The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-03-05

:xMGEx3E... travagant language
'M1$&ZyE is this which he Is
S4 using? Is he tell
~: ing of an experts
ence which Is pc
culiarly his own, which was meant for
him and him alone, or is he talking
about something which should charac-
terize the life of every Christian? Is he
referring to an extreme and unreal and
rare expression of the Gospel Of Jesus
Christ, or is he revealing the very heart
of that Gospel, and making clear and
plain the full and deep meaning OF
Christ's saving and quickening and
keeping power? If the former then our
text, while giving an intensely interest
ing glimpse of Paul's Christian expert
ence, has no direct bearing upon the
lives of the disciples of Jesus, but II the
latter, the revelation of the Gospel to
Paul, and through Pauls experiences, Is
OF vital importance to every Christian.
That Paul did have experiences which
were peculiarly his own, and for him
alone, is certain, for he tells In the
twelfth chapter Of ii Corinthians OF be-
ing caught up into Paradise, and hear
ing unspeakable words, which 1t is not
lawful for a man to utter" but that this
experience of which he tells in our text
was not one of them Is clear, as we COM
pare Scripture with Scripture. In this
same letter to the Galatians, in the fifth
chapter. Paul declares that they that
are of Christ Jesus have crucified the
flesh" And in the sixth chapter OF
Romans he dwells with great fullness
upon the fact that the believer is united
with Jesus in the likeness of His death,
that our old man was crucified with
Him, that the body Of sin might be done
away" and that IF we died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with
Him" "For the death that Christ died,
He died unto sin once; but the life that
He liveth, He liveth unto God. Even
So" Paul goes on to emphasize, reckon
We yourselves to be dead unto sin, but
alive unto God in Christ Jesus"
q,
JITHAT Paul declares then In ouI
w text, every Christian may say and
should be able to say. Not Paul alone
.crucified with Christ, but every believer
.crucified with Him. Not Paul alone risen
with Christ, but every disciple OF Jesus
feeling the power of the resurrection life.
That Is. theoretically every believer is
crucified with Christ, and is risen with
Him. but experimentally, that fact has
been realized by but comparatively few.
Similarly, 1t Is a fact that that Jesus
has made atonement for the sin OF the
whole world. theoretically every bit
of sin In the world was put upon Christ
when He hung upon the cross, but ex-
perimentally the world has not come
into realization Of that fact. During
the war many death warrant was can
celed by President Lincoln, and the
mesnenger started off post haste to car
nv the news of the deliverance, and al
though It was hours or perhaps even
days before the bearer OF the pardon
.coAld reach the place where the soldier
awaited execution, and make known to
him his deliverance. from the moment
the stroke of Mr.. Lincoln's pen made
the pardon effective he was free man
The pardon did not date from the mo-
ment OF its reaching the condemned pris-
oner. but from the time that 1t came
fresh and effective from the hand Of tn,
president. Long before he realized 1t
the prisoner was a free man. And the
world, though 1t realizes 1t not, has hat
its pardon signed in the blood OF Jesu!
Christ long. long ago back there OF
Calvary. It is fact that the sin OF al
the world has been atoned for, but It I,
sadly true that the news Of that de
liyerance has not been received or be
lieyed by the world. And of the Chris
tian, It is true that he has been cruel
fed with Christ and has risen with Him
but very, very many dear souls, WHIT
know Jesus is their Saviour, have no
realized the relationship which the!
sustain to Him in His death and Hi
resurrection.
DAUL had received the full messag,
/ and meaning of the Gospel Of Jesu
Christ He could say: Il have beef
crucified with Christ and It is no longe
I that live. but Christ liveth in me.
And In his letter to the Galatian Chris
tians, he tries to open this truth I,
them and make them realize that they
too. have been crucified with Jesu
and have risen with Him, and that II !
their privilege to enjoy larger an,
more glorious liberty than they had eve
known before. False teachers were bus
among them teaching them that the.
must be circumcised and become Jew
Before they could be saved. They mus
do something to merit salvation. In
stead Of Christ being sufficient Saviour
the believer must observe and keep tn
law to be saved But Paul unfolds t
them the dangerous fallacy Of such
doctrine. The law which convicts Of sir
and brings into judgment, surely canno
become the medium Of salvation. Nay
to the contrary. for through the deaf
OF Jesus was wrought deliverance fror
the law and its consequences. The be