In the days of Noah, the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and the Lord regretted that He had created man, and He was grieved in His heart. Gen. 6:6-8. And the Lord decided to destroy man, whom He had created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and birds of the air. But Noah found grace in the eyes of God. And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” And Noah did according to all that God commanded him. “Then the Lord said to Noah, ‘Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.’” And the Lord commanded that of cattle and the birds of the air, as well as wild animals and of everything that creeps, two and two should enter the ark to keep the species alive. “Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth . . . . The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved on the earth.” Peter says, “When once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah . . . eight souls, were saved through water. There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism.” 1 Pet. 3:20-21. In the days of Noah, the ungodly perished by water, but righteous Noah was saved by the ark, which floated on the waters. The ark is a symbol of Christ. Our ungodly nature, the body of the flesh, which was put off by the circumcision of Christ, was buried by baptism in the water just like the ungodly in the days of Noah. Col. 2:11-12. When we have been buried with Christ and have been raised with Him through faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead, we have come into the great Ark of Salvation, Christ. This Ark floats on the waters, raised by the power of God. Just as Noah found grace in the eyes of God among his generation, so each generation has some who are righteous whom God accounts worthy to enter His Ark. The ungodly are in death, under the judgment in the water, which is a picture of judgment. The righteous are raised from the dead in the Ark, Christ Jesus. Therefore we are to walk in newness of life and not be conformed to this world. For what does Noah have to do with those who are in the water outside the ark? He has enough work to do inside. Those outside were under God’s judgment. As many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. By baptism we have accepted the same judgment as the ungodly, but because we have judged ourselves voluntarily, we will not be condemned together with the world. This is the final judgment over all flesh. From now on, we are raised with Christ and have put on Christ by becoming members of His body—by faith. Baptism is not a cleansing of the filthiness of the flesh. The body of sin—the sinful nature, or if you wish, the “root of sin”—is not removed through baptism, but that man who lived according to sin in the flesh is buried. True, those who are raised up out of the water by baptism still have the root of sin within, but they do not live according to it. God’s Spirit and power begin to lead them, and that keeps them from committing sin. Through baptism (the burial of the former life), we enter the covenant of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Christ. Note that we are raised from the dead. This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith, because it is by faith that we have overcome in Him and been raised from the dead. There are basically two types of people in the world: those who are dead in sins and trespasses, and those who have been raised from these—the dead who have been made alive in Christ Jesus. Outwardly you cannot see any difference. They are so alike that, when Jesus returns, two will be grinding at the same mill, one will be taken and the other will be left; two will be in one bed, one will be taken and the other will be left; and yet no one had any idea who would be taken and who would be left behind. The fact is that one was raised with Christ and the other was not. The one who was left behind belonged to the dead; the other one had been raised from the dead. God has put a covering over this resurrection, and this covering is nothing other than the body of our flesh. Both look alike, and one seems to be just as good as the other. Jesus lived His whole life as one who was raised from the dead, and yet the Pharisees imagined themselves to be far better than Him. They only knew Him according to the flesh and regarded Him as a Galilean, the son of Joseph and Mary. They, unlike Peter, did not see that he was “God’s Messiah,” for flesh and blood could not reveal this. Those who lived at the same time as Noah obviously thought that he was not quite “normal,” since he worked on building this ark for several hundred years. However, they did not understand that he was one of those who had been raised up. The waters could not bury him. Blessed are those who are “raised with Christ,” those who are in the “Ark of Salvation” above the waters of judgment. They have agreed with God in His judgment, and they have buried the old man through baptism in those waters that covered the highest mountains by fifteen cubits in the days of Noah. No one can save himself from these waters, because the old man does not have the power of resurrection—he must perish. Only faith in the power of God, which raised Christ from the dead, is able to keep us alive. Noah was able to keep the species alive by taking them two by two with him into the ark. Likewise, Christ has life in Himself in order to keep all those who are raised with Him alive. In Him we live and move and have our being. So we no longer need to let anyone judge us regarding new moons or Sabbaths, for the body is of Christ. Just as Noah, when he left the ark and set foot on the new earth, could be considered a representative of the human race from the time before the flood, similarly, Christ is the first one to attain to the resurrection from