who trembles find comfort in Psalm 130. What makes one really "fear" is the awareness of His forgiveness!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 31, 2006.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Elijah Message--Preparing a People for the Second Coming of Christ

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Many people are becoming interested in "Elijah" being sent to us. They are realizing that "he" will come as a message, just as "Elijah" came to Israel in the message of John the Baptist (Mal. 4:5, 6; Luke 1:13-17). They see that as John the Baptist prepared God's people of his day for the first coming of Christ, so "Elijah" in these last days will prepare a people for the second coming of Christ (Rev. 14:6-15).

John's message was a clarion call for repentance (Matt. 3:1-8). In these last days, "Elijah's" message is a call to the leadership of Christ's last days' church to "be zealous therefore, and repent" (Rev. 3:14, 19; the "angel" of the church of the Laodiceans has to be its leadership). In ancient Israel, Elijah zeroed in on the top, the leader of the nation, King Ahab.

Just as Elijah was "zealous" and called on the king and Israel to "repent" of their Baal worship and return to the true Lord (just as Jesus calls on Laodicea), so the Elijah message today will call on God's people to "examine [themselves] as to whether [they] are in the faith. Prove [themselves]" (2 Cor. 13:5).

That must mean a close re-examination--do we understand what God's holy Word says about justification by faith? Or have we repeated ancient Israel's century-long slide down the slippery slope into Baal worship--that is, counterfeit ideas of popular Christianity that Revelation says are "Babylon"? "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith," says Paul in the Greek; don't be confused and bewildered by Babylon's false version.

That genuine "the faith" will be Elijah's message. He "slays" the uncooperative, unrepentant modern "priests of Baal" (which is the same as the "perishing" of those who disbelieve in John 3:16; the "should not perish" means that those who disbelieve commit their own spiritual suicide).

Elijah proclaims the reconciling, "at-one-ment" message that heals the wounded hearts of those who appreciate Christ's cross.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: May 29, 2006.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: News Too Good for Unbelieving Hearts

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Paul was an inspired apostle and prophet; all theologians and teachers and pastors step aside and keep still while he tells us what the Good News is. He wrote before the gospel message was infiltrated with Babylonian confusion. His message is pure "water of life" flowing from the throne of God.

His great letter to the Ephesians tells us what "God hasdone for us," and as we read the letter and believe, the genuine "grace ... and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" penetrates our troubled, fearful hearts (1:2). Those who receive the "epistle" as it reads, and put it above any commentaries, are the ones who are enriched with the blessing. What has"the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" done for us?

"Blessed us with every spiritual blessing ... in Christ" (vs. 3). It has already been done!

Chosen us in Christ to be "holy and without blame" (vs. 4). Already, long ago!

Has "predestined us" to be eternally saved (vs. 5). No one has been predestined to be lost.

Has already "adopted" us "by [or in] Christ" (vs. 5). We've become "family," not just luncheon guests. We are given the run of His house.

Ephesians turns out to be the perfect New Testament mirror reflection of the seven great promises God made to Abraham (and his children--us; Gen. 12:2, 3)! They are the New Covenant. It's Good News many are afraid to trust--news too good for unbelieving hearts.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 17, 2005.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Make a Choice to Believe, and You're in for an Exciting Life

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

It sounds like your heavenly Father is signing a blank check made out to you, and the very extravagance of the promise scares many people away: "Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Make a choice to believe, and you're in for an exciting life. Fill in the blank for any amount you "desire"--if it's nothing, that's what you'll get. If it's something big, that's what He promises you.

The first step is to realize that "desires" must be translated into the real meaning of the Hebrew word (mishalah): it means "petitions" or prayers. The Lord is not dealing with timid wishes that never become articulated in actual prayer.

To "delight yourself also in the Lord" of course means that--not in Wall Street, or Macys.

Next, be aware that if you choose to believe Him, you thereby catapult yourself into the middle of the "great controversy between Christ and Satan." That weeds out many who don't want to be "involved." So, "let the dead bury the dead." Don't quarrel in the judgment day; if you have asked for nothingness you'll get it.

