The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-02-25
PULPIT.
WHAT
GOD REQUIRES
OF US
Text. What Doth Thy God Require Of
Thee. but to Do Justly. and to Love Mercy.
and to Walk Humbly With Thy God ?"
(Micah Vi. 81

and to Walk Humbly With Thy GodP"
(Micah Vi. 81
ly of your neighbors as you would
have them speak of you? Or do you
hold up their imperfections to ridicule,
as you would like to have them hold
up yours? Do you guard your tongue
so that you speak only things sou
would think proper for your neighbOr
to speak respecting you. if you changed
places?
Simple Justice-Nothins More.
Do you not begin to see. dear friends.
that what God requires of us is much
beyond what the majority have been
rendering? Do you stand appalled, and
tell me that it would be impossible TO
live fully up to that standard? agree
with you. And st. Paul agrees. say
ing, I'VE cannot do the things which
we would" The Scriptures again
agree and declare There is none
| righteous. no, not one. All have sim
ned and come short of the glory Of
God"
What shall we do? Shall we say
that because we are unable to live up
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
us it is. TO ignore our best ideals of
justice would be to take off all the
brakes and permit the downward tend
encies of our depraved natures TO go
rapidly from bad TO worse-to carry us
further and further from God and the
standards of character which he ap-
proves. We can surely be content to
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 up to our highest concep-
lions of our God-given ideals and
standards. would God accept of this
and count us worthy Of his favor and
Of eternal life? Surely not. The Law
of the Lord is perfect. Justice is
Justice. Not the nearer of law. not
the wellwishing. receives the reward.
but the doe. 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
4 hi, -tcl. tn IN vun fott
TO accomplish: and many Of the things
we do not wish to do we cannot avoid.
"We cannot do the things that we
would" We approve the excellent de-
mands of Gods Law. We disapprove
the imperfcctions Of our own flesh.
Like st. Paul. we cry out. 20 wretch
ed man that ! am. 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 aud 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
Divine Law. Are we then hopeless as
respects Divine approval aud eternal
life? (Romans vii. 17-24.)
The Gift of God Is Eternal Life.
In our moment Of perplexity we
hear Gods message speaking peace
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 &c, 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
gift-because of our not actually merit
ing it under his legal requirements.
Thus we read. The wages of sin is
death: but the gift OF God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
(Romans vi. 23). What we could not
obtain legally under the Divine re.
quirements God proffers to us as a
gift. But the gift is a conditional one
as expressed in the words. through
Jesus Christ our Lord" Only those
who accept Jesus Christ as the Way.
the Truth. and the Life" may have
Gods gift of eternal life. Hence it
will be seen that it is wholly mistake
to suppose that the heather at home
or abroad can get eternal life. the gift
of God. in ignorance Of Christ. All the
Scriptures confirm this aud declare not
only that we caunOt save ourselves by
obedience to the terms Of Gods Law,
but that there is none other name w.
der heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved"-througb faith in
his name-through faith in his blood
(Acts iv. 12).
But how is this done justly? and.
why does God so limit his gift Of eter-
nal life?
Gods Law represents himself and
cannot change. He cannot require less
than perfection. TO do SO would be to
fill the Universe to all eternity with
deprayed and imperfect beings. God
has higher plan than this and de-
clares, "As the heavens are higher thar