The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-01-22
The Cod Of All Grace.

MY VI bhNit'HiHB 9bus ltb tht th'iN-
fore tell You now of another Chris
tianity, Of which probably you have
never before heard. fromivthe same 81
BILE used by the missionaries here and
confessed by us all TO be Gods Mes.
sage, but at present very different
Message from that which my brethren
confess. / call them "brethren" be-
cause assume that they are sincere i'm
their presentations. | once held simi-
lar views. l once preached also the
damnation and eternal torture Of all
who do not accept Jesus in the present
life and become His footstep followers.
l should be sympathetic toward them,
and am. Nevertheless, this must not
hinder me from using this opportunity
to make known TO you the clearer light
that now shines upon Gods Word
find that the darkness Of error which
beclouded my eyes Of understanding
tame from the creeds and that the 81
bic most beautifully and most simply
presents God of all Grace, a Father
Of Mercles, from whom cometh every
good and every perfect gift. and with
whom there Is no varlableness, neither
shadow Of turning (James /. III I
know from my examination Of our re-
llgious books that the Bible alone pre-
sents this God of kindness, compassion
and sympathy. All other gods are full
Of pride, anger, hatred malice. and all
need appeasement 20 avert their fury.
The God of the Bible. the true God
of Christianity, Is All-Lovlng, All-Klnd,
Ever Merclful, and tells us so. Il Is n
great tallacy which declares that He
hos damned humanity to a hell of tor
ture at the hands Of Gre-proof demons.
On the contrary, the Bible declares that
the wage or penalty OF sin Is death, and
that this is the explanation of the gem
cral prevalence Of human weakness
and frallty, mental, moral ana physical
death. In our text st. Paul tells US
that tho whole creation-all mankind
are groaning and Travelling in pain now
because OF sin and It's death penalty.
This has been in progress for six thou
sand years. It comes not through Di-
vine persecution Of His creatures, but
by natural laws Of heredlty passing on
the weakness. mental. moral and phys
ical. from parent to child from genera
tion to generation, by law Of nature.
God has simply permitted this Law to
take It's course in dlsobedent man.
Does God Pity Us7
You may perhaps ask me IL the God
who Is loving, generous aud kind does
not pity humanity in It's present dying
condition, even though we have come
into this state through the violation Of
Divine law. Could not God Of Love
do something for our aid?
That, my dear friends, IS exactly
what l wish to point out The Bible
declares that the Divine Law broken,
its sentence must stand unless In some
manner justly satisfied. If perfect
man could be found, willing to sacri-
flee his life in reparation for father
Adams disobedicnce and forfeited life,
then God could be just and accept the
sacrifice and allow Adam and the re-
malnder of his race TO go free from
the death sentence. But no such per-
feet man could be found. There IS
none righteous. no, not one. All were
born in sin; none therefore could give
TO God ransom for his brother, as the
Scriptures declare. psalm xix, ~
What then? God flgumtively repre-
sents His sympathy, saying that lie
looked down 70 see our condition and
He hearkened- to the groans OF the
prisoners Of sin and death. He beheld
that there was none that could pity
or succor because all were under sen.
tence. "Then His own eye pitled and
His own Arm brought salvation" How
beautiful the picture Of Divine com
passion hearkening to the groanlng
creation!
The Arm of the Lord Revealed.
The Arm of God means, symbollcal-
| ly. Divine Power He revealed this
Arm in the arrangement which He
made for the payment Of our death
penalty, in the sending of His Son,
the Man Christ Jesus. who, by the
| grace Of God. tasted death for every
man." AS a perfect man had slnned,
God provided a perfect man TO be the
Redeemer, that as by man came
death, by Man also should come the
resurrection Of the dead; for as all in
Adam die, even so shall all in Christ
be made alive. every man in his own
order.-I Corinthians XIV, %.
Do you now catch glimpse Of the
mercy, the compassion. the love of the
Christian God to us, who appeals to
the heart as being different from any
other god Of whom you have ever had
knowledge! Think OF God, Infinite
In Power, as being careful Of His fall
en- creatures, and providing, even at
self-sacrilce for their recovery!
But you will say. Where Is the re.
covery? Are we not still sick. mental
ly, morally and physicaly-a dying
race? What has the death OF Jesus
accomplished for us? That Is a good
question; the answer TO it will bring
you much enlightenment respecting
Gods loving character and glorious
Plan for humanity. The Bible teaches
us that Jesus, who redeemed mankind.