Abraham (as a teen probably) had the "desire" to be somebody great and important in the plan of God for the world. Result: the Enemy of Christ became his enemy too, and did everything possible to frustrate his faith right up to his 99th year. He couldn't know how to laugh until he was 100. Then he named Sarah's son "laughter" (Isaac).

Joseph as a boy dreamed "desires" of saving his world and his family, and at 17 prayed his "desires" into dedication. Ponder his involvement in "the great controversy."

When David was a mere boy, Samuel encouraged him to "desire" to be somebody important in Israel. Dreams suddenly became deeds when he killed Goliath.

From the age of 12 Jesus dreamed of becoming "the Lamb of God," the Savior of the world. Everybody else's battle of faith culminates in His. He dreams with you.

Don't be content to dream your dreams vainly, and let them wilt and die on the vine. Make them into prayers. Then take your place in the controversy. Fight your own battle of faith.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: February 1, 2003.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Passage in Job That Probes the Depths of Human Anguish

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There's a passage in Job that is pathetic, but it probes the inmost depths of human anguish.

Job doesn't know the prologue that we know in chapters one and two; all he knows is that God has turned against him suddenly and has apparently become his enemy. All the good things that God gave him He has now taken away (poor people who have never known a moment of prosperity can endure their destitution more easily than rich people who lose it all). Job appears to be a lost man in hell.

Then his three "friends" come and in utmost sincerity try to help him but succeed only in multiplying his pain exponentially. Here's the passage he tells his "friends": "In trouble like this I need loyal friends--whether I've forsaken God or not" (6:14, Good News Bible). In other words, Job says, even if I'm in hell itself with no hope ever, I need someone to have compassion on me!

Suppose you knew that someone was in hell, had committed the unpardonable sin and was indeed lost (which you don't know, and you never will know, of any person and you dare not judge!), but suppose everybody agreed that this person was lost (a multiple murderer for example, an unrepentant child abuser, etc. etc.). Could you say something to comfort and encourage him? Could you manifest some compassion?

Once upon a time there was such a person who had publicly let it be known that He was indeed in hell, utterly forsaken by God. The religious leaders of the one true church on earth condemned him. Yes, the scribes and Pharisees were the leaders of what was still the true church--it remained the true church until the 490 years (the 70 weeks) of Daniel 9 had run their course.

But all those people could do was to continue to curse Jesus and torment Him unmercifully. I'm sorry to say that even the Eleven were mystified so much that not one of them brought Him a drink of water.

Oh Father in heaven! Save us from being Job's three friends; save us from misjudging someone who is so Christlike that he or she is suffering like Jesus did apparently under the curse of heaven.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 7, 2007.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Why Is the Right "Gate" So "Narrow"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

What Jesus in Matthew 7:13, 14 said about choosing to go in the wide gate that leads to eternal death, or the narrow gate that leads to eternal life, is that the majority of earth's inhabitants take the wide gate and only "few ... find" the narrow gate.

Why is the right "gate" so "narrow"? Is God trying to shoo people out of the path that leads to eternal life by making it as difficult as possible? Many youth think so; and often the "few" who think they have "found" the right path congratulate themselves for their good judgment and self-discipline. The way they talk and act about the "narrow way" actually turns thoughtful people away from it.

Does the Lord stand by indifferently and let uninformed people wander into the wrong path? Why do nearly a billion people get shooed into Hinduism? And nearly the same number, to Islam? And why is nearly the whole world becoming "as it was" before the flood of Noah? Does God care? Is He doing anything effectiveto help? What will the final judgment say?

Proverbs 8:1-10 graphically represents God (that is, the Holy Spirit) making massive "media" appeals to humanity, crying out, shouting on top of the highest buildings of the cities, in the freeways and streets, attracting attention at all the traffic lights, pleading, "My voice is to the sons of men." The Peterson version (The Message) or paraphrase is vivid: "Lady Wisdom's ... taken her stand at First and Main, at the busiest intersection. Right in the city square where the traffic is thickest, she shouts, 'You--I'm talking to all of you, everyone out there on the streets! Listen, you idiots,--learn good sense! You blockheads--shape up!'"