the dead, after He had broken the hold of death and destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Those who are dead in sins and trespasses can now be awakened together with Christ, so they are transferred from death to life. Since Christ trod the winepress alone and broke His way through all the waters of judgment to resurrection from the dead, He can justly be called the “Son of Man.” Jesus loved this name, and it has a glorious ring in the hearts of those who have received a glimpse of Him as such. In Noah’s day, God ordained that those who wanted to save their lives had to listen to and obey Noah; likewise in these days, He ordained the same for Christ. All who hear Him will live; they will live a resurrected life, and there will be no more condemnation for them. Those who are raised with Christ will live even if they die. They fall asleep in Christ—in His body, but they will arise with glorified bodies at His return. God will judge the other dead, those who are outside the Ark of Salvation. Jesus said of these, “Forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” We also ought to have this attitude of mind. As those who are raised with Christ from the dead, we are persecuted by the dead, because we are of a different spirit. Jesus predicted this when He said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.” Col. 3:1. “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” It is definitely hidden, for there is a covering over everything that is glorious. But when Christ is revealed, then you will also be revealed with Him in glory.Johan O. Smith

There are far too many preachers, but true laborers in God’s kingdom are few as Jesus also said: “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Matt. 9:37. Most preachers are slaves of sin—despite everything that seems to point in the opposite direction. If they are not addicted to swearing or smoking or imbibing intoxicating drink, they nevertheless are subject to laziness, love of money, and their bellies. Therefore they inevitably say what people like to hear, and so they have this commendation from the apostle Paul that they are not the servants of Christ. Gal. 1:10. The preacher has just two ways of making a living—either as a laborer who toils as other people do, or as a “tourist” who is driven by his lusts. If he really works “in the sweat of his face” as God has commanded us, then he should live by the gospel. If he really imparts spiritual treasures to souls through his work, it is nothing great, nothing extra if he shares their earthly goods. On the other hand, if he neither works nor sacrifices himself for the sinners’ conversion, nor is able to lead the church onward in truth, but just holds some meetings with music and song and spirited speeches so that the listeners end up in a good mood, thinking they’ve had a pleasant time, then it is a shame that others who labor in the sweat of their face all day long throughout the year shall pay with their hard-earned money in order to feed such a lazy and useless comedian— who only lives as a parasite. Most believers are cowardly and weak when it becomes a question of power. In their heart of hearts they are grieved by such parasitic guests even though they support them against their own free will; nevertheless, in spite of everything, they smile at them and bow to them because they haven’t the strength to do anything else. Unfortunately, people are quite adept at smiling and playing the hypocrite. However, they manage to do very little or nothing when righteousness is to be executed or when the truth has to be spoken to one’s neighbor’s face. I would like to see and hear men who, in the name of uprightness, truth, reasonableness, and mercy, are able to show such people the door and show them the words of Scripture about working in the sweat of their face instead of spending their time on things that don’t concern them. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 and 2 Thessalonians 3:11. The state of affairs in our country is sad, with hundreds of tourist preachers and almost no laborers. They travel around by boat, railway, and automobile, viewing lands and seas, mountains and valleys, forests and meadows, stately buildings, etc. There are welcome meetings and farewell meetings, new faces, pleasant hosts, praise, flattery, and enthusiasm; the best lodgings and the best food; comfortable sofas on which you can lie down and take a nap after a full-course dinner, until a cup of coffee, or several cups can wake him up again so that this so-called worker can be in a suitably good mood to go for a walk in the fresh air and enjoy the marvels of God’s nature. Of course, this would without any particular difficulty contribute to the “worker’s” suitable mood and frame of mind for his daily work—namely, to speak enthusiastically about God’s goodness at the meeting. And in order to save his strength, he feels it is best to have one or two free days in between performing such “daily labors.” This is quite comfortable for the natural man. But what about the conscience? It certainly needs a sleeping pill if this idyllic state is not to be disturbed. Preferably this pill is in the form of a scripture because there is hardly anything else that has an effect on the conscience. “No good will He withhold from those who walk blamelessly” seems to lend itself nicely for this purpose. Such a word is applied brazenly even though it fits badly, for blamelessness before God is in short supply. Even if the person were blameless, it is not fitting to use this word because such laziness and such wanton living cannot be said to be “good.” It is evil! How could a person be blameless before Him who hates unrighteousness when a person lives in such gross unrighteousness all year round?! The preacher doesn’t think that God