The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-12-31

4 For, Behold. Bnng You Good lidIngs of !!
Great Joy, Which Shall Be to All People; |
! For Unto You Is BON This Day. In the City !
Of David, Savior, Which Is Christ the Lord" /
! Luke Ii. 10. I'D.
oOOs-..s-s.s-s-s-s-s-..s
CT We must also learn that our dear
friends and neighbors who go down
into death are as if only asleep, and
have no consciousness in either joy OF
sorrow. waiting for the Millennial
morning-the Resurrection morning.
Their death would have been absolute.
as in the case Of the brute beast, had
not God with his great love provided
for their redemption and resurrection
(EcclesiasteS V, 8; John Xi. IL; iii. ID;
Acts H. 3D. In view of this provision
the whole world is said to sleep in
Jesus-in the sense that their hope
rests in the great work which Jesus
accomplished when he gave himself a
ransom for all to be testified in due
time" q Timothy ii, g.. There is a
difference. therefore. between the
world sleeping in Jesus and the Church
who fall asleep in Christ. The Church
is composed of those begotten of the
holy Spirit during this Gospel Age,
who maintain their relationship to
Christ, the Head. as members" in his
Body. and whom God has promised.
that as they share with Christ in his
sacrificial death. they shall also share
with him in his glorious resurrection
to honor and immortality philippians
ii, SID.
The Scriptures make very plain the
fact that while Jesus was born of a
woman. this was not the beginning of
his existence. for He was with the
Father before the world was" He
was the very beginning of the Crea-
ton of God" Revelation iii, AZ. AS
ST. John declares. "In the beginning
was the Word Uogos) and the Logos
was with The God and the LogoS was
a God BY him were all things
made that were made and without him
was not one thing made" He was
made flesh and dwelt amongst u.s."
"he came unto his own and his own
received him not. but to as many as
received him. to them gave he privi-
lege TO become sons of God" John. i,
LA.
The Scriptures make clear to us that
the Father did not compel the Son to
be our Redeemer-on the contrary. he
invited him to do so. and set before
him the great reward:
"a The privilege Of proving his 10y
atty to the Father Hebrews X, q;
Psalm Il, 81.
(2) The privilege of serving the fall
en- race. as their Redeemer and Re-
storer (Matthew Xx, 2S).
81 The honor of high eXaltatiOn to
even greater dignities than he had be-
fore he left the Father-to honor, glory
and Immortality. far above angels and
municipalities and powers and every
| name that is named. ST. Paul. in re-
ferring to the matter. tells us that our
Lord, for the joy that was set before
, him. endured the cross. despising the
shame"-and now, in consequence. is
set down on the right hand of the
Father on high (Hebrews xii. y.
While the Savior was the Christ
mas gift to us in one sense of the
word. yet the gift was more from
another ndpoint-although it was all
contained in that primary gift. Our
Lord first. by obedience to the Divine
Law. demonstrated his right to eternal
life; and. at the same time. by his con-
secration to death. he laid dOion the
life he was privileged to have. Nor
did he ever take it back. He arose
from the dead on the third day, per-
fected as New Creature-as a spirit
being Qf Corinthians iii. 10. He did
indeed appear to the apostles during
the subsequent forty days, but not as
before. Although, after his resurrec-
ton. he appeared in the flesh, he was
not flesh. He had taken the body of
flesh "for the suffering of DEATH" and
not to keep eternalIy. When he had fin
ished sacrificing it. the flesh had served
his purpose His high exaltation is on
the spirit plane, far above angels. His
appearances during the forty days
were very brief and few. after the
manner in which angels had previously
appeared in the flesh. They were
for the purpose of convincing the dis
ciples that he was no longer dead, and
to convince them also that he was no
longer limited to earthly powers, as
before his death He was "put to
death in the flesh, but quickened in
spirit" q Peter iii, 49,.
1 "The Body of Christ"
! Notice how Gods gift expands, car
rying blessings with each change. The
glorified Jesus, when he assembled. uI
on high, had to his credit, so to speak
the human, earthly rights which he
had sacrificed. Those rights were
sufficient for the whole world. Be
cause all had been condemned through
one man, all could be justified, atoned
for. by the sacrifice of one perfect man
-''the man Christ Jesus, who gave
himself ransom for alp q Timothy
ii, 5, g..
But the assembled Savior, although
he came into the world to be the Sa
yiOr of the qcorld, did not apply the
merit Of his sacrifice for the world
but, as the Scriptures show. he ap
piled it for his Church and the entire
household Of faith. Unbelievers are
NOT cOyarod nv that anplioa tiOn nj