Personally, I'm not wise enough to know exactly how the Holy Spirit is "shouting" like this, but for sure, in the final judgment it will be very clear that God did everything He possibly could to keep you from drifting into the wide gate that leads to eternal death. Why? Because He truly loves you!

-- Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 24, 1998.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Why the Lord Permits Desperate Experiences

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

There are times when everything has seemed to go wrong, and deep, dark disappointment overwhelms us. The temptation is fierce--for us to think that the Lord has forsaken us. But He has promised solemnly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Heb. 13:5).

The Father withdrew His beams of light from His only Son while He hung on His cross. Jesus screamed in agony, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt. 27:46). The Father never truly forsook His only Son, but He was forced to permit Jesus to feel totally forsaken, so that we should never have to feel that way!

To feel totally forsaken by the Lord is a terrible experience; and for one to believe it would be a sin, for He has promised never to "leave us nor forsake us." Yes, to disbelieve what the Lord has promised would be a sin, which we would want to repent of immediately.

To be tempted is not itself sin; thus, it is not a sin to feel forsaken by the Lord. The sin comes when we believe Satan's lie to disbelieve what God has promised. What Satan wants is to break our hold on the Lord and thus to separate our souls from Him. Satan wants to drag us out into the cold dark emptiness of hell--which is eternal forsakenness by the Lord.

Jesus has saved us from that--forever. Now make your heart choice to believe that truth; pray with the distraught father in Mark 9, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (vs. 24). You can never perish while you cling to that desperate prayer.

Why does the Lord permit you to go through this desperate experience? So you can from now on work side by side with Him to help other people who are so tempted. There are many! And He needs you to work with Him! The only "voice" He has is your voice; the only "hands" He has are yours.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 18, 2008.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: We Still Haven't Caught Up With the Samaritans

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

The word "gospel" means "good news." Paul says he is not ashamed of it, for it is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). We don't want to confuse it with petty arguing!

The Samaritans of the village of Sychar had it straight even before the twelve disciples understood it clearly, for they grasped the truth that Jesus is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), not just of those who believe. The disciples didn't fully grasp that truth until after the resurrection of Jesus, not until Pentecost. But it's still a truth that's beyond the understanding of many, and therefore their ability to win souls to Christ is curtailed. The return of Jesus is delayed because we still haven't caught up with the Samaritans.

Paul understood, for he said that Christ is "the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). Thus the idea that there are two aspects of salvation: one applies to "all men," and the other applies only to those "who believe." After Adam lost out as the head of the human race, Christ took over as the "last" or second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45), and He died for the world, not just for "the elect." He "tasted death for every one," not just for those who are baptized (cf. Heb. 2:9).

The Father has planned for "all men"to be saved eternally (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). He has not "predestined" anyone to be lost, but all to be saved (Eph. 1:3-5). Therefore it was before "the foundation of the world" that He has chosen"all men" to be "in Christ" just as surely as He gave "the birthright" to Esau. That gift was in no sense dependent on any good works that Esau might do; it was his by "right."But he "despised" and "sold" it (Gen. 25:32-34). Now, don't despise and sell what has been given you as your birthright "in Christ."

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 5, 2005.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: The Duties and Privileges of Being a Father

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

As Father's Day approaches, we think of the duties and the privileges of being a father. In order to realize the blessings of fatherhood, we need a Savior who reveals to us the character of our heavenly Father. To "see" Him is to be transformed into His likeness.

To be such a father means to learn to love as the heavenly Father loves. The very essence of being such a father is to love one's children as Christ reveals how the heavenly Father loves us. We read that He "gave Himself for our sins" (Gal 1:4). Such love means self-denial built-in to the character; father always senses the motivation to deny himself for the good of his family. It's never what-can-I-get-for-myself but always what-can-I-do-, or give, for them. The SUVs and boats and electronic toys take second place, as well as the time to be spent playing with them; the physical and spiritual needs of the family take precedence.

