The Grenada sentinel., 1903-11-21

8: s: !; ): J:
>aGXNANM2l ANsW constant thrOb and
kkNS&$ \ beat of change. OF
SSSS1$ y God only can it be
#NI said that III e
NS|A9D changes not. Man.
(IlWt <a21 in thought and pur-
j. pose and plan and
desire and ambition, is here to-
day and there tomorrow. He IS
tickle, vacillating. changeable' pu'
the infinite God is Interchangeable. rms
is Gods own word concerning Himself:
II am the Lord, l change not. Inc
God who walked with Adam in the gar
den in the cool of the day and communed
with him is the same God who Walks
and talks with men to-day when they
keep in step with the Divine will ana
when they have ears to hear and hearts
to understand. The God who extended
mercy to Noah because of his faith, ana
who executed judgment upon the
wicked and unbelieving world. is the
same God to-day who is extending His
offer of mercy and His warn
ing of judgment. The God OF
covenant-making and covenant-keep-
ing God. is the same cOvenant-mak-
ing and covenant-keeping God to-day.
The term Lord in our text is in small
caps and should be rendered Jehovah,
which is the covenant name of God to
the Jews. II am Jehovah God (the
COvenant-God), and l change not"
Such was He in the days of Israel and
such is He to-day. The God who when
sin had entered into the world declared
that 1.-The seed of woman should bruise
the serpents head is the same God
who so loved the world that He gave His
Son as sacrifice for sin. The God who
is revealed in the Bible as the God of
Light and the God of Love has always
been such in character. God changes
not in character. He changes not in His
purpose towards man. He changes not
In His attitude towards sin. And be-
cause God changes not, man ought to
know God and be in harmony with Him.
M ANS conceptions of God change,
1Vl but God changes not. I want to
emphasize the contrast presented here
IN this declaration. No matter what
man thinks of God, no matter how his
views may change concerning God, this
remains true, that God changes not"
But mans ideas and conceptions of God
do change. Human experiences, en-
vironment. training, peculiarities of
thought and disposition, all are con-
tributive causes to a misconception of
who and what God is. Scarcely anv
TWO persons have exactly the same idea
of God. But He is not many gods. He
is one God, and God who changes not.
He is, however, the God of many, and
longs to be the God of all. Everyone
has some idea of God. some conception
or misconception of His character A
popular view held of God to-day is that
of His universal Fatherhood-that con-
ception of God which eliminates hell
and the judgment, and makes every
member of the human race child of
His and entitled at last to a place in
the Fathers House. Another cOncep-
tion of God which prevails largely in
the minds of people is that God is God
of favoritism-that is, that He has Sc
lected by an arbitrary act of His will
certain ones upon whom to bestow His
favor. while others are left to struggle
and suffer and perish alone. Then there
are the fatalists, whose conce ption is
that as God is all-knowing, He is all
determinative, and hence human life
is but the inevitable and unchangeable
working out of the Divine purpose and
will. They believe that God has fixed
the limit of life, the events of life. the
tendency and development of life. and
to attempt to change the seemingly in
evitable plan is to attempt the impos-
sible and fight against God. At the
other extreme are those who have a
vague, uncertain idea of God which en-
courages them to believe that He is a
good-natu1ed, easy-going God who will |
be too indulgent and loving to punish
for sin; that by some hook or crook. or
clever excuse on their part, thew will
be able to turn aside the wrath Of God
and to get into Heaven. And with thts
conception of God stilling the troubled /
conscience and oiling the wheels of self
Indulgence and sin, they slide through
life and into eternity. Others there are
who believe that God is one whose
favor and esteem can be bought by good
works. They eliminate the necessity
of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ
and estimate a persons fitness for
Heaven by those virtues which he DOS
sesses in himself. and the good deeds
which he has wrought.
n HESE are some of the commoner
i conceptions which people have Of |
God, but. as We have said, hardly anv
two persons entertain exactly the same /
idea Of God. And yet these differences
are not to be accounted for by charRine /
God with variableness and shadow Of /
turning. for He changes not" Bnt |
they are due 70 human conceptions and
OF who and what God |
is. There are two explanations or rea- |
sons for. these differences OF views:
First. the finite mind Of man IN seeking