Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-01-04

also this title EIohim was used in re-
spect to the first elders of Israel when
God recognized them as His represent
tatives in judging their brethren.
It will be remembered that the Jews
were angry with our Lord Jesus, not
because He called Himself Jehovah or
intimated any usurpation Of the Faith
er's place. honors OF prerOgatives. but
simply because He called Himself the
Son of God and referred to Jehovah
God as His Father. On one occasion
when they were about to stone Him
Jesus inquired why. and the answer
was that in calling Himself the Son of
God He was affecting to be superior to
them and to others of mankind, and
affecting relationship with the great
Jehovah, which they termed blasphe-
my, because they said it was affecting
an equality with Jehovah; but our Lord
contradicted that thought and pointed
out to them that the claim to be the
Son Of God was not to put~Himself on
an equality with Jehovah. but that the
Scriptures fully sanctioned such q title
as the Son of God.
The Jews never claimed the title
Sons Of God for themselves, nor would
it have been proper for them to have
done so. Not until the great sacrifice
for sins was offered by the Redeemer
could the Father so justify any mem
bers OF the fallen race as to receive
them back into the close, the dear re-
latiOnship represented by the word
Son. but, since the redemptiye work Of
Jesus, spiritual Israeites are termed
sons OF God, as the Apostle declares,
"NOw are we the sons Of God, though
it doth not yet appear what we shall
be chow great our glory and. exaltatiOn
in the resurrection chauge). but we
know that when He sii,il appear (our
Lord and Master. the only begotten
Som We shall be like Him and see
Him as He is" Il. John, ill.,. y. The
Scriptures clearly show that the fol-
loves OF Christ were accepted of the
Father lis sons when begotten Of the
Spirit ut Panseoost and since. Uohn.
j.. 12-13,
The divine announcement Of our
Lord Jesus before His birth was.
"Thou s..alt call Eis name Jesus. He
shall he great and shalt be called the
Son OF the Hlghest and the Lord God
: shall give unto Him the throne OF His
father David and He shall reign over
| the house Of Jacob forever, and Of Hit
| kingdom there shall be no end" IL
! explanation of Els miraculous birth
| we read, "The power tt the highest
shalt oversi,adow thee Mary: there.
| fore also that holy thing that shall be
born Of thee shall be called the Son OF
| Cod" duke, l.. 31-35).
Here we have the title, the Son Of
| God. officially applied TO the man
| Christ Jesus before His birth. and this
| title He continually approved. saying:
! las the Father hath sent Me. even SO
send | YOU" II came not :nto the
world to do Mine own will. but the
! Will Of Him that sent Me" 1.-The
| Father worketh hitherto and now
| work" John, Sx., 21; John. iys.. "a
/ v. IL.
| Let us look back and note the scrip
| ural declaration to the effect that the
! logos. who subsequently became the
man Christ Jesus, was the beginning
of the creation OF God. These are oul
Lords own words and are in full &C.
cord with the apostle Paul's statement
that our Lord is the image of the invis
ible God, the first-born Of every Great
| ure (more literally. the first born OF
all creation). for by Him were al
things create that are II he: ven anC
that are in earth, visible and invisible
s. all things were created by Hin
and for Him, and He was before al
things ard by Him all things consist
Our Lord Himself pointed out to u
that it is the heavenly Fathers viii
that we should. honor the Son as we
honor the Father-also that w8shoult
recognize Him as the Fathers repre-
sentative, through. whom He is work
ing all things according to the counse
of His own will. Ihe Apostle explains
to us that although our Lord occupied
the chief position next to the Fathe
before He came into the world to b.
our Redeemer, yet He now occupies ;
still higher position. He tells us tha
He was obedient to the Father ant
humbled Himself even unto death
even the death of the cross.
Although the reformers did valian
service in dispelling much Of the gros
darkness and in lifting the true 1ltat