The "Elijah" message, which is due in the world today, is the means through which this spiritual vision is communicated to men who are by nature born self-centered (as are we all; see Mal. 4:5, 6).

The East African Hornbill is a male bird which shuts his mate up in a hole in a tree, and patiently, faithfully ministers to her and the young until they can fly on their own. Day after day he is out seeking insects and other food, which he dutifully carries to her in her imprisonment. It's a beautiful little glimpse of "marital" fidelity which apparently is communicated through natural means.

But for us, paternal fidelity is communicated through the Savior's ministry for our self-centered human hearts. He changes men who are naturally worldly, self-centered, into unselfish, faithful husbands and fathers. In this way we "may be the children of [our] Father which is in heaven," exhibiting the divine-family trait of a love which is agape.

This explains that mystery of being "perfect." Jesus says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:44-48, King James Version). You don't "do" this great change; you let Him do it, responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 9, 2000.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Jesus Is Our Elder Brother … Forever!

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Your eternal happiness is what the Lord Jesus Christ is concerned about--not just barely squeaking you through the gates so you can live in some New Jerusalem slum. Anybody who gets in He wants to have a gloriously triumphant entrance that Paul likens to a Roman emperor returning after a great victory, loaded with spoils and all his enemies in chains (2 Cor. 2:14). A vast multitude will watch you enter and they will cheer wildly for you. That moment in your experience will thrill your soul, and a knowing smile from Jesus will tell you how deeply He understands all about your part in the victory.

But you could never be happy then unless you had experienced and endured tribulation and maybe even persecution for His sake (see Acts 14:22; John 16:33). Marines who fight together in harrowing battles become friends for life.

Do not think of Jesus as detached in some plush heavenly office enjoying luxury while you are battling alone here below. He does not say, "I did My part 2000 years ago, and won My part of the battle--now it's your turn to fight!" No, you are "yoked" with Him and He is actually struggling with you--He is still fighting to win the great controversy. And more than you can imagine, He actually needs you yoked with Him!

There is one aspect of the conflict where your contribution will be vital--maybe (can we say?) you have a fraction of the "144,000th" part of the whole great controversy for which you are responsible. It cannot end until every tiny fraction fits in.

He specifically denies calling you "slaves" and calls you "friends" instead (John 15:15). The definition of "friend" is someone close to you who needs you, not just on nodding terms. It's hard to imagine it, but Jesus will actually tell you a sincere, big-hearted "Thank you!" when it's all over and the smoke clears away. He is our Elder Brother ... forever!

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: July 15, 2005.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Diall Daily Bread: How Do You Know If You've Received the Holy Spirit?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Let me ask a pointed question: "Have you received the Holy Spirit?" The question is sensible, for Romans 8:9 bluntly says that if the answer is "No," you are still in the state in verse 7 of "enmity against God." Even if you are an "elder," a "pastor," or a high-placed church leader.

How can one know if he or she has received the Holy Spirit? In the words of Jesus, the evidence is not an emotional flight of feeling, shouting, rolling on the floor, or talking "unknown" gibberish, or the nice-sounding compliments of fellow church members or clergy.

Have you ever sat in a position for a time that your leg has "gone to sleep," the nerves become numb so you couldn't feel anything in it? When sensation returned, you felt a prickling almost like needles sticking you. Welcome news! You knew the leg was "alive."

According to Jesus, the first and clearest evidence that one has received the Holy Spirit is a painful conviction of spiritual need: "If I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict ... of sin" (John 16:7, 8).

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life makes you very aware of the difference between your character and that of Christ. Such awareness is impossible apart from receiving the Holy Spirit--for the natural everyday heart-attitude (which psychology and the world encourage) is to be self-satisfied with oneself, "I am [spiritually] rich and ... have need of nothing."

