Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-06-08

and even satan nlmSelI. But ne means
all the things which it has pleased
the father from the beginning thus to
reconcile. The definite article in the
Greek suggests this as the thought,
which is made clear by the other
teachings of the Bible on the same
subject Among those things which it
pleased the father 10 reconcile to him.
self are the believers on Jesus Christ,
and it Is of their reconciliation espe-
,2iaily that Paul here speaks.
l. First he shows our need of
reconciliation, by telling us that we
were Sometime alienated and enemies
tn our mind by wicked works"
Sometime" covers the whole period
of our lives from physical birth to
our new birth by the holy spirit. All
that time the natural man is alienated
from God And not only alienated,
but hostile to God, an enemy, as the
text says.
What Are Wicked Works2
This enmity need not show itself
necessarily in giving way to the lower
and baser appetites of the body.
There are cultivated men and women
who are able to control these appe-
titles, but who are at the same time
enemies to God in their mind. e.,
in their modes of thought and feeling.
which are contrary to his revealed
will And this enmity must In the
very nature Of the case, show itself in
wicked works"
II. Second, he shows the source of
our reconciliation, which is God him
self Yet now hath he reconciled u.s."
The very one from whom we were
alienated and against whom we were
enemies is the one who reconciles us.
''He who might the vantage best havs
took
Found out the remedy"
This is grace, especially when we
understand that 1t does not mean pri-
marily that we became reconciled to
God, but that God became reconciled
TO US, This he did by taking that sin
out OF the way which was the barrier
10 his reconciliation.
III. This leads Paul to speak in the
third place of the means of our
reconciliation which was the work Of
thrist for us on the cross as Off sub
stltute Saviour, I'm the body of his
flesh through death" Why say the
BODY of his fiesh?" Why not say his
BODY without adding "fiesh?" Be-
cause there was a heretical sect in
mat day which denied the materially
OF Christ's body. They believed in
spiritual, but not material, mediator
ship.
But Christ had real body and real
nesh and real blood which he offered
IN Precipitation for our sin, he passed
through real suffering and died real
0eath' Such is the teaching of this
verse.
w. And this brings us to the fourth
point which is the result OF our
accumulation, presented "holy and
~''n'Ut bIemish and unchanged in
Uoas sight" This is true immediate
~ u every believer the moment he
accepts Christ by faith as his Saviour.
0Dl Il everybody In this sin-cursed and
a'"-"eaF'ed world only knew and be-
ne'eo that If they would only pause
~ the rush of things and listen to
II IOT q SiNgle rnCpooptt
me Battle of Concord srIdae.
=, Al the battle of Concord bridge, at
I"e beginning of the revolution. when
coAh Buttrick gave the command to
a., a'e 1t was to British subjects no gave
~. 'o' II vas obeyed by American
'1eNa IN other words, In that in
s'o"' 'ueir condition became changed.
r"00sn the experience of that change
vas 'olng of growth. So the instant
""h takes Christ as his Saviour.
nn,, s'"nds before God free from the
sgI,' OF sin, without blemish and
I 7u charge. And this is grace
Tue lnal point in the lesson Is the
,h ,oo' OF our reconciliation, which is
ora continue in the faith, rooted
grs . sIouhded and not moved away
sr o'" ,ae nope of the gospel" Paul is
az 'I I%. not to the false teacher who
~ cut of the church, but to the
WY oeiieVer who stayed in. Those
MY MY are true to the faith delivered
w. WE Ior all to the saints" have the
mess ness IN themselves that they ara