Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-31
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform"
THE GIFT OF GOD.

THE GIFT OF GOD.
Eternal life is the gift of God" for all
of His creatures who will take 1t on His
terms; and for all others, He declares.
THE wages of sin is death"-the blotting
out of life. And who cannot see that this
arrangement to destroy all who will not
use life in accord with the Divine will is
really mercy? To perpetuate life oppos-
ed to His will and law of righteousness
would be a disgrace to God and an injury
to the holy as we'll as to the unhOly. God
gave our race life in Adam, but, as He
had foreseen, they lost it by disobedience
and came under the penalty-death. AS
he had purposed before the foundation of
the world, He in due time sent His Son to
be THE Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world" AS such Jesus died
the just for the misunderstanding
death for every man." (Heb.. 2:9). This
glorious purpose God set forth to Father
Abraham in His oath-bound covenant. of
which the apostle whites:
God, willing more abundantly to show
unto the heirs of promise the immutabili-
ty of His counsel, confirmed it with an
oath, that . we might have strong
consolation who have fed for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before us. Il.
which hope we have as an anchor to
our souls, both sure and steadfast. ."
Heb, g. 13:20.) ~=
Only those who have strong, living faith
in the Almighty God and in His Son
Jesus, could have much interest in the
words of our text. To the Evolutionist
these words have little meaning, as he is
looking to a natural development rather
than to any supervising power of God to
bring the blessing which the world so
greatly needs.
To the higher critic the apostles refer
ence to Gods dealings with Abraham are
nonDensical. believing as he does that the
statements of Genesis are without author
ity. and were written many hundreds Of
years after the death of Moses.
However, some of Gods true children
whose eyes of understanding have not yet
been opened to a clear apprehension of
the Divine plan of the ages may be in
clined to question what interest we could
possibly have in Gods oath to Abraham,
given more than 5000 years ago. Such are
inclined to say to themselves. THAT event
was helpful to Abraham, but has nothing
whatever to do with us or our duty" 1t
is our hope that an examination of this
covenant which God attested with His
oath, as stated in Hebrews, 6:13-20, may
be helpful to many of the Lords people
present. enabling them to see that God
had a plan in Abraham's day; that He
is still working according to that plan..
and that it's completion will be glorious
a blessing to His creatures and an honor
to Himself
The context shows distinctly. that the
Apostles and the early Church drew COM
fort from the oath-bound covenant, and
clearly implies that this same comfort
belongs to every true Christian down to
ha Of 70 Of
the Body of Christ. The apostles's word
imply that Gods promise and oath were
Intended more for us than for Abraham
more for our comfort than for his
Note the apostles words: "That by two
lmmutable things 1.-TWO unalterable things)
In which it was impossible for God to lie
we Che Gospel church, might have a
strong consolation (we) who have fed for
refuge Ito Christi, to say hold upon the
hope set before US.
OF THE ALMIGHTY'S
OATH.
Doubtless Abraham and all of his fam
ily Israel after the flesh, drew a GER
tain amount of blessing an encourage
ment from the covenant of promise and
the oath of the Almighty, which doubly
sealed it, which gave double assurance
of it's certainty of accomplishment; but
the apostle 7ntimates in the words quoted
that Gods special design in giving that
covenant, and in binding 1t solemnly with
an oath, as to encourage spiritual Is
rael-to give us a firm foundation for
faith. q
God we'll knew that. although 5000
years. from His own standpoint, would be
but a brief space. las a watch in the
night" nevertheless to us the time would
appear long, and the strain upon faith
would be severe; hence the positive state
ment and the still more deliberate oath
that bound 1t. We cannot but wonder at
such condescension upon the part of the
great Creator-that He should stoop to
His fallen creatures and, above all that
he should condescend to give His oath on
the subject. .-.,
An upright man feels that his word
should be sufficient in any matter, and.
therefore, would hesitate, except under
special conditions. to confirm his word
with an oath. How much more might the
Heavenly Father have regarded the mat
ter! But our text explains the reason for
such condescension. He was willing more
to show the unchangeableness
Of His plan to the heirs of the promise
not to the world.
Our Lord, Jesus, who was the great
heir of the Abrahamic promise. and the
faithful of His consecrated people of
this Gospel Age are declared to be HIS
joint heirs in that promise, which is not
yet fulfilled. For its fullfillment, not
only the church is waiting. as the bride
of fellow-members of the Body of
Christ to be participants with the Lord
in the glories implied in the promise
but additionally the whole creation (thc
entire human family is grooming and
in pain together, waiting for
the great fulfillment of that oath-bound
promise or covenant.-Rom.. S:19-23.
Those who follow the apostles argu-
ment, and realize that we as Christians
are still waiting for the fulfillment of
this promise, will be anxious to know
what are the terms of this covenant
which is the hope of the world, the hope
Of the church. and the object of so much
solicitude and care on the part of God |
in that He would promise and then back
His word with an oath. We answer that
every Christian should know what His
promise is since IL lies at the very
of every Christian hope.
How can this hope be an anchor to our