But the presence of the Holy Spirit brings a deep conviction of need: "You are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). Bad News? No way! Painful truth is always Good News, for it means there is still hope for you. The final sin against the Holy Spirit is a spiritual lobotomy, a severing of the soul's vagus nerve, leaving you pathetically (eternally) unaware of your true condition in the sight of Heaven.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 30, 1999.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: There Must Be Another "Noah"

Dear Friends of “Dial Daily Bread,”

The gospel is "everlasting" (Rev. 14:6), therefore had to be preached in Old Testament times as in the New (Gal. 3:8). For example, Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5). But the people's unbelief had become as perverse as that of many today, for they turned their beautiful world into a hell of wickedness and violence (Gen. 6:11), bringing upon themselves the Flood.

The Lord Jesus tells us how that history pictures the world of today (Matt. 24:38-42). There must be another "Noah," a church that is "a preacher of righteousness"--by faith, the only kind there can be.

From Eden, Christ conquered Satan, not merely wounded him. He "bruised [the] head" whereas the serpent "bruised [His] heel" (Gen. 3:15). In "the likeness of sinful flesh" which we all inherit from our fallen Adam, Christ "condemned sin," trampled upon it as you would the head of a poisonous snake (Rom. 8:3). To all who believed on Christ in Old Testament times, He granted to "overcome" as He grants us today to "overcome even as [He] overcame" (Rev. 3:21).

In Abraham's "seed" (Christ), "all families of the earth" are in fact "blessed," not merely provisionally, or possibly, or perhaps, but in reality (Gen. 12:2, 3).

Again the blessing is for "all the families of the earth" in the dream the Lord gave to sinful, "supplanter-Jacob" at Bethel (Gen. 28:12-14). The gift of salvation is assured to unworthy sinners; but they must receive it. But if they don't receive it, the gift nonetheless was truly given!

The universal nature of this "gift" is taught in the daily burnt offering in the Levitical service (Ex. 29:38-42). It "covered" the sinner who had not yet learned to repent; it included "the stranger" within the gates. Its ultimate significance included "all men" who need a judicial acquittal in order not to die (cf. Rom. 5:15-18, The Revised English Bible). But again, the "cover" must not be presumed; but for Christ there remains the legal condemnation "in Adam." "Behold the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 27, 2006.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Our Love-Hate Relationship With God's Ten Commandment Law

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

By nature we all have a love-hate relationship with God's Ten Commandment law. "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). As descendants of the fallen Adam, with his sinful nature, that is our natural condition--"enmity" against the pure, holy law.

Don't let anyone fool himself that he or she was born with a sinless nature. We all need to be converted. But there is also a sense in which we fallen humans have a love affair with the law, because God promised in the Garden of Eden that He would implant in every human heart an "enmity" against sin and its author, the "serpent." This is true of every human being, for Christ is the "Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world" (John 1:9).

God doesn't keep His purposes to Himself; He is not shy to say what He believes. "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). So, this love-hate relationship is true of everybody and it all adds up: "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do!" (Rom. 7:15). What an unhappy tension! The reason why God did not leave us in a 100 percent hate relationship is because He loved us.

The law of God in the Ten Commandments has often been misunderstood, even misquoted. Most printings, especially in charts, leave out the indispensable preamble: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:2). Before we even come to the first commandment, He gives us Good News. He does not say, "I would like to deliver you out of bondage, if... if." No! He says, "I have [past tense] brought you out of bondage." And there we have the Gospel proclaimed to us before the law is given!

Christ has already done what God promised in the Garden of Eden He would do--He has trampled the serpent on the head. "What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3, 4).

All this Good News is included in the preamble to the Ten Commandments, which is why a wise writer said long ago that they are ten promises, if we correctly understand them.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: November 21, 1999.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Will God Be Judged by the Universe, or Will He Arbitrarily Judge Us?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Will God be judged by the universe, or is "judgment" one-sided with Him arbitrarily judging us? This is a serious issue because a mistaken idea here can influence a person's spiritual experience and motivate him or her to serve "God" because of fear. If such craven fear becomes the deepest motivation of our hearts, then our "Christianity" degenerates to become little more than paganism.

