The Tupelo journal., 1904-10-28

III AlUilH llSlOQo opAASoSAoAt
closely in harmony
with the teachings of Christ. And on the
other hand the man who has accepted
Christ as his Saviour, and has beeH
born again by the operation upon his
heart of the Divine Spirit, may live so
far below the ideals and teachings OF
Jesus as to have the genuineness OF his
religious experience called into quesS
tion. To the world the former would be
classified with the people known as
Christians, and probably the latter
would be placed in another list. and yet
I'm the sight of God the classification
would be exactly reversed. That there
is great and growing confusion as 10
what constitutes a Christian is evident
from the increasing number OF so-called
orthodox ministers Of the Gospel who
are preaching a religion Of renovation
rather than OF regeneration. The test is
not the blood Of Christ which has been
applied to the sinful heart, il is not the
faith which has accepted Christ as the
one and only Saviour, IL is no the
new birth which comes with the quick
ening work of the Holy Spirit, but the
test is rather one of ethics and charit-
able benevolences. Does a man live out
wardly in beautiful harmony with the
teachings of Christ? Is he honest and
clean in his life? Is he a faithful hus-
band and father, a loyal citizen, and a
contributor in time and money to char
liable and reform movements? Then,
saws the world. he is a Christian if ever
there was m 1t is a question of what
a man has done for himself, instead OF
what God has done in him and for him.
1t is renovation; not regeneration.
THAT Nicodemus had a misconcep-
i ton which Jesus sought to correct
is evident from the conversation be-
tween the two. If that exemplary teach
er and leader Of the Jews, that worthy
member Of the august body of Sanhedrin,
had been presenting himself before the
liberal exponent of the modern day re-
ligion there would have been a very diff
ferent test proposed than that which
Jesus made of regeneration. There
would have been little talk of the Christ
lifted up upon the cross and shedding
His precious blood for the redemption
of the world. There would not have
been an emphasis of the spiritual, and
an ignoring of the eXcellences of the life
and character. Evidently Nicedemus
lacked something which was absolutely
essential to his coming within Gods
classification of the members of His
kingdom. 1t was plain that the test was
not one of so many commandments kept,
of so much good done, of so high a stand
ing in the community attained. Had it
been so, Jesus would have welcomed
Nicodemus as a most promising acquisi-
ton and have added his name to the list
of the members of His kingdom. But
when the test was that of the new birth,
the being born into the kingdom through
the operation of the spirit of God, here
was something which went beyond the
realm of the flesh. 1t was something
which could not be realized by the effort
and attachments of the natural man. 1t
was a process in which God was the
moving power. 1t vas a transitionfr o
the kingdom of the world to the king
dom of God, which God by His Holy
Spirit alone could accomplish for a
A ND have the nineteen hundred years
"A which have come and gone since
then so changed the conditions of en-
trance to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ
that it is no longer a question of regen-
GRAFTON, but of renovation? Is it a ques-
ton now of culture and refinement, and
ethics and philanthropy and charity?
Are repentance for sin and faith in
Jesus Christ as the only Saviour from
sin through His atoning sacrifice upon
the cross to be set aside as out of date
and unsuited to this advanced age of
culture and refinement, and external
tests satisfactory to man to be substi-
tuted? Certain it is that there is great
confusion in the minds of many as to
what really constitutes a Christian.
Gods preachers have. many of them,
developed an ambition to write tie
Kingdom in large and liberal letters,
and to bring within the compass of the
church all who act and appear like
Christians. Because there are a refine
ment and culture In the world in har-
mony with the teachings and principles
of the Christian religion; because very
many in the world are discovering that
honesty is the best policy, that clean
ness of life and moral rectitude give the
truest JOY and satisfaction in life; that
man owes something to his fellow mar
in the way of sympathy and help; that
the Golden Rule has proved a high and
wholesome standard by which to order
the life; because all this is true, does not
prove the extension of Christ's King
dom In the hearts of men. We call this
nation Christian, We pride ourselves
upon the Christian community in which
we live, but the term Christian thus used
is man applied. Gods Kingdom is not
considered in bulk. God picks its mem
hers one by one. And each one must
submit to the searching test OF the
new birth, he must be born again. God
does not receive men In carload lots and
hermit the %ungenuine to slip in with the
genuine, as the grain merchant might
the inferior corr that had been mixed
with that Of first grade.
KTEIHTER has God turned over the
IN registry Office of His Kingdom to
man and commissioned him to write the
certificates of membership. But one
would think so to hear the bland way in