Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-10-06
lin His Nan,e''-A Motto for Faith and for
Life.

The motto struck out through contact
with heresy In Colossian church there
had developed combination of Judaism
and Anosticsm which threatened the faith
of Christians To meet this the Apostle
enunciated the doctrlnc suggested by the
motto. viz: the sutfieiency of Christ for
faith and for life. The Significance of the
motto is permanent, as =
IA corrective of false conception of
the person and work of Christ.
The error against which the sufficiency
of Christ was emphasized was two-fold.
Theological.
Ii was based on characteristic Oriental
dogma of matter as evil. God is holy, but
evil exists in the world. For explanation
men made appeal to duallsm. God Himself
did not come into contact with matter, but
from Him came emanations in each suc-
cessive order of which the divine life be-
came weaker. In this series of emanat'ons
stands the Demiuoge or maker OF the
world. Christ took His place as one MEM
her of the series or was left out altogether.
>. Practical
Matter is evil. Therefore the great thing
is delverance from the domination of mat
ter. This possible only in one OF two
ways:
IN Bv asceticism. just in proportion
as the ply steal in man is annihilated the
spirit rises into freedom.
f2) Self-indulgeuce. The abstinence
man is able to impose upon himself ~ only
partial. So MANY said. The true view of
life makes matter an object of indifference.
Man has no obligation toward it. Let one
use it or let it alone as he pleases. From
This theory TO unchecked Indulgence is only
Il stop
Euth ways failed and must fail. Ascot
cism is nobler than selfindnigence, bus
neither can give complete life. 80 the
nract:cal remains permanent, like the theo-
log cal.
Against this two-fol1 error the apostle ex-
ats Christ. t-As the mediator, thus meet
ing the theological error. ~
The unique pre-eminenee of Christ IN the
church is simply suggestive of HIS true re-
l,,ion which is that of Lord. But thrists
I,rdshin of the church is simply a phase of
His lortlsiip of the world. We miss half
the significance of this mission when we
think of il as concerned 0ply in the gospel
revelation. The first chapter of John and
The first of Hebrews lay the emphasis in Ills
creative anil administrative work. If We
20 on from that to the thought that through
Tim the divine manifestation has always
be.n male. We shall understand how Chriss
could saw. II am the light of the world,
..Nomau c0meth to the Father but by Me,
and how the apostle could exalt thrist as
the one mediator between God AMI man,
making all other mediatorial agencies un-
necessary because the mediatorial work of
Christ is complete.
h. As the apliverer from sin, thus meet
ing the practical error.
If evil is inherent in matter the remedy
must be applied there. But experience
shows that effort to master evil so conceived
il fruitless The points of attack must be
shifted. Evil is not in matter but IN mind.
Prohibitions and negations cannot master
1t. What is needed is Il positive pTineipie
to rule the life That principle is found IN
Christ through faith the victory of Christ
over sin Is personally appropriated.
Thus the Being who i, the Word of tidd
To the schurch and the heal of the church
b fore Col is the Being who alone delivers
tron sin. In other words, Christ is sufii-
cient for all needs. In His Name men
finl God. In His Name men master
evl against the empty Journalism, the
ANGEL Worship. and the eHanaiions of the
f'olpssian heresy, against ali substitution
for the one living anil true way in all
here.y. against all falseness and miscos-
ception. we are to exalt Christ who is over
ALI Col blessed forever. Amen
fContinuetl on 18th page.