Mexico Missouri message., 1901-11-28
CHILDREN OF GOD.
Rom. viii, 14-17. Dee. l..


marks the transition from state
of forfeited sonship to that of
adoption again as IL child Of God.
Man was created pure and holy, Il
child of God, able to stand, but
free to fall. Without this free
dom, mau could not have been
man, and worthy the hand of the
great Creator.
Having fallen, and forfeited his
sonship. he was lost beyond hope
of recovery had not God provided
way of return and restoration of
sonship. In this lost and ruined
condition, he cries ont: "Oh.
wrctrhrd man that ! am. who shall
deliver me from the body of this
dcath?' Then. looking away from
himself to the ransom prepared
for him he eXclaimS: II thank
God thru Jesus Christ our Lord.
y u. The wages OF sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life
thru Jesus Christ our Lerd.' |
sometimes find myself SurmiSing AS
to what the condition of man in
this world might have been had
Adam and Eve not sinned, and
contrasting in my mind the eXpe-
rieuce of an unfallen child of God
with that of one fallen and saved
by grace
With our limited capacity it is
difficult for us to think how we
could have this exalted conception
on the love of God except as it
comes to us thru the gift of our
Lord Jesus. We are told that
"thc angels desired to look into
these things" The death of Christ
for sinful world was something
beyond their thought, and they
looked in wonder and Arrangement.
o, what transceudent privilege
to realize that we are the children
of God. bought and redeemed from
Il state of sinful slavery by the
blood of His Son our Savior. All
good and thoughtful people honor
their earthly parents. The rela-
ton of child and father is an init
mate and endearing one, and re-
markable instances of filial and pa
ternal love are found in the pages
of romance and have been sung in
the inspired verses of the poets of
all ages and tongues. How touch
ing the frequent and beautiful
lines of the ungOdly Lord Byron
as he pourS forth his love for"
his only child, in the "Child Har-
Old, " "sole daughter of my house
and heart" But the Christion, no
matter how humble he may be,
can sing, Fl am the child of Il
King and realize net only that
God is his Father, but that he is
Joint herr with Jesus Christ our
Lord The fathcrhood of God is
the peculiar doctrine of the New
Testament, brought prominently
to light by the life and teachings
of Jesus of Nazareth. The Old
Testament fathers thought of God
us the great and glorious Jehovah,
mighty in power aud awful in hol-
mess. Jesus taught His disciples
to think OF God rs n kind and low
ing Father, ready to pity and for
give His erring and penitent chill
drcn.
How may we know that we are
truly Gods dear children! We
are not left to conjecture and the
orize in matter of so great per-
sonal Importance to each one. "Ie
have received the spirit of adop-
ton, whereby we cry, Abba Faith
err The Spirit itself beareth wit
ness with our spirit that we are
the children of God" This doub-
le witness places the matter be-
yond all doubt How do we know
that we love our mothers! We
just love them, that is all How
do We know that they love us?
We know it in our hearts; they
tell us in an unmiStakable lam
guage. But then there are corrob-
orativc evidences of this SonShip,
that carries conviction to others,
of orr flial relation to God "For
as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God"
The fruits of the Spirit will be
shown in Our lives. "By their
fruits We shall know them," is an