The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-01-24
THE GOSPEL, THE
POWER OF COD"
REV GEO. II. MACK DECLARES IT
IS UNIVERSAL IN ITS
ADAPTA5ILfTY.
Like Our Conflict With Sin, u
Is Continuous And
Lasting

Macks morning sermon az the Flrst
Cumberland Presbyterian church on
Sunday Mr.. Mack made a powerful
argument showing that the gospel is
universal IN its sdaptability and pow
er he said in part:
am not ashamed Of the gospel Of
Christ for it IS the power Of God unto
salvation TO every one that belieyeth.'
Rom. 1916. This is a classical text. a
favorite with our fathers in the MN
istry. and one from which We have
heard many a sermon Since the
ancients have stolen all our thoughts
I may give you nothing really new
therefore. But the French have an
expression. That only is new which
| is forgotten: and since our powers
OF forgetting are usually good. when
concerned with gospel truth, hope
that fundamental truths recalled may
be valuable.
Salvation the first word consid-
cred. shows an interesting growth az
used in Scripture In the Old Tesla
msut it signined individual deliver
ance from danger or death God my
Salvation does not mean what we
read into it from New Testament
thought, but merely God my Deliver
er" from some specific condition Or
Lii vas used in the same sense ma
tfonaily. At the Red sea Israel was
told 70 stand still and see the saliva
,ion of the Lord.5 In the New Tesla
ment the true sense is likewise deliv-
erance. nov in the spiritual sphere.
deIiyerance from sin
And as our conflict with sin Is
continuous, lasting life time. so is
our deIiverance or salvation contin-
uous: il is a process We may not
properly speak Of any one as saved
in the sense that the work Is
finished. In conversion one Is saved
so far as the process Is begun, and
the work done In him IL an earnest OF
the Urocess that will be continued
J through life He Is saved
potentially. There Is no get
rfchouicE scheme in religion
any more than there should be
in business. 1t Is by honest. constant
struggle that we gain either wealth
or spiritual supremacy. We must
work out our own salvation with fear
and trembling. knowing that God is
working IN u.s.
The gospel is said here TO De the
power God uses to effect the salvation
OF men from their lower nature, their
sins. Not the only power, the word
has no article in the original, but
mower. He uses also. and has always
used nature and the moral law %
teach men to shun sin. Nature with
its law Of cause and effect, where
violation teaches the penalty OF sin,
has been most efficient The moral
Law written in the heart and an
raunced By many teachers through
the world IL but the verbal express
sion Of the demands OF nature IN It's
highest claims. But these two forces
have given men a mistaken view OF
God. From them we have conceived
Cod as austere and hard
aaThe gospel differs from these oth-
er powers In two things. It success
fuTIv exposes sin so men can see IL
ana hate IT, Men did not greatly
mind the evils Of corrupt San Fran
cisco or the insurance companies. IN
I'll brought TO the light by civil pro-
eaedings. A community endures the
saloon. the gambling den and the
house OF debauch until some prophet
NJ righteousness with flaming words
exposes their evils mad lays bare their
shame. Then hatred of sin fills the
souI and the evil Ia rooted out when
ever men sees siz In its reaiity. secA
an enemy It is 10 his higher na1ale'
he instinctively lines up against IL
unless the selfish interests Of his life
warn his action. In the gospel. In the
life Of Jesus ana in the Circumstances
o, his death. God succeeds In show
ing TO men the exteat TO which SIN
viii 90 to gain It's purpose. to what
awful depths Il VIII descend
The gospel dirers from the other
two powers Of God in teaching men
by showing his Iong-suferfns love
they know that Gods nature 10 an
ts.-onistic TO sin, Re hates H. II de-
uosIs. too. his creature man whom De
tcves Yet for the sake OF man, mat
he might win him back, be bears tneH
sin. he goes TO the extent OF sacrincins
HIS Son to show the reality and tne