The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-03-20

fEH&$$A A&HA lyy LII IAoI WSoAo
include not only
the souls Of the
condemned, but the demons In hell
and even satan himself. But he means
all the things which 1t has pleased
The father from the beginning thus to
reconcile. The definite article In the
Greek suggests this as the thought,
which Is made clear by the other
teachings of the Bible on the same
subject. Among those things which 1t
pleased the father to reconcile to him.
self are the believers on Jesus Christ,
and 1t Is Of their reconciliation espe-
cially that Paul here speaks.
1. First he shows our need OF
reconciliation, by telling us that we
were sometime alienated and enemies
In our mind by wicked works"
Sometime" covers the whole period
Of our lives from physical birth to
our new birth by the holy spirit. All
that time the natural man Is alienated
from God. And not only alenated,
but hostile to God, an enemy, as the
text says.
What Arc Wicked Worksf
This enmity need not show itself
necessarily In giving way to the lower
and baser appetites Of the body.
There are cultivated men and women
who are able to control these appe-
tites, but who are at the same time
enemies to God IN their mind. e.,
In their modes of thought and feeling,
which are contrary to his revealed
will. And this enmity must IN the
very nature Of the case. show itself IN
wicked works.
II. Second. he shows the source OF
our reconciliation, which Is God him
self. "Yet now hath he reconciled u.s."
The very one from whom We were
Rlienated and against whom we were
enemies Is the one who r%econciles us.
He who might the vantage best have
took
Found out the remedy"
This Is grace, especially when we
understand that 1t does not mean prt-
marily that we became reconciled to
God. but that God became r~econciled
to US. This he did by taking that sin
out Of the way which was the barrier
to his reconciliation.
III. This leads Paul to speak in the
third place Of the means Of our
reconciliation which was the work OF
Christ for US on the cross as our sub
stitute Saviour, In the body Of his
flesh through death" Why say the
body Of his fesh?" Why not say Ibis
body" without adding "aesh?" Be-
cause there was a heretical sect In
that day which denied the materially
of Christ's body. They believed in a
spiritual, but not a material. mediator.
ship.
But Christ had a real body and real
flesh and real blood which he offered
In Precipitation for our SIM. he passed
through real suffering and died a real
death. Such is the teaching Of this
verse.
Nv. And this brings US to the fourth
point, which is the result Of our
reconciliation, presented holy and
without bIenish and unchanged in
Gods sight" This Is true immediate
ly OF every believer the moment he
accepts Christ by faith as his Saviour.
Oh, II everybody in this s%in-cursed and
sin-wearied world only knew and be-
lieved that! If they would only pause
In the rush Of things and listen to
II for a single moment!
The Battle Of Concord Bridge.
At the battle OF Concord bridge, at
the beginning of the revolution. when
John Buttrick 60 the command to
fire It was to British subjects he gave
It, but 1t was obeyed by American
citizens. In other words, In that in.
slant their condition became changed.
though the experience Of that change
was a thing Of growth. So the instant
a man takes Christ IS his Saviour,
he stands before God free from the
guilt Of sin, without blemish and
without charge. And this is grace!
The final point in the lesson is the
proof Of our reconciliation, which is
that we continue In the faith, rooted
and grounded and not moved away
from the hope Of the gospel" Paul Is
speaking not to the false teacher who
went out of the church, but to the
true believer who stayed in. Those
who are true to the faith delivered
once for all to the saints" have tie
witness in themselves that they arc
r~econciled to God.