The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-12
BROOKLYN TABERNACLE.
GODS WORD NOT MANS.
Mark vii, 1-fs-October 1s.

Mark vii, 1-13-October IS.
For the Kingdom of God is not
| meat and drink, but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. =
Romans, xiv, II.
The study today shows that the
Pharisees of Is centuries ago, while
processing to keep carefully the Di-
vine Law, and even boasting of faith
fulnesS in this respect, had gradually
gotten away from Gods Word and
become followers of human tradition.
And surely the same is true of Chris
tians today. The Bible is the recogniz-
ed Authority, but each denomination
of Christians has it's own theory, its
own prOof-textS, it's own catechiSin.
When the Bible is read the gloss or
Interpretation of the accepted creed is
before the mind and wells it. Thus
Christians are divided into 900 different
SectS, with very little prospect of COM
ing together, because each one in
sists upon using his own creedal spec
tacles in the study of the Bible.
If truly wise, would not all Chris
tians cast aside and destroy these
creed spectacles which have so long
separated US, given false coloring to
various passages of Gods Word and
confused our minds in general? Would
it not be following Heavenly counsel
and Heavenly wisdom to take a diff
ferent course and to begin a study of
the Word of God afresh in the light
which shines from one page upon
another?
Eating With Unwashed Hands.
In this lesson the Pharisees inquired
why the followers of Jesus were not
instructed along the lines of the Tai
mud-to be very careful to always
wash their hands before eating, as a
religious duty.
Answering the Pharisees or these
points, Jesus said to them, You are
the holy people mentioned by Isaiah
the Prophet, saying, ''This people seek
eth Me with their lips, but their heart
is far from Me. But in vain do We
worship Me, teaching for doctrines tho
commandments of men,
Jesus gave them an example of how
they neglected the Divine command
nlents while giving so much attention
to ceremonial washings, commanded
not of God, but OF the Talmud: The
Mosaic Law commanded that father
and mother should be honored and that
he that spoke evil of either should be
put to death. But this command had
been changed by the Talmud and any
man might be free from his parents
by consecrating himself and substance
to God and religious uses. Having
done so, according to the Talmud. he
was freed from all obligations to his
parents. Thus they had made Gods
Greet commandment null and void.
This was the conflict between the
teachings of Jesus and of the Phari
sees. Both claimed holiness and strict
observance of the divine law, but
Jesus held to the Word of God and
the Talmud, the traditions
of the Elders, and the Pharisees neg
lected the Word of God and held to
the traditions. What are we as
doing today? Let US hold
fast the faithful Word" The Word
of God, which is able to make US
wise" Let us search the Scriptures
daily and critically, and abandon |
everything which conflicts Herewith. |
What Is Gods Kingdom?
Our text is frequently misunder-
consists in Righteousness and peace |
and joy in the Holy Spirit. The con-
text shows that this is entirely a wrong |
Let us see:
Let US bear in mind what we have I
already seen respecting the kingdom /
mentioned in the Bible-that it is the |
glorious reign of Messiah for a thou |
sand years, for the uplift of the hui
man family, and that during that
reign the church will be associated |
power and honor. The call of this
Gospel Age is to select this bride class
md to develop them and make them
meet for the inheritance of the
saints in light"
The Gentiles who came into mem
oership in the Body of Christ were
lot required to conform themselves to
he demands of the Jewish law. For
a Jew, according to the law,
night not eat fish that had no scales,
nackerel, etc, neither might he eat
-abbit meat, nor pork, and in a variety
If other ways he was restrained and
limited in his eating and drinking.
But none of these restraints apply to
Christians who have come from |
amongst the Gentiles and who never
lave been under the Law Covenant |
by the renewing of their
minds, they have come to appreciate
nd love righteousness and truth.
These things they prize and not spe-
tally the privilege of eating pork or
ONE other thing forbidden to the
ews. Joy in the Holy Spirit, fellow
hip with the Father and with the
ION and with all who possess the
pirit of righteousness, is the privi-