South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-03-13
SAYS MAN MUST
REALIZE HIS SIN
Rev. John s. Burns Declares
This is Speakers
Big Task.

The fact that a man is sinner
e not the point the preacher is driv-
ing at. but the fact that the man
must realize his sin is what the
preachers are trying to convince
sinners Of once this is accomplish
ed. the rest is easy" said Rev. John
$ Burns. pastor OF Trinity Presby-
terrain church. Sund s. evening in his
sermon on the subject Man Needs
10 Realize That He is a Sinner
Tn part, the pastor said.
Shall we be able OF our own
striving TO wash our sins away or
attain unto that degree OF holiness
that we may stand In His presence:
n we are as good as so and so, who
is a Christian: il we do nothing
that is so very bad. II we are good
moral men. or IL we give large
gifts 20 religious purposes, greatly
serve humanity, go to church regu-
larly'. pray often, If we do ali this,
then viii we not be saved?' Not so.
Christ says. SO you also, when you
have obeyed all the orders given you,
must say, There is no merit in our
service: what we have done is only
what we were In duty bound 20 do
We are not saved by being good
or doing good If we were. then we
might have room to boast. Then We
might say we have no need for places
OF worship. no need for God, no need
for a divine Saviour. God seemed
TO think that man was helpless to
save himself or else He would aOt
have sent His Son into the world to
die for man in order that man might
be saved. so we see that our saliva
ton in some way hinges on the life
and death Of Jesus Christ, the di-
vine Son Of God. Only a Goldman
can satisfactorily reveal Gods love,
Gods requirements. and mans sin.
In the presence of the sinless Christ
we cry out with Peter: Depart from
me for I am a sinful man. or with
the jafler. What must / do TO be
saved and with Christ opened ears
we hear God saying. Believe on the
LORD Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved And. mind you, belief
here means more than mere intel
lectual assent. II means personal
commitment TO the Christ and the
following up OF all hiatt that COM
mittment demands. God requires
holiness. Christ was the only man
who ever met this requirement. and
only Goldman could ever meet it.
Now II we accept Christ as our
Saviour that means that His mo-
tives become ours. and His life is
lived by US. That being true. though
we do not attain unto perfection
sinlessness-yet God regard us as
sinless because we have accepted
the Christ and are striving 10 be like
a siness one God takes us not SO
much for what we are as for what
we are really trying 20 be in Christ
Jesus. And after all. what we are
trying TO be Is really what we are
at heart. Christ then in a very true
sense stands in our place before God
His holiness is taken for our holi-
ness because God takes us for what
we are becoming There is there
fore now no condemnation 10 them
that are In Christ Jesus So we see
that we are not saved by being good
or GJing good. but by the grace OF
God in Jesus Christ All our wor-
ship, our giving. our. serving is but
the outcome or yelling up OF the
love we have for the Christ who has
done so much for Us. Thus we gain
no merit. but we show our graft
tude"