The Green Forest tribune., 1912-02-23

Three things deserve special notice In connection with the scene of the baptism of Christ: The baptism it. self, the descending dove, and the heavenly voice
 The baptism of Christ Is connected with the fact that Christ was thirty years old. This was the age when Le- vitical priests were set apart and con secrated to their office. The baptism, therefore, has reference to the priestly office of Christ. By submitting to bap- tism Jesus identifies himself with the worlds sin. He appears as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" Christ was born with specific reference to mans sin, so he here identifies himself with that sin, for removal of which he had come in- to the world.
 Christs baptism then was not per sonal-for he himself was sinless. The lesson tells us that while others. after their baptism, stood confessing their sins in the Jordan, he immedi- ately went up out of the water, for he had no sins to confess-but official and representative. Christ submitted to the same baptism which the genera tion of yipers had received, not be- cause he was one of them, but because he was their representative. and had come to take upon himself their sins. Christ, in submitting to Johns bap- tism, set his seal upon the divinely appointed ministry of John as the full | tillment of the Old Testament prophecy. He recognized In Johns baptism Gods plan for him, and he submitted to 1t without questioning. If any man in his own right did not need baptism, 1t was Christ. By this act, Jesus set his seal upon the rite of baptism, rite which may be aban- doned only when 1t no longer teaches any truth. Rebellion against customs and rites for rebellion's sake Is vicious individualism
 The descent of the Holy Spirit indi- cates Christs equipment for his serv- ice. In his sermon in the synagogue he referred to this truth when he said, the spirit of the Lord God is resting upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel. Even Christ could not accomplish his life work without the aid of the divine spirit Nor can we.
 The voice from heaven could scarce ly have been heard by Christ without his associating it with the identifica- ton of himself with the servant of the Lord In the prophecy of Isaiah (chap- ters 42 to 60).
 The temptation is closely allied to the baptism of Christ; indeed, it is based on the proclaimed sonship of the baptism. From this we learn that the greatest temptations ofttimes, in- deed generally follow the greatest blessings.
 The temptation was real event, and not mere mental or soul strug- gle. The personality of Satan is as evident as the personality of Christ In the narrative. Nor is there any thing in the story to indicate that 1t is an allegory. but everything predi- cates a reality.
 All of the temptations were along the line of Christs intention to estab- fish the Kingdom of God in the world Satan's suggestion to Christ was to take short cut to the obtaining of the Kingdom The adversary did not 1 ask Christ to do a single wrong thing; he did suggest doing right things in wrong way and with wrong 1 tc ivn ip being hungry and satisfying hunger, but 1t Is sinful to use wrong measures to satisfy even so natural an appetite. Nor is 1t wrong to trust in the word and promises of God for deliverance when we find ourselves in places of danger. but it is wrong to unnecessar- fly place ourselves in compromising positions because of the temptations of the evil one, and then presume to rely upon the promises of God to extricate us from 8 position into which we have thus been brought. Such Is not an act of faith, but of presumption-it Is tempting the Lord God. Nor is 1t wrong to engage in the act of worship, but 1t Is sinful to worship anything or anybody other than God, even though by thus worshiping we gain worldly ennoblement thereby.
 Christ's method of victory Is signi- ficant He does not resort to dazzling inventions or manifest any attempt at shrewdness in his answers. He does not even try to be original. He goes to the quiver of Gods word, and takes out an arrow that had been polished by much use, and hurls 1t at the ad- versary. He exemplies the psalmists expression: Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee" No doubt Jesus quoted from memory. Herein lies the bless ing of learning gospel texts, and of storing the memory with scripture
 Jesus was tempted in all points like as we are. We must not think that these three temptations were the only ones Christ endured. even in the wild erness The narrative says that When Satan had finished all the (whole cycle of) temptations. he left him for a season" This implies that there were other temptations, and that his whole life was beset by temptations. There is not single note in the great organ of our humanity, which, when touched, does not produce a sym pathetic vibration in the mighty scope and range of our masters being ex- cept the jarring discord of sin. He was tempted in all points like as we are. yet without sin He is able therefore. to sympathfze, with and help | ua ip all our fam nt q tfonc