The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-19


to our own conceptions and stand
ards of justice we will make no at
tempt to do so, but abandon those
standards entirely? God forbid. We
are weak enough and imperfect enough
as it is. To ignore our best ideals of
justice would be to take off all the
brakes and permit the downward tend II
encies of our depraved natures to go Il
rapidly from bad TO worse-to carry
us further and further from God and 4
the standards of character which he Il
approves We can surely be content to Il
do nothing less than our very best to |
live up to our own ideals and to raise /
those ideals as nearly as possible to /
the divine standard.
What Would Be the Use:
Suppose we do our very best daily |
to measure w to the highest concep- |
lions of our God-given ideals and |
and count US worthy of his favor and |
of eternal life? Surely not. The law
of the Lord is perfect. Justice is
Justice Not -he nearer of a law, not
the well wishing, receives the reward,
but the doer. the obedient! Here, then,
we find ourselves in difficulty. With
our hearts, our minds, we approve
Gods law and desire to be obedient
to him, but find, as ST. Paul says, that
| many things we wish to do we fail to
accomplish; and many of the things
we do not wish to do we cannot avoid.
eve cannot do the things that we
mands of Go5's law. We disapprove
the imperfectIons of our own flesh.
Like st. Paul. we cry out, 20 wretch
ed man that 1 ami who shall deliver
me from this dead body ?"-this body
| that is imperfect through inherited
| sin and weaknesses. With our minds
| we serve Gods law and approve it;
| but with our bodies we come short
| What is our hope? How shall we be
| delivered? Can we prevail upon God
| to change the reasonable requirement
| of our text so that it shall read. What
| doth God require of me but to will
justly and do imperfectly? We can
| not hope for such change in the di-
vine law Are we then hopeless as
respects divine approval and eternal
| life? (Romans vii. 17-24.1
The Gift of God Is Eternal Life.
In our moment of perplexity we
| through Jesus Christ our Lord" The
message of peace is that what we
| could not do for ourselves in the way
| of lifting ourselves UP to divine APP
| prevail God has provided shall be done
/ for US through our Lord Jesus Christ.
| Our failure to keep the law marks us
| as unworthy of eternal life, and
| worthy of the wages of sin-not eter-
nal torment, but death. God in mercy
| concluded to offer US eternal life as a
| gift-because of our not actually merit
| ing it under his legal requirements.
| Thus we read, 1.-THE wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
| (Romans VII 23). What we could not
i obtain legally under the divine re-
| quirements God proffers to us as a,
gift. But the gift is a conditional one
i as expressed in the words, through
who accept Jesus Christ as 1.-The Way,
the Truth and the Life may have
Gods gift OF eternal life. Hence it
will be seen that it is wholly a mistake
i to suppose that the heather at home
i or abroad can get eternal life, the gift
of God, in ignorance of Christ. All the
scriptures confirm this and declare not
only that we cannot save ourselves by
u obedience to he terms of Gods law,
but that there is none other name I'M
der heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved"-through faith in
his name-th- ough faith in his blood
| (Acts iv,12).
/ But how is this done Justly? and,
why does Col SO limit his gift of eter-
nal life?
II Gods law represents himself and
cannot change. He cannot require less
than perfection. To do so would be to
depraved and imperfect beings. God
has a higher plan than this and de-
clares, LAS the heavens are higher thar
the earth, SO are my ways higher thar
| your ways (ISaiall ", 81. He explains
that his ultimate purpose is that there
| shall be no imperfect creature in al
| his universe. Ali whose hearts are
| loyal to him and the principles of his
government shall be perfected, and al
others shall be destroyed in the second
death. Thus, eventually, every knee
shall bow and every tongue confess tc
j the glory of God. Then every creature
which is in heaven, and on the earth
and under. the earth, shall be heard
saying, Blessing, and honor and glory
| and power be unto him that sittetI
upon the throne, and unto the LIANT
/; forever (Revslation V. 49,.
, You Are Bought With a Price
I'll Possibly God could have arranged som
! other way of dealing with sin and sinner
which would not have required the dealt
| of Jesus as the Ransom price, the pur
y chase price. the redemption price for sin
Q ners. But the fact that this method wa
1 that no other method would have been 81
a wise, so Just so beneficial. No othe
: | method would have so fully demonstrate,
? Gods Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power
In brief, then. Gods arrangement i
I that all Of his human creatures shall hav
4 opportunity of full return TO harmon
: with himself. provided they wish to do sc
e provided their hearts. their wills, are full
J. his Law-the requirements set forth il
= our text GOD has provided in Jesus TO
| spects all of the condemned race who de
r sire to r return , to his a; favor t,,
- of Chr1stendom that only repentance fror
1 sin and endeavor to put it away from GU
thoughts and words and deeds, combine
g with faith in the Redeemers sacrifice an
d a full conservation of heart and life t
V do the Fathers will-nothing short of thi
? attainment will gain the salvation whic
a God is now holding out to mankind T
q such the Apostle explains that the right
= eousness, the full demands Of the La,
g of God. his fall requirement. lis fulfille
o in us who are walking not after tn
e flesh. but after the Spirit tRomans vii
n ~. From the moment of our conSecra
4 ton and begetting of the holy Spirit Go
= deals with this class as with sons. II
, trains them in the School of Christ, dis
i ciplining, Christening, proving them, test
, ing the sincerity of their consecratio
n Vows and the loyalty of their hearts I
II those who prove faithful the great re