Print this pageTHE KINGDOM
Elder T. L. Webb, Sr. (deceased) From the book "Little Things"
Dear Elder Webb: I want your views on Matt. vii. 21. What does this kingdom represent? and what does the Father's will mean?
The above mentioned text reads: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." This chapter is the conclusion of Christ's sermon on the mount. I am aware that people have different ideas about this text - even our brethren; but I am willing to give my little idea about it, not for controversy, but for investigation, with the hope of teaching and learning. I used the above Scripture as a text at Harmony Church, near Warren, Ark., at their last meeting, and I felt thankful to have the endorsement of Elders Cayce and Harris and the other brethren present, as far as I could tell. I tried to explain the two phases of the kingdom of God and how we become members of each - one by spiritual birth and the other by obedience; in other words, one by the obedience of Christ and the other by our obedience. But I emphasized the fact that the work of Christ must come first - that one must be born of God before he could even see or, in reality, enter into the visible kingdom of God by obedience. My idea was, and is yet, that whatever we obtain or accomplish by "doing the will of the Father" is here in time, and what we receive in the glory world comes as a result of what Christ does for us.
Doing the will of the Father is working - keeping His commandments. If we are saved eternally for doing the will of the Father, then we are saved eternally by works and not by grace. "If it be of works, then is it no more of grace." When I go to contending that heaven is hinged on the sinner doing the will of the Father or complying with conditions, then I will quit saying that I believe in salvation by grace.
So my idea is that we are passive in the spiritual birth, or in being "delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son" - the mystical kingdom - which means joy in this life and in the world to come. God begins this work and will finish it. He will do the will of the Father whether we do or not. "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." - St. John vi. 39. Just as sure as Jesus does the will of the Father, all that were given to Him will be housed in heaven. Many of them will never enter the visible, organic phase of the kingdom here on earth, for lack of opportunity, proper teaching, and other reasons. All who have died in infancy were members of the mystical kingdom of God by the direct and immediate work of God - not by them doing the will of the Father, or by obedience, for they did not obey. They did not enter that phase of the kingdom and enjoy its blessings, which come through obedience or doing the will of the Father; but that did not keep them out of heaven, neither will it keep anyone else out of heaven, who was given to the Son. Thank God for a system of salvation that is broader than the organic church and all other forms of religion in the world. Many of us, who have had to give up our sweet little children, little brothers and sisters and other loved ones, who were not members of the visible kingdom of God, would be sad indeed, even without hope of meeting them again, were it not for the precious doctrine of sovereign grace, as taught by the Primitive Baptists, which, though in perfect harmony with "doing the will of the Father," allows us to believe that God saves people in heaven independently of those things and independently of all our churches. Just a few weeks ago, at the close of our meeting in El Dorado, Ark., a young man came to me and, with trembling voice, as he gave me his hand, tried to tell me that he enjoyed my effort to preach, and expressed to others a desire to unite with the church; but he did not join. A few weeks from this time the sad news came to us that this dear boy had been killed in a car wreck, and, after having been buried about a week at Shreveport, La., was taken up and identified as the son of Brother and Sister Craft, who live near El Dorado. Oh, how precious was the doctrine of grace on this sad funeral occasion, as I tried to comfort the hearts of mourning loved ones by reminding them of the fact that, notwithstanding he had never belonged to any church - had never done the will of the Father, he hungered and thirsted for such things and left unmistakable evidence that he was embraced in the sweet assurances and promises of the Saviour when He said, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."
To be continued...