Someone may ask, What difference does it make whether "obedience" is motivated by fear or by love as long as it "obeys the law"? The difference will show up in the final test of the "mark of the beast." All fear-motivation will then program us to accept the mark of the beast rather than the seal of God because the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:13-18; 16:2) will be based entirely on fear, the ultimate root of paganism. We must find a better motivation. And that will require a clearer understanding of the character of God.

God does not want anyone to serve Him because of fear, because such fear would be for Him a hollow victory. Billions of people bowing low before Him because they are afraid of Him and His retributive judgment would bring Him no joy. He wants deep sincerity. Therefore Christ as the Son of God must humble Himself, make Himself vulnerable, become open and transparent, surrender Himself to the judgment of His creatures, in short, die upon a cross apparently forsaken by God, suffer the pangs of hell itself, and drain the last drop of fear in order to disarm and condemn it forever.

According to Revelation 14:6-15, God must submit Himself to the judgment of the universe, "for the hour of His judgment has come." Only thus can Satan, sin, and fear be finally and totally conquered, "because fear involves torment." The universe at last will see that "God is agape," and "agape casts out fear" (1 John 4:8, 18).

You and I can overcome fear only by permitting the Holy Spirit to "pour out in our hearts" this "agape of God" (Rom. 5:5). Each must ask himself, Am I pagan or a Christian?

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 27, 2000.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: How Highly Should We Think of Ourselves?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

How highly should one think of himself or herself? We have many books and programs developed to build up one's "self-esteem." The Bible devotes considerable space to a man who had it in great abundance--King Nebuchadnezzar. He was a huge success as an empire conqueror and builder. He crowed, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built?" (Dan. 4:30). Enormous ego; everybody flattered him.

God did not humiliate him--it's questionable if He ever does that to anybody. All that God did for him was to deflate him like you pull the plug on an air mattress that goes flat (somehow the Lord saved his soul in the process). God let him go down gently to where he was, of himself: he ate grass like a cow for seven years (Daniel 4 tells the story). When it was over the king proclaimed throughout the world, "I ... honor the King of heaven, ... those who walk in pride He is able to abase" (vs. 37).

Paul reminds "everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" (Rom. 12:3). Our constant problem is: how high is that? The answer: apart from the Lord's sustenance, a deflated mattress. (While He hung on His cross, the Son of God thought of Himself as a "worm, and no man," Psalm 22:6-8; can we relate to Him?)

Should we despise ourselves? No; Paul adds: "but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one the measure of faith." Hold your head as high as the dear Lord grants you the ability to do so; just remember--all you have (or think you have) is a "gift" from Him.

"He that is down needs fear no fall; he that is low, no pride; he that is humble, ever shall have God to be his [or her] guide" (John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 29, 2004.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: What Did the Believing Thief "See"?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

An old poem "glories" in the cross of Christ "towering o'er the wrecks of time." There at His cross all humankind line up under two clearly demarcated categories. We all are defined as "thieves," either (1) the repentant one who begged Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42), or (2) the unrepentant one who refused to believe what his fellow thief had seen--that the One between them was indeed "the Savior of the world." No third person was crucified that day; we are all "there" on His right or left.

What did the believing thief "see"? Don't despise his understanding. The greatest scholars in the world can humble themselves to learn from him. You can learn to "see" a lot of theology in just a few moments when you are crucified side by side with the Son of God--if you will believe. Truth flashed into the mind of that thief: this Man in their midst is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). He is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), Paul's "Savior of all men" (1 Tim. 4:10). He is the second or "last Adam" who has reversed all the condemnation that the first Adam brought on the human race.

Anyone can learn an enormous lot when at last he faces the real thing known as death. The repentant thief "saw" that when Christ took away the "verdict of condemnation" that Adam brought on us all, He gave us instead forgiveness, His "verdict of acquittal" (Rom. 5:15-18, The Revised English Bible; Eph. 1:3-7). Don't underestimate that saved man's knowledge: Jesus gave him an "A+" that morning. His "curse" was transformed into justification. Any theological seminary would be honored to have that repentant thief as a professor.

