“Hold fast” is a word which occurs twelve times in the Scriptures, three times notably in the messages to the seven churches: (1) “Hold fast till I come” (Rev. 2:25). That is a long, powerful, and permanent grip. However dark the days and difficult is the path, “hold fast till I come.” (2) “Hold fast and repent” (Rev. 3:3). If inclined to lose heart, to slacken pace, repent and tighten the grip. (3) “Hold that fast which thou hast” (Rev. 3:11). That is, you have something worth holding; because of its merit and value, so hold it fast.
In order to make plain what we should “hold fast,” I want to discuss seven Bible truths of intrinsic spiritual worth which everyone should grip more and more firmly as the days darken.
The Gospel
“I declare unto you the gospel …how that Christ died for our sins…and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:1–4).
Time was when “the gospel” concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, was preached in public buildings, rented halls, on street corners and door to door everywhere, but that time passed long ago. A dreary dearth of legalism set in, when law was preached more than grace, until nearly a hundred years ago, a reversal to the old gospel caused men to assert “that people could be saved as they sat, walked, and stood,” for God loved the sinner and Christ died for our sins. The message stated clear and plain “that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
Since the days of the 1859 Revival, the times of Richard Weaver, the preaching of Moody and Sankey, this message became so well known that fifty years ago few could realize what those days of darkness a century ago were like. Yet today, even in places where we might expect to hear “the gospel,” how little direct reference is made to the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. Moral essays, current questions, miniature expositions, points of prophecy, and topics without number are handled, but the glad and glorious gospel in all its simplicity is seldom declared. Hence the need of the exhortation to hold fast to the gospel of a crucified, buried, and risen Lord Jesus, “able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him” (Heb. 7:25).
Assurance
“Ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 Jn. 5:13). In early days they realized that “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (Jn. 3:36); they could rejoice that their names were “written in heaven” (Lk. 10:20); they were persuaded that Christ was “able to keep that which [they had] committed unto Him against that day” (2 Tim. 1:12).
Then the gospel came “in much assurance” (1 Thess. 1:5), but as the years passed, love waxed low, and truth became dimmed, numbers lost their assurance, till in the days of John Wesley and since, it has been asserted that a true child of God may fall away and be lost forever.
As well, through the mystic Calvinism taught in many churches, the mischievous doctrine of falling from grace taught in other places, and through various other theories and causes, thousands of true believers today have missed the “blessed assurance” which God meant to be their happy portion.
Yet many Christians accept the words of the Apostle John—“Ye may know that ye have eternal life,” and rejoice in the present possession of a life that is “everlasting” in the true sense of the word, and therefore cannot be lost. Still there is always the need to exhort one another to hold fast this precious truth.
Inspiration
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16-17),
One of the serious theological battles in these last days has been that fought over the question of a fallible or an infallible Bible. Is the book which we call the Bible—insofar as it is a faithful translation of the original—the very Word of God: or is it, as some assert, a book of fables, myths, legends, and folklore, mixed with grains of truth?
If the former, then it behooves me to read it, know it, believe it, and value it more and more. If the latter, the sooner I place it in the furnace, and be done with it and its teaching, the better.
Prominent leaders in some of the principal denominations have openly denied the inspiration of the Bible. They and others have introduced a standard different to the original “What saith the Scripture?” (Rom. 4:3).
About 180 years ago, a band of godly men, whose hearts the Lord had touched, after much prayer and meditation on the Word, decided to set aside all creeds, confessions, catechisms, and every human-drawn code of regulations, and to take “the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible,” as their complete and only rule of life, standard of truth, and guide in all matters relating to the Christian life, the Christian church, and the world at large.
They held that the inspiration of the Book was demonstrated in that it was the only book that could cause people to be “born again” (1 Pet. 1:23); could develop growth in the young believer (1 Pet. 2:2); the matchless cleanser for believers, old or young (Jn. 15:3); the Book that “builds up” and establishes us in our most holy faith, and as the text quoted at the beginning of this section states, the only book leading to perfection’s utmost heights, “that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Never more needed than today is the exhortation to true believers, old and young, to hold fast to the truth of the Bible as the plenary and verbally inspired Word of God, “which shall stand for ever” (Isa. 40:8).
