The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-06-26

l& & who were one time
S&&A$ %& alienated and enc
IlPAST3R RUSSeLll mics in your mind
------- by wicked works.
yet now hath He reconciled in the body
of His flesh through death, to present
you holy and unblameable and unre-
provable in His sight. II We continue in
the faith" etc.--Colossians |. 21-23.
Our text is a wonderfully condensed
statement of the grace and power OF
the Lord operating in His Church-His
faithful footstep followers. The more
we ponder our text and its context the
more we must admire the lengths,
breadths, depths and heights of the
Divine Power enlisted on our behalf,
and admire also the faithfulness and
ability of the Apostle as the Divine
mouthpiece. 1t is really too wonderful
for the natural man to believe that the
grace of God could ever present before
the Divine presence and glory, perfect
ed, holy. faultless, irreproyabe, such
imperfect, unworthy creatures as we
by nature are! Well did the poet ex-
press our sentiments in the words: I'm
a miracle of gracer'
The Apostle is not speaking of a
Power Divine working in the heart Of
a perfect man. fitting him for glory,
honor and immortality on the Heaven,
~ plane He declares, on the contrary.
that His words apply to those who
were at one time alienated from God
opposed to Him in their minds as a re.
suit Of wicked works Such even Di-
vine power is able to transform. The
key to this transformation lies in the
human will. If it be fully surrendered
to the great Redeemer He undertakes
to bring about the grand results de
clared in our text Force indeed could
be used. and the Scriptures assure us
that force to some extent will be used
during the period of Messiah's reign.
but now, in selecting those who will
be Jesus companions in glory. none
are dealt with except such as give to
the Lord their hearts. their wills, de
string Him Ito work in them to will
and to do of His good pleasure"
ftiiS otSo
The great Apostle did not neglect to
here reiterate the fact that before any
thing could be done by way of recon
Cling sinners to God Il sacrifcia work
was necessary. The great Creators
sentence Of death upon the race could
neither be ignored by Himself nor by
any oil err No reconciliation to God
could possibly be accomplished which
would bring the sinner back into full
fellowship and the enjoyment of Di-
z vine favor and everlasting life except
rs the penalty for original sin should
irst be met. SO the Apostle reminds
ms that the One who is able to pre-
tent us holy and blameless and unre-
provabie is He who has already made
reconciliation for us lin the body OF
His flesh through death"
Let us pause here long enough to i'm
Dress upon our minds this great Bib
icai fact, that it was the death OF
Jesus which secures for Father Adam
and incidentally for all of his race con
aemned in him n release from the
heath sentence which came upon him
is violator of the Divine Law. And
ct us not forget that there is an in
Unite difference between a death sen
tence which God did inhict and an eter
nal torment sentence which the creeds
Of the Dark Ages misled us into be
iieving was the Divine penalty pro
nounced against the sinner
1t was because the sentence. Dying
thou shalt die" was pronounced
of Jesus was Il Ransom-price sufficient
10 secure the sinners release-and the
release from death by q resurrection OF
all of Adams poSterity who shared
the results Of his sentence Thus WI
see the force OF the Scriptural declara
ton that las by n man came death. by
Man also came the resurrection from,
the dead; for as all in Adam die, even
so all in Christ shall be made alive
rvery man in his own order."-l Co
rnthians XIV, 81 %
But the Fathers grace operating in
Christ Jesus designs more than merely
the adjustment of the death sentence
y 4iSlNtf iN'Af'NA' W. 'tih iiNlNiN W -
us back into the condition in which
death overlook us is not the Divine
Program 1t is further reAching; il
aims at our complete upift out of sin
as well rs out OF death. its penalty
out of weakness and OUT of imperfer
zion OF every kind. II aims TO max
us holy. righteous. and The Apostle
fravrs no rom for any nisuuderstand
Ing respecting the degree Ot righteous
mess he rgSult j. not n he merely
fishtnnne ,vil 90 % r1rhfeollS purnns
"a -- ------