| Home Page | Articles by Author | Articles by Subject | Search | Printer friendly version here! Copyright © 2000 Peter Wade. You can save this page as a text file from your browser (File / Save As) and read it off-line. It is about 16K. Great Cloud of Witnesses Chapter 1 Abel: Faith's Worship of God by E.W. Bullinger 2. The Two Ways of Worship The Faith of Abel shows that, beside the Two Ways of Access to God, there are Two Ways in the Worship of God. Both are "by Faith;" In both, we see that faith cometh by hearing, and the hearing cometh from what God hath spoken. As there are only Two Ways of Access, one the true way, and the other the false way, with many varieties, so there are only Two Ways of Worship; and the False way with as many varieties and differences, each claiming to be the right way. It is as important for us therefore to learn the true Way of Worship, taught us by this aspect of Abel's Faith, as it was to learn the lesson of the True Way of Access; especially in the present day when Ritual occupies such a large place in public opinion, and in the conflicts and controversies which rage between the opposing Religions, and clamouring Sects. In both cases, believing, or not believing what God has spoken lies at the foundation of all. As to the only way of Access, and the only offering that was to be brought, the command of God must have been the same for Abel and Cain then, as it was for Israel afterward when the law was put into writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the pen of Moses. The Book of Leviticus (which is the book of worship) opens with the words, which give it its name in the Hebrew Canon. "AND JEHOVAH CALLED and spake unto Moses out of the Tabernacle of the Congregation saying, Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, IF ANY MAN of you bring an OFFERING UNTO JEHOVAH ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock." Observe, that the command was not that they should bring an offering, but that, if any man brought one, the command was as to what he should bring. This agrees with, and explains Jer. vii.22-24: "I spake not unto your fathers nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices; "But this thing commanded I them, saying OBEY MY VOICE and I will be your God, and ye shall be my People, and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But THEY HEARKENED NOT nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward." This is precisely what took place at the gates of Eden. There the Lord God spoke. Cain and Abel heard. Abel believed what he heard. Cain (like Israel afterward) hearkened not nor inclined his ear, but walked in the counsel and imagination of his own evil heart. This is the essence of the whole matter. God spoke. He spoke to Israel "out of the Tabernacle," to all who would approach Him there; and laid down, as He had a right to do, how He would be worshipped. It is the same principle which prevails to day. Man himself acts on this principle. If any seek him it is he who appoints the time and place and determines as to when and where he will be seen. So, God laid it down from the first that, if any man would bring an offering to Him, it must be such and such an one, and it must be offered in such and such a way. "And He (the offerer) shall put his hand upon the burnt offering: and IT SHALL BE ACCEPTED FOR HIM to make atonement for him" (Lev. i.4). But Cain hearkened not to the voice of God; and, instead of bringing what God had appointed, he brought an offering out of "the counsel and imagination" of his own evil heart (Jer. vii.24). And, not only so. Not only was it something, other than what God had approved, but it was the product of that which God had laid under a curse: "cursed be the ground for thy sake" (Gen. iii.17). So that there was a double affront in Cain's offering and being not "of faith," it was "sin" (Rom. xiv.23). Hence, it standeth written: "Jehovah had respect Unto Abel and his offering; But unto Cain and his offering He had not respect." And to-day, the Question comes to us: -- To what will Jehovah have respect? What offering will He accept? Not the blood of bulls and goats; for all these types have been fulfilled in the antitype. Now, Christ's blood is that which speaketh better things than that of Abel; no one can be accepted but through its merits. And as to worship: What is it that Jehovah now accepts? What voice do we hear coming from Him who tabernacled among men? What does the voice say which we are to obey? What are the words to which we are to hearken? They come from the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. And God, who in times past spake unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by HIS SON: and the Son hath said: "God is spirit and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth." These are the words to which we are to hearken, as written down for us from the lips of the Son, in the Scriptures of Truth. We have no liberty; no choice in this matter. It is useless to follow the counsels and imaginations of our own hearts. That one short word "MUST" settles everything. It tells us that God will not "have respect" to anything but what is spiritual in our worship of Himself. The SON, who hath spoken from heaven, has declared that "the flesh profiteth nothing" (John vi.63). It is useless therefore for us to bring unto the Lord anything that is of the flesh; or anything that the flesh can do. It must all be "spirit"! The flesh is