denies such “goodness” to him. Yet the amazing thing is that the other children of God are denied such “goodness” even if they could truly be called blameless. Instead of enjoying such “goodness” themselves, it is the others’ lot to pay the expenses for all this “goodness” for these idle creatures. This is a senseless charade: the diligent person has to pay for the honor of witnessing laziness. May God help and strengthen His people that they may be wise in what is good. Amen. Solomon says that he who hates gifts shall live. There are certainly not many in the various assemblies who have been exposed to preachers who hate gifts, who have refused to receive a collection when it was offered to them, or who have in their turn given the gift to the poor because they thought that he was in greater need of the money, even in much greater need than themselves—or something similar. We can say that money isn’t the main thing, that it would be sin if we kept it back, seeing that the preacher gives us spiritual treasures—if he really sacrifices body and soul and lays down his life for souls; then it is certainly true as Paul says that it is not a great thing if he reaps their material things—then it wouldn’t even be too much if we tore the clothes off our backs and gave them to him. If a person has been blessed by God and is happy, and is an eloquent speaker besides, it is normal for him to live off God’s promises, as the saying goes, to be an evangelist. This is a totally scandalous practice. A person is not at all qualified to travel as a worker in God’s kingdom because he is happy, has experienced God’s power, and is an eloquent speaker. He may have good intentions, but he will succumb sooner or later, just like his predecessors did, to food and drink and idleness, to praise, flattery, and the desire for money: a powerful root for evil. Therefore we also hear once in a while that preachers succumb to adultery, and it happens even more often without it being known. However, even if it doesn’t end up that badly, most of them become pitiable creatures, worse than the ones they profess to edify and lead. Because of wanton living, flattery, and constant changes, it is easy for such a person to shine, which will be viewed by most people as being happy in the Lord, giving the appearance that this person has received so much from God. The preacher would certainly appear in a totally different light if he had to work hard all day long in order to earn a living; then, when he came home tired and worn out, he had to hurry up and chop wood besides doing other things, wash up, and quickly change clothes and swallow a little bit of food in order to get to the meeting on time, take part in the meeting for a few hours, contributing generously to the collection for all the visiting preachers, and then invite them to his home to be a burden night and day to himself and his family and still be able to think that he is blessed because God sent such blessed workers his way. Every preacher should think carefully about this state of affairs. It would certainly be a practical and useful topic of conversation. The preachers should compare their work to the work of those to whom they are a burden. It would also certainly be very good if the majority of preachers would go home as quickly as possible and get themselves a proper job. Then they could much more easily put themselves in other people’s circumstances. The assemblies should also do their part to help them see the light. This can be done in a practical way by assigning them a modest lodging with correspondingly modest food: much porridge together with gruel, also bread with cheap margarine and nothing else on it, and on top of all that, plenty of really useful, hard and simple physical labor. Why should one do such a thing? Is it to inflict evil on them? Not at all! Woe to him who wants to do evil! It is for their good—for their own good and the good of their fellow man—in order to contribute to their salvation, in order to test them, in order to see what is on their heart: whether it is a comfortable and pleasant existence or righteousness and the souls’ eternal well-being. This is how Paul tested those who gave themselves out to be workers in God’s kingdom. In this way he cut off the hirelings who served their own belly more than souls. 2 Cor. 11:12. I would hereby heartily like to recommend this wise and caring way of proceeding in the love of Christ. “Let all that you do be done with love.” 1 Cor. 16:14. In such cases we have an opportunity to show our genuine love for God and for people. The angel of the church in Ephesus received the recommendation from the Chief Shepherd Himself that he had tested those who said they were apostles but were not, “and have found them liars.” Rev. 2:2. It is also of the utmost significance what Paul writes to the Philippians about this matter: “For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 2:20-21. These “all” were sure to make brilliant speeches; otherwise they would have had absolutely nothing to offer. These speakers could certainly please most of the listeners with jubilant song and music, but they could not please Him who loved righteousness and hated iniquity more than His brethren (Heb. 1:9); neither can they please them who, like their Master, hunger and thirst for righteousness. Amos 5:23-24, 6:4-6. It is also important to read what the apostle writes to the Colossians about his fellow workers: “These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision [among the Jewish people]; they have proved to be a comfort to me.” Ch. 4:11. May God drive out laborers into His harvest whose tested faithfulness is known. Yes, may God mold many of them so He can have some of them to drive out, for He cannot drive them “out” if they are not “in.”Elias Aslaksen