The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-01

1880 VIVA SoAAo I'LL LA
pamphlets, reviews, newspapers and
pulpits as to the teachings of the
Bible concerning the higher life, the
cOnsecrated life, the holy life, the
sinless life, the perfected life. The
disputants have increased in numbers
with the passing of the years, and on
the part of the ''sanctifcationists," as
a certain school is now described or
called, it is charged, there is no little
of intolerance of view as we'll as bold
ness of assertion. But of this we know
but little, having heard but two or
three of it's advocates, and are not
concerned with it in these columns.
1t is conceded by calm, courteous,
learned divines OF several churches
and schools of theology that there is
a high plane of Christian living clear
ly taught in the Holy Scriptures and
that it is the unQuestioned privilege
of all true believers to attain that
plane. There is a high spiritual life
for all sincere seekers after God, for
all who have accepted Jesus Christ as
their Saviour and are pressing on to
the perfected life. Much Scripture
might be quoted here to show this.
But at present let us insist that to
ever reach the exalted place a right
start must be made, a right founda-
ton must be laid. The sinner must
first be born again, born of tie Holy
Spirit, regenerated, made a new crea-
ture, or creation, which is the better
| rendering, in Christ Jesus, before he
| can ever reach the heights in spiritual
Christian life. He can not go on to
| perfection unless he has the new birth
the work of the Holy Ghost. Holy
living can never come to any seeker
until he "has passed from death unto
life"
of harm has been done by false the
ology and a provision or misunder-
standing of the Holy Scriptures. One
of the harmful dogmas has been sin
in believers" When people are not
truly converted they are not really in
a proper sense "believers' at all.
When they are ~'carnally minded"
irreligious, worldly, wrong in thought,
in act, i. life they are not in noble or
high sense Christians. They sin
every day, and sin deliberately, know
ingly, and yet it is a false view to say
they are examples of "sin in believ-
ers." Read the New Testament care
fully, prayerfully, Understandings,
and you will see that there is a clear,
we'll defined difference drawn between
''spiritual' and "carnal." st. Paul
writing to the Corinthian church told
the members that he called "breth-
ren," that he could not speak unto
you as unto spiritual"-that his breth-
rem were not spiritual men at all, but
he says he spoke unto them "as unto
carnal" members in the church. They
WCiS l1NIuS III SILL, anu Iuc SICdI OlU
scholar of the past, DR.. Adam Clarke,
says of the passage quoted from, that
Paul was saying in effect-"Ye act
just as the people of the world,
and have no more of the spirit of re-
ligion than they" Paul in another
place declares now if any man have
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
His. If a man is spiritual, born of
the Spirit he does not love sin or prac-
tice sin but tries to avoid sin. If he
lives in sin it is a sure sign that he is
not a true believer in Christ. He is
still "carnal," and if ever in a state of
grace has fallen away into a habit and
life of sin. 1t is not true to call his
sins as an evidence of "sin in believ-
ers." Whenever a man is found "ful-
filing the desires of the flesh" it is a
| sure sign and evidence that he has
ceased Ito walk in the Spirit" Or to be
! lied by the Spirit" Remember that
the Lord Jesus Christ said to them at
Ephesus: Thou hast left thy first
love. Remember therefore from
| whence there art fallen, and repent,
and do thy first works" To the
church at Peramus-the members
the Saviour said that there were false
| teachers who were stumbling blocks"
after the way of Balaam. He told
them to repent under the penalty of
being severely dealt with. The men,
bers at Sardis were in a desperate fix
they had a name as believers and
thought they were living. but Christ