under the curse. "The mind of the flesh is death" (Rom. viii.6). To bring anything, therefore, of the flesh, or that the flesh can do, is to be exactly like Cain, when he brought the fruit of the ground, of which God had said: "cursed be the ground." All the senses are of the flesh. The mind of the flesh is sensual. "The works of the flesh" are the opposite of "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. v.19-25). "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with its affections and desires." Acceptable worship therefore, MUST be the "fruit of the Spirit" and not "the fruit of the ground": or in other words, not the works of that flesh, which is under the curse. We cannot worship God, Who is spirit, with our eyes, by gazing on a sacrament or anything else. We cannot worship God, Who is spirit, with our ears, by listening to music, however beautiful it may be, or whether "rendered" by ourselves or others. We cannot worship God, Who is spirit, with our noses, by smelling incense, or anything else. We cannot worship God, Who is spirit, with our throats by singing hymns or Anthems, Solos, Quartets, or Choruses. The only singing that goes beyond the ceiling or roof and enters heaven "MUST" be of the spirit, and from the heart. The command is "singing and making melody IN YOUR HEART to the Lord." Singing, not to one another, not to an audience, not to a congregation, but "TO THE LORD." What is needed in true worship is not "an ear for music," but a heart for music. If we are "filled BY the Spirit," our singing will be of the Spirit, from the heart. For "that which is born (or produced) by the Spirit, is spirit." (John iii.6). We shall say with Mary, "My SOUL doth magnify the Lord My SPIRIT hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Nothing short of this is the worship to which God will have respect. All else is waste of time, waste of trouble, waste of money, waste of strength, waste of breath; and, "IT PROFITETH NOTHING" It is useless for any one to say "I like such and such a service." "I like to hear, or to do, this or that." "It creates such nice feelings in me." Or, "I dislike this or that in Divine Service." It matters nothing whatever what any one may like or dislike, think, or feel. It is not a question of what I may like or dislike: The question is WHAT does GOD LIKE? What does God require? To what will God "HAVE RESPECT"? Divine Service is supposed to be, on the face of it, service or worship rendered to God. It is for Him to say therefore what He desires. Public worship is not a Service offered to or for the public, but by the public, for or to God. It does not matter, therefore, how beautifully a Solo, or an Anthem or a Hymn may be "rendered" (that is the correct expression); but it does matter whether God will "have respect" to it. It does not matter how beautiful the voice may be to which we hearken, but it does matter whether we hearken to God's voice, and whether we obey HIS voice. The SON of God hath spoken (John iv.24). We have heard His words. The one question is Do we believe Him? Do we remember that "whatsoever is not of faith, is sin" (Rom. xiv.23). WILL WE OBEY? Will we worship "by faith," as Abel did? or will we worship by works as Cain did? Do we desire to obtain God's approval with Abel? or, do we desire to hear God's words to Cain "cursed art thou from the earth" (Gen. iv.11). When Cain saw that God "had not respect" to his offering, he was "very wroth." And there will be many who read these words, who will be also "very wroth "; and wroth with us for writing them. For this cuts at the root all man's accepted traditions, his cherished practices, and his boasted capabilities . It cuts off from him the praise and applause of man. It writes folly on his vain counsels and imaginations. It makes an end of his attainments and ambitions. He may, and doubtless will, go on in "the way of Cain," just the same. But it all counts for nothing. "It profiteth nothing." It is "labour in vain." God has no respect to it. It would be folly for us to dwell on the faith of Abel, without seeking to learn this great lesson which is thus "written for our learning" and stands on the very forefront of God's revelation, in Gen. iv. If we learn not the "obedience of faith" in this matter, it is vain for us to go further with our studies of this subject of Faith. For it all turns on this: DO WE BELIEVE GOD? He hath "in these last days spoken unto us by His Son." His Son hath said: "They that worship Him MUST worship Him truly in spirit." Do we believe what He has said? This is the one final question, the true answer to which does away with all that passes as "current money with the Ishmaelite merchantmen," who make a gain out of so-called, "public worship," to day, just as the Ephesian silversmiths made theirs out of the shrines of their goddess Diana. It puts an end to all the tricks and contrivances of the Christian "Religion," all the new fashions, and modern methods, bands and songs and solos, and orchestral services, cantatas, which are all to do with the "Flesh," and are all for the praise and glory of the choir; and no longer, as the simple worship of our fathers was -- "to the praise and glory of God." This is the lesson of Abel's faith, as it touches on the one and only true way in the worship of God. | Home Page | Articles by Author | Articles by Subject | Search | This page Copyright © 2005, Positive Word Ministries Inc. Email us! On the web since October 1995.