The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1911-09-28
Why Jesus
Shocked
Nicodenus

/ K1UA " Is not subJec TO the law
80 Sf e See 5o.l "slinsr 4nis !. 1ds'd irs'S saS
which every man who has
really tried to live Christlike 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 make those about us
feel that we are as good. as smart, !
1 as capable as any of them. And
within proper bounds-that is, under |
subjection to the desires that should |
be uppermost In our hearts-some OF
these natural desires are lawful and
wholesome But the trouble Is that
these natural impulses take posses
sion Of our hearts and crowd out the
desire for the only kind of life that
is worth llving--a life OF sacrifice and
OF loving service. And for this reason
these impulses. which Paul describes
as "the mind Of the flesh" Instead
of being helpful to us. become HARM
full; 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.
II follows therefore that they that
are In the flesh cannot please God"
, No man who is under the control OF
his natural impulses. however inno-
cent these may seem to be, can live
a life of subsection to the law OF
', G.I 80 Nd
Answer to Problem.
:. What then? How can man
u change his own nature. so that In
stead of coveting and striving after
the things OF this life as his chief OBJ
- ject Of pursuit, he will take delight
:, In making sacrifices for the sake o
" Christ, and in trying to promote thu
glory of Christ?
a There is only one answer to tha
question: He cannot do 1t. mot wha
would. that do l practice;" sau
says, but what l hate, that l do.
For the flesh lusteth against tn
20 Spirit, and the Spirit against tn
- flesh. for these are contrary the on
40 to the other; that ye may not do tn
- things that ye would"
- The case Is quite hopeless whe
w. looked at only in the light of our ow
70 capabilities. Unaided human ell
~ deavor cannot possibly fit man fo
~ ' fellowship with God.
'io Indeed. not only do mans naturi
ol Impulses interfere with any atteml
no on his part 10 draw near TO God. b
ce they tend to ALLEVIATE him from Go
anA ladu AnQ
nu for fellowship with God the longer
b" allows himself to be governed
these impulses
This shows the absolute necessi
for the knock-down blow which Jes'
gave to Nicodemus. He met the pio
= but self-Iighteous Pharisee with q
| startling declaration, "Ye must
II born again." 1t Is nC. merely SON
thing more than the righteousne
which you already possess that y
| need, but an entirely new kind
righteousness; you need change
heart, change Of nature. And II
| is what every man needs.
| Beginning Of New Life.
| Jesus described the needed chan
as e new birth. II is the beginni
of a new life, spiritual life. A
this new birth into new life
i brought about by the incoming and
dwelling of the Holy Spirit, who
news and vitalizes the spirit OF
man, and so gives him an impu
y toward God that is strong enough
- overcome the natural impulses VIII
lead away from God.
ove- "Ye are not In the flesh, but
sn't the spirit II so be that the Sp
Of God dwelleth In you. But II
man hath not the Spirit Of Oh
he is none of His. And If Christ
cted in you the body is dead because
sin; but the spirit is life because
= righteousness"
"The body Is dead" dead to SD
ual things, because OF sin"
though the man has been born ag
and has become child of God by
- indwelling OF the Holy Spirit, the
sires and impulses Of his physical
ture still lead away from God,
the spirit is life because OF righte
ness" He has been washed In
blood OF Christ and made righteou
Gods sight, and his spirit has
ouickened and filled with hope
brought into harmony with God,
his whole life is inspired by
y consciousness of Gods love.
Il