Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1911-09-13
Why Jesus
Shocked
Nicodenus

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which every man who has
really tried to live a Christ-iike life
must have discovered by experience.
Our natural impulses and desires lead
away from God. not toward God. BY
nature We desire pleasure, We desire
outward success. we desire to have
our own way. we desire to assert our
selves and to maze those about n.
reel that we are as good. as smart,
us capable as any OF them. And
WITHIN proper bounds--that Is, under
subsection TO the desires that should
Do uppermost In our hearts--some of
these natural desires are lawful and
wholesome. But the trouble In that
these natural impulses take posses
sion or our hearts and crowd out the
desire for the only kind of life that
Is worth living-a life OF sacrifice and
o' loving service. And for this reason
'hese impulses. which Paul describes
A the mind of the flesh" instead
Vi oeing helpful to us. become harm.
'ui' they antagonize every effort on
our part to form higher conceptions
OF the meaning OF life and to live in
the light OF these higher conceptions.
IL follows therefore that "thoy that
are In the flesh cannot please God"
NO man who is under the control OF
mis- natural impulses, however tnno-
cent these may seem to be, can live
life OF subsection to the law of
God or OF service for God.
Answer to Problem.
What then? How can man
change his own nature. SO that I'm.
stead OF coveting and striving after
tho things OF this life as his chief OBJ.
lect OF pursuit. he will take delight
In making sacrifices for the sake of
Christ, and In trying to promote the
glory Of Christ?
There is only ono answer to that
question: He CANNOT do 1t. mot what
would. that do l practice;" Saul
says, but what l hate, that I do"
For the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit. and the Spirit against the
flesh; for these are contrary the one
" the other; that We may not do the
things that we would"
The case Is quite hopeless when
looked at only In the light OF our own
capabilities. Unaided human en-.
deavor cannot possibly fit man for
Fellowship with God.
Indeed, not only do mans natural
Impulses interfere with any ATTEMPT
on his part to draw near to God. but
they tend to ALLEVIATE him from God.
SO that he has less and less desire
for fellowship with God the longer he
allows himself to be governed by
these impulses.
This shows the absolute necessity
Tor the knock-down blo,. which Jesus
gave to Nicodemus. He met the pious
but self-righteous Pharisee with the
startling declaration, "Ye must be
born again" II is NJ. merely some
thing more than the Righteousness
which you already possess that you
need, but an entirely new kind OF
righteousness; you need a change OF
heart. change OF nature. And that
liz what every man needs.
Beginning Of New Life.
Jesus described the needed change
as a new birth. II is the beginning
OF new life. a spiritual life. And
this new birth into a new life In
brought about by the incoming and In.
dwelling OF the Holy Spirit, who re-
news and vitalizes the spirit OF the
man, and so gives him an impulse
toward God that is strong enough to
overcome the natural impulses which
lead away from God.
"Ye are not In the flesh, but In
the spirit IL so be that the Spirit
OF God dwelleth in you. But II any
man hath not the Spirit of Christ
he is none OF His. And II Christ is
in you the body Is dead because of
sin; but the spirit Is life because OF
righteousness"
THE body 10 dead" dead to spirit
ual things, because OF sim" AL
though the man has been born again,
and has become G. child of God by the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the de-
sires and impulses OF his physical ma.
ture still lead away from God, but
the spirit Is life because OF righteous.
ness" He has been washed In the
blood OF Christ and made righteous IN
Gods sight, and his spirit has been
qujckened and filled with hope and
brought into harmony with God. and
HIS whole life is inspired by a new
consciousness Of Gods love.