The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-05-31


part:
AS Bible students we find it more
and more necessary to study the Scrip
lures discriminatory. Righteousness
and Justice represent the Divine Law,
the Law Of the Universe. On the 9TH
er hand, such words as Mercy and
Grace recognize mans fall from right
eousness and tell us of the Divine sym
pathetic provision being exercised to-
ward mankind with view to their
deliverance from their unrighteouS
condition-the opening of a way for
their return to perfection and harmo-
ny with God, and to eternal life priv
| ileges of righteousness
Every suggestion and arrangement
looking toward Divine mercy is Scrip
turally associated with our Lord Jesus
the worlds Redeemer. His death
provides the ransom-price for Adam
and his race, while His Messianic
Kingdom is provided as the means or
channel by and through which the
willing and obedient Of the redeemed
will be brought back to perfection and
made able again to fulfill the require
ments Of Justice and enjoy its blessings.
Hence we find the Scriptures cOntin-
ually setting before us the high stand
ard of Divine Justice, and also setting
before us the fact that Divine Love
has provided mercy for the sinner
through the efficacy Of the Redeemer's
work. For centuries God exhibited the
principles of Divine Justice, not only
in His Law which He gave to Israel
the measure of perfect mans ability
but also in the fact that Christ died,
'the Just for the unjust that He might
bring us back into harmony with God
and His righteousness.
Hitherto, however, Gods people have
unwittingly narrowed down the grace
of God and minimiZed the work OF
Christ and the efficacy of His redemp-
tive sacrifice by asserting that all of
the blessings are for the Church and
none for the world-that they are for
the present Age, and that with its con-
summation all hope will expire, and
the world, the non-elect, will suffer to
all eternity without ever having tast-
ed of the grace of God in Christ-with-
out ever having come to even a knowl-
edge of that provision for sinners.
Two SaIvations-Two Penteoosts.
A more careful study of the Bible
is revealing to Gods people all over
the world the fact that He has for
mankind two distinct salvations-one
for the Church and the other for the
world-and each of these salvations is
introduced by a Pentecostal blessing.
That the Church is merely first-fruits
unto God Of His creatures is distinctly
stated by st. James Il, 1S). and this
certainly implies that there will be
er-fruits-the world in general.
Note the Apostles statement respect
ing the meritOrious value, the efficacy
of Christ's sacrifice, both for the
Church and for the world: he says:
"He is a Precipitation for our sins (the
church,, and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the ,ohole Dorld"
q John ii. - The Church is the elect
"first-fruits," or as st. Paul declares,
1.-The Church Of the First-born, whose
names are written in heaven" Through
this elect Church eventually the bless
ing of God is to be extended to all the
willing and obedient of the non-elect.
This does not mean that all mankind
will attain salvation, everlasting life,
but it does mean that to all will come
the opportunity for escape from the
curse of sin and death which came
upon all through Father Adams sin.
Neither does it signify that all who
gain life will gain the same kind OF
salvation-that all will gain everlasting
life on the same plane Of glory. Quite
to the contrary. The fact that the
elect Church is called and tested in
advance Of the world implies that her
salvation will be on a higher plane
than that of the world, and this the
Apostle clearly states when he assures
us. 1--WE must all be changed" be-
cause flesh and blood cannot inherit
the Kingdom of God"
The change Of nature from earthly
to heavenly, from the human to the
divine, is part of the superior bless
ing provided by the Lord for those
| who now walk by faith in the foot
steps Of the Redeemer The blessings
to the world. on the other hand, will
not include a change of nature, but g.
restitution or restoration Of the willing
| and obedient to human perfection. such
as Adam enjoyed before he sinned. be-