The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-18
Sunday School Lesson for December 19.
rHessage About Sim and Salvation.
John 4, to S; to IL, 6.
BY j. e. GILBERT, d. D., LII, d.
Secretary of American Society OF Religious Education

INTRODUCT1ON.-T years after
Paul wrote his letter to Timothy, studied
last ,wcek, John, the beloved CJohn xiii,
2D, penncd his first cpistlc. During that
long interval great changes had occurred
i'm the church. All the other apostles had
passed away. most of them having laid
down their lives as martyrs To the faith.
Matt NXiV, -. Jerusalem had been de-
stroyed by the Roman army, and its peo-
pie had been widely scattered. AS a re-
suit the city ceased to be the headquar-
tcrs of Christianity. The movement OF
the Gospel had been westward according
to that strange law that regulates the mi
grafton Of the people. Ephesus, where
Paul labored so faithfully. had become
the new center of influence. destined to
he outranked by Rome In the year ~
John was there, then an Old man, nearly
the close of his career, the only survivor
Of the twelve" dcvoting the evening of
his life to complete the canons of the
New Testament Today we shall learn
what he thought about sin ana salvation.
PRETENSION.-Ita appears that fellow
ship or communion with God was then
understood to be the very substance of
the Christian religion. (John xiv, 23). But
some pretended to- experience this fellow
ship, when they were strangers to il and
John exposes their hypocrisy. (Verses 3
Il being Of such glory that the cffulgenoe
of his character Illuminatcs all inteli-
gences. a figure of speech highly express
sive. borrowed from classic Crock. (John
I. %. He also afiirms that this view of the
Godhead was part of the original mos
sage or testimony delivered by Jesus
JOhn xvii, 26), and heard i'm the church
from the beginning. q John iii, III. From
this he makes the proper inference that
if a man walk i'm darkncss-tha is, lives
an unhOly lifc-and processes fellowship
with God, he is a liar. This apparently
severe uttcTanCC is deserved against all
hypocritcs. How can an unholy man be
i'm harmony with q Holy God? CAmos
iii, -.
REALITY.-Having thus in few words
stripped the pretender. the apostle pro-
ccedS to apply the same test i'm re-
verse order to establish the reality OF
genuineness of the religious life. Verse
-. If men walk in the light. if they live
under the seat chings of Divine truth
! psalm cXXXiN. % and I'm harmony with
! the Divine will, obedient to their best
! knowledge of what is purposed for them,
! then they have fellowship one with an
| other-an interchange takes place be-
| tween that man and God. as friend with
| friend. Games ii. 23). AS sin separates
! between the creature and the Creator
! (lSa, llN, ~" the abandonment of sin Is
| essential TO the recovery of broken rela-
| tons And yet this restoration il not ef-
| fectcd solely by the man. The blood of
| Christ Cleanses him from sin. Paradox
! ical as ii may be. the man puts away sin
! and the atOncmCnt removes it. psalm
ciii, l9. In other words there is a double
| process in freeing one from sin--onc ;he
| resolve has to do with the mind of man
| the other, the death of Christ with the
| mind of God.
DENIAL.-Having shown that the re.
| mOval of sin is a condition and proof OF