The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-07-23
CHRIST AND NlCOpEMus.
International Sunday-school Lesson for
July 26, 1891.

SsVntSt AM NlSSlJCwOS
International Sunday-School Lesson for
July 28, 1891.
Especially Arranged from s. S. Quarterly1
LESSON TExT.-John 3:l-l7
GOLDEN TExT-For God 80 loved the world,
that 10 gave His only bcgotten Son. that who
soevcr believeth in Him, should not perish, but
have everlasting lifo-John 3l6
CENTRAL TRUTH.-A new heart, by faith in
Jesus, Is the way into the kingdom of God
TIME.-Aprl 0-ij, A. D. "a. Five or six weeks
after the last lesson.
JEsus-Thirty or .thirty-oac years Of agc.
About three months af,er His baptism, and
just begiinin; His public ministry at Jerusa-
lem
PLAcE-Jerusa,oia. Tho Sucst-chanber In
private house, perhaps Johns.
INTERVENING HISTORY. after the wed.
ding nt Cana, Jesus AMI His rlothcr's family
went to Capcrnaull on tho So OF Galiee. Aft
or remaining her, u short tiIo IIs went up TO
Jerusalem to the Passover April P). Hcre He
drove tho clttlc-dcHlers All money-ohangers
from the tomple, nn1. by Ills teaching and mira
ces, won largo number CT believers Among
them was Nicolcraus, the teachings OF Jesus 70
whom form thc subject Of our lesson.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAc.s.-l. ''Nicode-
mus" Phar;scc. II member Of the Sanhcdrfm,
learned man. teacher OF the lsw. We hear
nothing more Of him. except n dofcnse Of Jesus
(John z: SOY, till the tno Of Jesus death, three
years later, when hc seo:ls I, have become o
true convert. (JGhn ~: G)) 9. Game by night"
not from fear. but bHcausc he could converse
more quietly thea. A1l It was prudent not to
commit himself Till he had learned moro
"Rabbi:" l. o., al honorary titlc, teacher,
master g. Jesus answered." his implied ones
ton. Born again." or anew, or from above.
Ho needed now life Of holiness o new prin-
ciple, alife like Gods. 8. Born OF wator md Of
the Spirit:" born Of watcr refers back to Johns
baptism Of repentance, saying that he must be
cleansed from his past SINS and confess public
" his remuneration Of his past life. Born Of the
Spirit refers to . new spiritual life. Without
public confession he cannot enter the visible
kingdom; without o new heart he cannot be-
come q real member Of the kingdom Of God.
II. I'VE speak:" Jesus and all who have en-
pcrienced the new birth H. III havc:" here
Jesus returns to the singular number, because
He alone knew about Heaven. H. (which Is
in Heaven" is ever In communion with
Heaven. 1t was ever plain aad open before
Him. AS God He was always there. IA. "As
Noses" etc. see Num- 81 40 16 "Only begotten
Som" Gods Son in close and peculiar Sense
different from that in which we ore oil Gods
children.
LESSON COMMENTS.
There is hardly portion Of Scripture
with which teachers are more familiar
than they are with this one. 1t is an un-
speakably precious portion; for it shows
the way OF salvation so clea rly that no
one need seek for it in vain. Some may
prefer to put their main strength on the
passage of the brazen serpent, and
from that show the scholars how the
cross of Jesus is to them the way
of salvation and hope. Othors there
are who will dwell on John 3:16,
for them it is the best verse in all the
Bible. To help these latter, will be my
effort in this lesson. And in doing 30 I
shall take division of this We rse that I
once heard Rev. Arthur Pierson give,
which to me at the time was perfectly
new, and which have found to be very
helpful.
There are in verse 10 Of the lesson
five couplets of great Importance. Two
Of them refer to persons, two to acts and
one to a state. Take first, the two that
refer to the Divine persons. We have
God the Father, and God the Son. Now
there are many who are not we'll in
structed in the Word, who think that
the Father had very little to do with
their salvation. They have heard so
much about Jesus rs their Saviour, that
they gain the impression that the Faith
er had little to do with their redemp-
ton. In fact some, alas! think of God
as rather stern and forbidding, and of
the Son as the one who does all the low
ing of sinners. Let this verse instruct
them better in this matter. The Father
and the Son were together in this mat
ter of redemption, and if either was the
author of it, it was not the Son but the
Father.
The second couplct of persons is the
world and whosoever. The former en-
braces all who have lived, or who will
ever live on this earth. But lest any
timid soul should think that he was too
unworthy, we have the blessed whose
ever. AS the ignorant farmer said:
''That means you and me and every
body" Yes, this wonderful verse has
relations to me, poor and ignorant, 1t
may be, or vicious and degraded. No
one is shut out, whatever his sins or his
position in this alife. What blessed
word that Now look at the two coup
let's that designate acts.
First there are two acts, loved and
gave. These the Father exercises. God
the Father first loved, and this love
| made Him give. The fact is that love al
ways wants to give, for that is it's very
nature. Love cannot Be selfish, for to
| be selfish is to hate, and not to love. If
you really love anyone you want to give
| them that which shall make them hap
py. Is this not so? Every birthday,
and each Christmas time proves this.
Hatred keeps, love gives, and it gives
the best it has, or it is not pure love.
These two acts are believing and,
having. The first goes before the sec
ond, and is it's condition. For he who
does not believe that God loves him,
and is willing to save him, will Of
course not turn to Him for the grace
that he SO much needs. But II any man
really believes that God in sincerity
offers him salvation, and SO believes it
that he puts out his hand to take II, he
has it at once.
The fifth couplet relates to two states.