The Gathering Name
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt. 18:20).
This gathering Name involves the unity of the church, as stated in the beginning of the great Church epistles, 1 and 2 Corinthians. The link is named in 1 Corinthians 1:2: “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth…with all that in every place call upon the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”
Alas, even in the earliest days there were some not satisfied with the one Name, but said, “I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas (Peter); and I of Christ” (v. 12). And this has developed throughout the ages, until now we have a list of hundreds of leading denominations and numerous smaller ones around the globe. Such is aptly described in 1 Corinthians 3:4: “For while one saith I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?”
Then what is the remedy? Back to the original, set aside all sects, denominations, parties, and cults of man; own no name but the one alone worthy Name of Christ, admit the only “one body” (Eph. 4:4); unite with “all who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22); have a warm heart for world-wide evangelization with the “one gospel” (Gal. 1:8), and keep looking for the one hope, the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13).
After I enunciated these truths in a large meeting, a lady came to me and asked: “What Church do you belong to?” I replied: “The same as the Apostle Paul.” “Oh,” she exclaimed, “then what church did he belong to?” “The same as I do,” I replied, “the only church which any one has scriptural warrant to belong to— “the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).
But where can I find anything like this today? Look around for a company of Christians with this threefold mark: 1) they are separate from the world and its ways; 2) they are united in Christ Jesus; 3) they function as a living organism (not an organization), complete in itself with pastors, teachers, evangelists, and all the gifts from the risen Head. When you find it, like the apostle of old, be “with them” (Acts 9:28) as a real working partner.
The Priesthood of all Believers
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ…But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2:5, 9).
The appointment is made by the risen Head, as we are told in Ephesians 4: “When He (Christ) ascended up on high He…gave gifts unto men…and He gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (vv. 8-11). What were they given for? “For the perfecting of the saints unto (rv) the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ” (v. 12). How long would these gifts continue? “Till we all come in the unity of the faith…unto the measure of the stature (age, marg.) of the fullness of Christ” (v. 13).
Such a distinction as “clergy and laity” is unknown in the New Testament, was unknown in the early Church, and should not be acknowledged today. Every true believer is a priest unto God. Every one “justified by faith” can say: “We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2). Those who have “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,” can say “Through Him (Christ) we have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 1:7; 2:18). The true priests of today are the “spiritual priesthood,” called, ordained, and “built up” by God. They need no human intermediary, as by virtue of our Great High Priest, “who ever liveth to make intercession for us” (Heb. 7:25; 8:1), they have immediate access into the presence of God at all times, and under all circumstances (Heb. 10:19).
The twofold evil of the present human system of “priests” or “clergy” is (1) that by the focusing on one man, it does not use all the gifts given by the Holy Spirit; and (2) appointing men unproved, at times unfitted, and, alas, not infrequently unconverted, to what is called the sacred office of a priest.
As C. H. Spurgeon well said, “A godly old grandfather who had preached the gospel. and lived the true Christian life for fifty years, was only plain ‘Mr.’ John Smith; while a pert grandson, who had been to college, acquired a smattering of languages and a mass of theology, who has little experience, and less grace, was the ‘Reverend’ John Smith.” For, be it noted, there is just as much authority for putting “Almighty” before any man’s name, as there is for “Reverend.” Both are the titles of Him of whom the Scripture says: “Holy and reverend is His Name” (Ps. 111:9).
“Hold fast,” then, to the God-verified fact of “every believer a priest,” relegate all ecclesiastical titles to their proper place—oblivion—and glory more and more in the truth that “we have such an High Priest” (Heb. 8:1).
Separation unto God
“Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? …or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel…wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord” (2 Cor. 6:14-17).
