Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-20

ffocks and went to worship Him whom
we worship and TO whom every knee snall
bow and all nations come TO confess as
Christ the Lord. His star appeared IN
the east, guiding the scholars il tnelf
search for the newborn r>ng to Bethie-
hems manger. where they worshlped f1ln ~
by their gifts of gold, frankincense ana
myrrh.
The babe of Bethlehem has become the
greatest force in history. He has chang
ed the. currents of civilization. reformed
the nations of the earth by TRANSFORMING
the character of men. He controls today
the destiny of all mankind through His
personality, people and power that IS 81
lently revolutionizing the nations o. the
world by bringing them all up TO the
standard of His program, principles and
policy.
John tells us that his gospel was writ
ten that the Christians whose falth was
corrupted by false teachings of the clos
ing days of the first Christian century
concerning the character OF the Chrlst
might come to believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God: and that beiiev-
ing We may have life in his name.
The religion of Jesus rises and falls
with the character of its founder. In this
Christianity is unique among the great
religions of the world. john selected MS
material largely from his personal ex
perience as a disciple of Christ with a
view of confirming the faith of the Chris
tians whose spiritual life had been weak
ened by the spirit OF the age that Dues
toned the very fundamental facts or their
religion concerning the DEITY oi Jesus
Christ.
The spirit and scope Of John 5 gospel ap-
peals to the Christians OF the twentieth
century who have seen the 1altn once
delivered to the saints passing through
in recent years the trials of hostile crit
icism for It tells US the very things from
the career of Jesus that confirms our
faith in His deity and gives energy
through His name" to our lie 70 carry
forward the work of world eyangelization,
on which He has sent US. until every
creature shall have heard of Jesus Christ.
the Son of God, as their savior. me
purpose OF John caused him to open his
gospel by pointing to Christ's eternal
existence.
Eternal Existence.
The problems of the period revolved
around the character of Jesus. just as
they have done during the modern transit
tional epoch. As If by a law of spir-
Christ and battled with the Masters
life labor and lessons to demonstrate
that Jesus is not the product of the
forces that are resident in human Ire
and In the order OF the world, but his
personality is identical with the creative
intelligence and will that Is the ground
and source OF human life and the visible
universe" The career OF Jesus among
men, with its wondrouS earthly history,
stupendous miracles and marvellous
words. forbade His life being fairly clas-
sihed as simply human. The civilized
world has made no mistake in declaring
by its calendar that the birth or Jesus
marked the beginning or new era OF
tremendous spiritual force.
The history of such a life cannot COM
mence with ChristS public ministry, as
in Mark: with his marvellous birth, as
in Luke: or with just a genealogy, as IN
Matthew; the starting point or John
gospel gives a complete casual explana-
ton of the unique nature and career OF
Jesus, for the last Apostle places the be
ginning back before the foundation or the
world by telling US that In the begin
ming was the Word" 1t is evident that
John had the opening OF Genesis in his
mind when he penned the opening words
of the prologue of his gospel, for the
amazing correspondence is more than &C
cidental.
You may push back the moment de-.
scribed as 1.-The beginning" far enough