The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-02-01
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson V.-First Quarter, For
Feb. 2, 1908.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, John iii, 1-21.
Memory Verses, 14-16-ooidcn Text.
John iii, 16-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. .. Nj. Stearns.

John III, 1o-Commentdry prepared
by Rev. .. Nj. Stearns.
copyright. 1907. by American Press Association
Four Of the great words of the COS
pei and the epistes Of John are life
and light and love and believe. the first
three referring to God and what He IS
and the last showing how He and all
that He Is and has become ours.
Jesus Christ, the Son Of God. is the
living manifestation Of this life and
light and love. for 1t is all seen fully
in Him. and when We receive Him we
become the manifestation of this life
and light and love to others This is
the teaching Of the Scriptures; but. oh.
how believers fail In the manifestation.
Chapter ii tells US in the closing
verses that while at the Passover
many believed in His name when they
saw His miracles. yet He did not be-
lieve in them because He knew them
and knew what was In them.
The word commit unto of verse
"a is just the word believe" Of verse
% and elsewhere, and thus we have
In chapter 1. II: Il, q. two definitions
Of believing which mean to receive"
Him or commit unto" Him.
According to the revised version.
these two chapters are connected
thus: HE Himself knew what was in
man. Now there was a man." So we
have in Nicodemus' sample man and
IN oh fx, AIT Gl,p
samples are about as different as they
could possibly be. the one being out
wardly as good as possible and the
other as bad as possible. yet the first
must" be born again. and even such
as the last may" be born again. This
gospel Is written that. receiving Jesus
Christ as the Son Of God. all such may
have life through Him. for "He that
hath the Son Of God hath life. and he
| that hath not the Son of God hath
not life" Chapter Xxx. 81: John v. ~.
The question Of life or death in the
| Scriptures is not one Of existence in
the body OF out Of the body. although
that Is sometimes referred to. but 1t
is a question Of knowing God by be-
ing vitality connected with Him or
not knowing him John xviii. 6; Tit
1. 16). The flesh or carnal mind, how
ever cultured or religious, Is enmity
against God and never can be changed.
There must be q new creation, which
comes by a new birth (Rom. viii. Z;
II Cor. v. ID and not by any patching
up Of the old nature.
| Nicodemus was evidently one Of the
best Of men and stood high in the es-
TEEN Of his fellows. being a ruler
among them. he had also a convic-
ton that Jesus was no ordinary man
and acknowledged that His works de-
clared that God was with Him In a
special manner. It is not learning. but
life, that saves. and Jesus. seeing the
great need Of this man. at once tells
him of it. Many in dealing with such
a one today would assure him that he
was q Christian already and needed
nothing but continuance In the things
he already knew. Strong emphasis on
the necessity of the new birth was
who are not saved are condemned. lost,
dead in trespasses and sins (verse IS:
Luke xix. 10; Eph. II, 3-5,.
All have been stung by the serpent
(sin) and are as truly perishing spirit
ually as the Israelites were physically.
They saw in the brazen serpent on the
pole the likeness Of that which caused
their death In the place Of death. They
did not need to understand 1t, but they
did need to look upon the brazen SER
pent as they were commanded, and
every bitten one who looked lived. In
Jesus on the cross we see Him In the
likeness Of sinful desh, made sin for
Us. bearing our sins in His own body
And the soul that believes that God
50 loved him that he gave His only
begotten Son that he should not per.
ish. but have everlasting life, that soul
thus receiving Him Is not condemned
but has everlasting life and shall never
perish. This is the new birth. receiv.
ing into US a life that was never there
before. even Christ who is our life.
Nicodemus was a moral, religious
Intellectual man. but only a natural
man. and therefore talked somewhat
foolishly concerning these spiritual
things, for to the natural man the
things of the Spirit Of God are only
foolishness q Cor. ii. 14). That he be-
came enlightened that night or later
and became a true child of God and
disciple Of Jesus we infer from Johr
~