The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-12-26
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Choose Ye This Day"
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For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that who
soever believeth on Him should not per-
lsh, but have everlasting life"
The closing of the year and the open
Ing of new one is properly considered
an opportune time for balancing the
books and carrying forward profit and
loss. and for determining advantageous
policies for the future. 1t would be a
pity, however, to be thus prudent re-
speeding earthly matters and careless re-
specting higher interests
We may safely say that no human soul
can strike a thoroughly satisfactory bal
ance of accounts at the close of the year
unless Jesus has been partner and coun-
sellor, And every one dissatisfied with
his status-every one who finds himself
weary, heavy laden, perplexed and dis
couraged-we would have know how to
begin the new year Alright by entering
into covenant relationship with the Re-
deemer, who declares, Come unto Me-
all We that labor ana are heavy laden,
and | will give you Matt Il :2S
Today's study Is full of helpful instruc-
tons. The very first lesson to be learned
is that God so loved the world" The
difficulty in the past has been that we
have not emphasized the Love of God
How could We, when cur eyes of under
standing were misdrected by our ereeds
away from the God of the Bible to a
creedal image which pictured the Heav-
emily Father in most satanic colors-more
loveless. more unjust, more diabolical,
than any human being we have ever
known and any demon we can possibly
imagine! 1t is well that as Christians we
have tried to forget those horrible pic
lures and to fill our minds with precious
texts, such as the one Of today's lesson
But while we have gotten away from
the doctrines of demons" as St Paul
calls them q Timothy 4D. we forget that
Christendom still holds up these horrible
slanderous creeds before the world. him
dering them from getting even a glimpse
of the length breadth. height and depth
of the love of God, which passeth I'M
derstanding," and giving them, instead
terrible misrepresentation of the height,
depth, length and breadth of divine in
justice. We have thus been unintention-
ally driving the world away from God
But the people of God are awakening
to the truth, and gradually gaining cour-
age to assert 1t. We are now met with
the difficulty that the world has so thor
oughly believed our blasphemy of the
divine character that they can scarcely
btiCNt Tire eIdtlOuS lilcSSdSt Oh the Blule
when we bring it to them.
might Not Perish
Our text illustrates our blindness of the
past. 1t does not say, as we once sup
posed that God gave His only begotten
Son to save us from eternal torture. Quite
to the contrary, 1t declares that His mis-
sion was and is to save from perishng.
When brute beasts die, they perish. God
has made no provision for THEN resur-
rection. Under the sentence, Dying,
thou shalt die" mankind would have
rerished like the brute beast, without
hope, had 1t not been for Gods mercy
and provision in Chris. Christ died for
ocr sins tasted death for every man
to the intent that all men might have
resurrection.
Because of Jesus death there is to be
resurrection, not only of the just who
now come into harmony with God through
faith, but also of the unjust-the unjustI-
fed, whose eyes of understanding have
not yet been opened to See the grace of
God. Thus we read, "As ali in Adam die,
so all in Christ shall be made alive"
"Since by man came death, by man also
Christ jesus comes TIE resurrection of
the dead"-''every man in his own or
der"
''The Better Resurrection
and Immortality is only for those called
during this gospel age who lay aside
every weight and run the race for the
Prize with patience. These sanity ones
Jesus declares will constitute the royal
priesthood. who with Himself as the
Royal Chief Priest, viii be engaged in
blessing the world, resurrecting mankind
from sin ana death conditions, curing the
thousand years of his messianic reign.
The resurrection of the church begins
in the present life with believers, who in
their minds rise to newness of life in
Christ. These will be perfected by the in
Simultaneous change mentioned by the
apostle-'When this mortal shall put on
immortality" changed in moment in
the twinkling of an eye;" for flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom Of God"
"WhOsoever Believeth in Him.
The divine plan is pu.posely so ar
ranged that none can obtain erlasting
life except through personal relationship
to Christ, the Redeemer ard exercise OF
faith In His redeeming blood and obedi-
ence to His counsels. This being true, the
heather are not yet saved. None OF those
living before Jesus came irto the world
are saved And the great mass of our
friends and neighbors. yea, or our own
families. are still unsave1, for they have
not como into vital Relationship with the
Savior. HE that hath the Son hath life;
he that hath not the Son shall not see
life."-1 John SIP; John 1896
Testified in Due Time"
But st. Paul, commenting upon the fact
that Jesus died ransom price for all.
declares that this Is to be testified in due
time. q Timothy 2:5, 81 Gods due time
for the testimony to reach the world evil
IDENTIFY has not yet come. The testimony
began when Jesus brought life and i'm
morality to light through the gospel"
AS we read, so great salvation began
to be spoken by our LORD. Hebrews 2:3
Since then, few here and there have
heard of Gods grace and have seen some
thing of His providences. Jesus congrat-
ul9ted this class, saying, BLESSED are
your eyes, for they sec; and your ears,
for they hear" The great mass of man
kind see and hear not; for, as st. Paul
explained, the god of this world hath
tlirded the minds of them that believe
not to hinder them from seeing the true
light of Gods grace, shining in the face
of our Lord Jesus."-2 Corinthians 4:4-6.
God hath permitted this blindness, but
de clares that under the blessed influences
of Messiah's kingdom the true light shall
shine everywhere. He also assures us
that ''aii the blind eyes shall be opened
and all the deaf ears unstopped." Our