In the ecclesiastical realm today, in most of the denominations (some more, some less) there is a hopeless conglomeration of saved and unsaved, believers and unbelievers, light and darkness, saints and infidels.
Christianity consists of a religious compound of real and nominal Christians, linked up with brewers, distillers, publicans, betting men, theatricals, sweepstake organizers and supporters, Communists, Theosophists, and anyone and every one who cares to be associated in what is called “Church Fellowship.”
Dr. Bonar, himself a Presbyterian minister, truly said, “I look for the Church, and I find it in the world; I look for the world, and I find it in the church.”
In the spiritual realm, members of the Church of God seek to be (1) separate from the world (Jn. 15:19; Heb. 7:26; 1 Jn. 2:16); (2) separate from one that “walketh disorderly” (2 Thess. 3:6); (3) separate from all who do not hold “the doctrine of Christ” (2 Jn. 9-10; Titus 2:7); (4) separate from those guilty of the sins named in 1 Corinthians 5:11, 13; above all, (5) separate unto God. “The Lord hath set apart him, that is godly for Himself” (Ps. 4:3).
Separation from fellow-believers who are sound in the faith and godly in life is not taught in the New Testament. The sanctimonious separation practiced by some today, of the stamp which says: “Come not near me, for I am holier than thou,” (Isa. 65:5) must be an abomination unto our God, who “setteth the solitary in families” (Ps. 68:6).
Never, never more needed than in this day of compromise, disloyalty to God, His Christ, and His Word. and laxity in Christian life, is the clarion call to come out—be separate.
The Coming of the Lord
The Saviour Himself said: “I will come again” (Jn. 14:3); the Messengers direct from heaven said: “This same Jesus…shall so come…as ye have seen Him go” (Acts 1:11); the great Apostle had the special revelation that “the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven…the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
We are well aware that this subject, almost above all other Bible themes, has been abused: and caused to be disgraced, not only by foe, but by friend. Date-fixers by the dozen have calculated by years, days, by the feasts, and other ways, and fixed the year of the Coming, only to leave themselves disgusted as their date has come and gone and nothing has happened. Popular preachers by sensational titles, charts and pictures, have created a false interest and led to utter disgust and disregard of the whole subject. Charlatans have even used the Lord’s Coming to extract cash out of their followers, or to put themselves on a pinnacle ever with personal “profit” as the goal. Saint-splitters, by taking away the faithful or the “select” at the Coming, and leaving the unfaithful for some tribulation, punishment, or disadvantage, cause hearts to faint and hands to hang down.
Yes, we know that that which burned so brightly in many hearts, and led to such heroic lives and sacrifices of rich and poor, is growing dim, the terrible apathy which is settling down on church and world, is putting a veil on “that Blessed Hope.”
Yet we assert with confidence that “Jesus is coming.” The Man who bowed His head in death on Calvary’s tree, who lingers on heaven’s throne, will rise up from that throne, descend into the clouds, give a shout which shall raise everyone who has been truly born again (Jn. 3:5-7) and who has died. He will change every living saint into His own image (1 Cor. 15:51; Rom. 8:29); and blow the trump of God, which will take every true child of God away from the earth, into the air, to meet their Lord, and to be forever with Him in glory.
Differences of judgment there may be concerning the time of the coming, the manner of the coming, the results of the coming, even concerning the events before and tragedies after the coming, but differences on such details need not cause alienation of heart among His own. We all hold fast that the glorious Person of Christ, the triumphant Victor of Calvary, is coming again. Then He will receive the glory which is His due (1 Pet. 4:13), will be “glorified in His saints” (2 Thess. 1:10), and will receive the adoration of the unnumbered hosts of heaven (Rev. 5:12) and throughout the vast universe of God. Then He will be crowned “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 2:2; Rev. 17:14; 19:16) and every knee shall bow to Him.
“He which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly.” Oh, my soul, be stirred up to respond, “Even so, Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
I can almost hear His footfall
On the threshold of the door;
And my heart, my heart is longing
To be with Him evermore.
Written by Hy Pickering