Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-04
for SUNDAY Scboola.
STAR LESSON FOR JANUARY $.
By Rev. J. E. Gilbert, DID.
SECRETARY AMERICAN SOCIETY OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION.
TIE MORp MADE FLESH. John. LIS.

condition. But if some rejected. others
received. Percciving IN Him that which
satisfied the hearts longiugs ard an
swered the mind questions. they ac-
cepted Him and yielded To Him Matt.
Ni:2Sl., Their names were not recorded
in Scripture. but in His book (Phil.. iv::).
Some were Jews and some were Gentiles
John. N:l6. T&ey, an alike, whatever
their nation or color. thc" social stand
ing or intellectual status. received nom
Him power-that is privilege and ability
to become the sons of God. This was at
tanned by the uniform process by faith.
and it WAS attended by one and the same
result-a new birth. They experienced 4
change SO as to constitute them new
creatures Gohn. iii:l0. That change
was not through blood. as the Jews Of
that time supposed not through will of
man. the digntaries of the Gentilcs
thought but through the operation OF
the Spirit of God In this way those
who received Him became a new people
by Heavenly birth, bound together by
holy ties. living to honor Him and to
advance His cause CCol. iii:1D.
THE GLORY Wersc 1D.-Thus far
John has written in general terms But
having declared that some received tho
light aad became sons of God. he properly
puts himself amcns them and speaks for
them. The Word was made ncsh-ths
Divine Being. the Creator Of al things.
took on Himself human nature .dIch..
lilo. He who was the Life and the
Light appeared man and dwelt
among men. The Infinite tabernacled
with the finite. This account OF the In
carnation omits details % the birth Uukr,
ESD recited by other evangel SITS. and is
much more delicate. and for the time
more helpful. In this form the Word was
visible. Before II" had been spiritual
presence misunderstood. Now they who
received Him behnld His glory. The
sight was granted only to them. Others
were incapable of apr preaching Him. The
opened vision of those who were near,
whose hearts had responded discovered in
Him divine qualities. the only one on
earth begotten of God. He was perceived
to he full of grace and truth, of which
elements the best OF men possessed but
slight degrees col, i:l9).
CONCLUSION.-It will be noticed
that John and Moses opened their books
with the same phrase Gen, I'D. Both
assumed that the world was not eternal;
that it had beginning. Moses gave an
account of Creation: John of the Creator
One traced the orderly progress from
primitive chaps to the advent of man:
the other showed the moral chaos down
to the advent OF the Second Man. Moses
broke the power of nature worship by
setting forth one God the first cause.
John showed how this one God the fist
cause was related to man. Here are the
fundamental truths of the two dispense
tions-nature, the handiwork of God; God.
the life and light of men. However, John
moves on a more elevated plane OF
thought than Moses. His sentences are
clothed with matchless grace. The
divine side of his theme from Wood to
Life. from Life to Light. is ineXpressibly
beautiful. On the human side he add
vances from an unrecognized spiritual
illumination to a witness, a rejection. a
reception. bodily manifestation. The
lesson closes with the well-known fact
that they who love Jesus. the Incarnate
Word, and they only being begotten
again, have learned His glory.