The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-15
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ADAMS SIN PUNISHED-THE
DEATH CURSE

bond servant of sin.-John, vii:34.
Adams first sin brought the penalty
specified in this lesson, but it is not the
thought that subsequent sins brought
other additional penalties. The Bible
proposition is that God, having made
Adam perfect, required perfect obedience
as the condition of his continuance In q
vine favor and everlasting life One G..
obedience broke the covenant betwce
God and Adam, by which he was guar
anteed everlasting life. UIosea 81, Mar
GIN He dropped from favor Immediately
under the sentence, Dying, thou shalt
, die"
Nothing that Adam or his children could
do subsequently could alter that sentence
or recover covenant relationship with
God. The death renalty was the limit It
| could not be increased by subsequent sins,
just as a murderer sentenced to be hanged
could not receive a more severe penalty.
whether he had committed one murder
or a thousand. BY laws of heredity,
Adam transmitted to his race a share
of what he possessed. both good and bad.
! Hence we We're all born in sin and
''shapen in ini1uity."
AS Adam could rot increase his penalty.
neither can his children. As Adam could
not restore himself to covenant relation
| ship With God, neither can his Children.
| But as Adam could by obedience to the
divine law, prolong the process of his
| dying. so may his children. He was 939
years dying before the death penalty was
! fully attained. But the impairment
/ Wroupbf Inv ain lac ca frouracSad tt,ot
many of Adams children die in infancy,
and few maintain the struggle for assist
ance for a hundred years
Death the Curse-Not Torture
Our forefathers during the dark ages
got some strange MISUNDERSTANDING of
! the Heavenly Fathers character and
plan. misunderstanding the Bible to teach
| that God arranged for the eternal torture
of all mankind except the sanity church,
| they sought to copy their misconception
of Jehovah by torturing their fellow crea-
| lures We must not think of our fore
fathers as fiendish at heart but as de-
/ ceived by what st. Paul calls doctrines
| o demons" We sympathize with their
Sodly intentions, hut reprobate their dew
| ilish' procedures.
| Because Gods people have been grad
TALLY getting back to the teaching of His
| word, and its spirit, the horrible prac-
| tices of the past no longer approved.
But many have much yet to learn re-
| spectng the true plan of God-the true
teaching of the Bible
! One of the arst lessons for us to learn
| is that the curse which God pronounced
against our race is not eternal torment
at the hands of devils; but plainly and
| simply. as the APOSTLE says. THE wages
of sin is death" Then he points us to the
/
cured for all through the Redeemers
death at Calvary. The Apostle therefore
adds, But the gift of God is eternal life
| through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Ro-
mans, 623) All experience the death pen
atty All will have opportunity some time
of learning of Gods grace in Christ and
of regaining everlasting life through Mes
| siah's redemptive work and His milennial
kingdom.
For some a lirtle flock who in this age
have ears to hear and hearts to obey the
| Masters voice, Coo has provided glorious
| things. far superior to anything hat
/ Adam had or lost. TO those who walk
in Jesus footsteps. God promises a share
i'm the first resurrection. These will con-
stitute the Bride class, joint heirs with
the Master in His glorious kingdom, soon
to be established for rolling away the
curse of sin and death and lifting up hu-
manity to all lost in Eden and redeemed
at Calvary. As king of kings and lord o.
lords Messiah will put down all things
opposed to the divine will.
The Lesson of This Study
II our Christian forefathers could prop
erly have appreciated today's lesson, they
would have known what the Bible teaches
respecting the wages of sim and would
soon have seen how seriously public
thought had driftcd away from the divine
testimony. to doctrines of demons How
distinctly God forwarded our first par
ents that eating the forbidden fruit
would bring upon them the death penalty
After they had disobeyed, God drove them
out of Eden, that the penalty pronounced
I against them might be accomplished Had
they continued in Eden. eating of its life
sustaining fruits, they would have lived
indefinitely. In order that the sentence
of death might be executed, they were
driven ont and the angels flaming sword
| protected the entrance to Paradise.
Why Evil Was Permitted
The Bible distinctly tells us that God
foreknew the fail cf man, before the foun-
dation of the world, and provided the
Lamb of God TO take away the sin of the
world God hal glorious purpose inter-
woven with His PERMISSION of sin, which
the majority but family discerned until
lately Jesus inlinated that shortly he
! fore the establishment of His kingdom
His church will he like company of 'vir-
gins some wise and some foolish lie
irtimated that the wise virgin class Will
! understand features of the divine plan
previously kept secret.