Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1904-08-03
] ERE. then. 10 the vim OF God con-

iorm And surely IL would seem so
in the face of the sin and failure of
men from Adam down to the present
time. But let us look into the mat
ter little more deeply to see il Col
has provided a way out of the diff
Guilty. Surely IL is not unreasonable
for me as a father Co lay upon my
son a task which is beyond his skill
and strength TO do. if | provide
way by which the performance of the
task is made possible And surely
God cannot be charged with unrea-
sonable exaction when He commands
us to be holy and perfect. inasmuch
as He has provided a way by which
man may meet His commands and con-
ditions. God says: BE We holy"
and then pointing TO His perfect Son.
He says: Behold the Lamb OF God,
which taketh away the sin OF the
world" Unrighteous before God
apart from Christ, but in Christ, &C
cepted because of His righteousness
AS Paul puts it in the third of Phil
ippians: That | may be found in
Christ, not having a righteousness OF
mine own, even that which is Of the
law. but that which is through faith
in Christ. the righteousness which is
from God by faith" The fir.t condi-
ton. then. of doing the will of God
is in obtaining from Him that right
eousness which we have not of our
selves, and this is realized by faith
in Jesus Christ as the personal Sa-
viour and the One Who cleanses from
all sin.
n DING the VIII of God, then. involves
/ - the acceptance of Jesus Christ as
! Saviour, and this act depends upon the
real desire to do the will OF God. 1t in
! wolves the attitude of the heart towards
| God. The Scribes and Pharisees, the
| leaders of the Jews, came to Jesus, talk
! ing about God their Father, and pre-
tending to be Jealous for God and the
doing of His will. But they were not
willing to accept the Christ. the Som
Whom God had sent into the world to
save the world from sin and unrighteous-
ness; and, because they were not willing.
Jesus declared they were of their IA
Their the Devil and that they did his
will and not Gods will. Man cannot do
the will OF God while his attitude towards
God is not right, any Inore than that
child who is in rebellion against the
parent can do its fathers will re-
bellious heart cannot do the will of
parent or God. Note the parable which
Christ spoke of the two sons. One with
rebellion in his heart said, when told
to go and work in the vineyard: Il will
not go" And while rebellion ruled he
went not. But afterwards he repented
and went. The desire to do the fathers
will took possession OF his heart and he
went and did it. And the second son
who outwardly assented, but went not
lacked as much as did the rebellious son
the desire to do the fathers will. He
recognized the right of the father to
! command him to go into the vineyard
but he was so busy doing his own will
| and seeking his own desires, that there
| was no room to desire the will of the
father. and 90 went not
ii ERE We have illustration of two
L classes of people in the world to-
day. Both refuse to do the will of God.
One class recognize the claim OF God
upon them. but being so occupied with
their own affairs, and the doing of their
own will they fail to do the will of God
The other class in rebellion of heart re-
upon them. And would that IL were
true that all in such rebellion would re-
pent and do the will of God But. ala.,
many, many will mott But there are
those who are coming. The will is be-
ing given up for Gods will: the desire Of
man is being given up for the desire OF
God. The family circle of Jesus is grow
/ Ing In ever widening stretch of arm
| He points out His mother and brethren
including not those who only say Lord.
| Lord and go on doing their own will but
| inclading those who 90 the will of God
The acceptance of Christ is the begin
ming of the doing the will of God The
| successive steps are taken as we do the
will of God as it is revealed to us. One
step at a time. is Gods order Gods
Word assures us that "if any man will
eth to do His will he shall know Of the
teaching" If you live up to the light
you have, when you need more light for
the next step. God will see that you have
It,
n DING the will Of God may bring SUI
~ fering. but it means blessing in the
end. But what comfort TO know that
the affection is in line with the will of
God. Peter says (and who is there who
knew what suffering meantBetter than
/ he-surely none. save Il were Paul.
Wherefore let them also that suffer
according TO the will OF God commit
their souls in well doing to faithful
Creator" The Cody shall suffer perse-
cution, but what glory is to some day
shine out of that sufferingl We say
Thy will be done" as though IT were
the hardest and saddest thing in all the
world. when Il is the most glorious. for
that will will find its Joy and realiza-
ton ultimately in the best and most en-