But if we "see" that Christ has given us all the "gift" of "justification to life," is that a heresy--being "born justified"? It's not heresy. We are all "born condemned" in Adam; so why can't we be "born justified" in Christ if He is "the Savior of the world," "the Savior of all men"? You believe like the one thief, or you dis-believe like the other.

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: June 1, 2003.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: Does God Have a Special Section in the Kingdom for People Who Think They Cannot Overcome Sin?

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Does God have a special section in the Kingdom for a certain class of people who think they cannot overcome sin? Does He have a double standard for His everlasting Kingdom? Can some "saints" plead that their evil temper is so deeply rooted in their genes that they cannot overcome? Or their sexual lust? Or their love of money? Or their habitual lying? On and on.

A false gospel which Paul calls "a different gospel ... than what we have preached to you" (Gal. 1:6-8) says "Yes!" You can cling to your besetting sins--you'll have a special section in His Kingdom. To change the metaphor, the idea is you'll be given a white robe of righteousness that only legally "covers" your filthy robes underneath that you keep on wearing.

In contrast, the true gospel says you give up every stitch of those filthy robes so that the white robe of Christ's righteousness is not only legally "imputed" to you but is also experientially "imparted" to you; it no longer hides cherished character deformity underneath.

We find the idea surfacing all through Scripture: "to him that overcomes ... as I also overcame" (Rev. 3:21); "these ... washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (7:14); "they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb" (12:11); Christ as High Priest "is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him" (Heb. 7:25); "the God of peace ... make you complete [perfect] in every good work to do His will" (13:20, 21); "Therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).

An impossible standard? If all we have is that counterfeit "different gospel" Paul warns against, the "gospel" of "Babylon [that] is fallen"--yes; but thank God for the Good News of the true "gospel [which] is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16).

The problem is our spiritual pride that insists on remaining in that certain class when healing is given us "in Christ." Let's humble our proud hearts and learn to "hunger and thirst for righteousness" [by faith--the only kind there is!] (Matt. 5:6).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 9, 1998.
Copyright © 2014 by "Dial Daily Bread."

Dial Daily Bread: A Method of Evangelism We Have Overlooked

Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"

Could it be that there is a method of evangelism that we have "in a great degree" overlooked? Truly successful "evangelism" requires two criteria:

(1) Propagation of an "evangelistic" message by every method available, including TV and state-of-the-art electronic productions.

(2) But the message itself must be correct, faithful to biblical revelation. Paul says that he is "not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). The "power" is built-in within the message itself; "the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:5, 14) is so dynamic that it is virtually self-propagating if it is freed of the confusion that Babylon's "wine" produces.

Jesus' dictum is true: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Perhaps we haven't realized how true those words are! The Lord said that if we can break through the clouds of confusion from "Babylon" that envelop His cross, we shall see great success in genuine, lasting soul-winning: "I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to Myself," He promised (John 12:32).

Consistent with this promise is the prophetic account in Revelation 18--the coming time when the earth is to be "lightened with [the] glory" of the closing message. It will specifically be free of any confusion from "Babylon's" "righteousness by faith" (vs. 3). Once the final message becomes clear, every honest-hearted human soul will heed the call to "come out of her [Babylon], My people" (vs. 4).

It's the gospel that's "the power of God to salvation." Once the humblest soul grasps what it means, his inmost soul becomes that "well of living water" "springing up into everlasting life," refreshing all who come near him (Song of Solomon 4:15; John 4:14; 7:38). The power won't be in the training of literary institutions (though that can glorify God, too). It's easy to say that it will be the Holy Spirit, but that's a "cop-out" if we forget that He "is the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17), and if we forget that that truth is "the truth of the gospel." That's where "the power" is.

What stands in our way? Jesus tells us: our "rich, and increased with goods" evangelism pride (Rev. 3:17, King James Version).

--Robert J. Wieland

From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 13, 2004.
Copyright © 2019 by "Dial Daily Bread."