The Mena weekly star., 1916-07-27

opsis:
 The Pastor declared that there is a measure of truth in the welI-known expression, ''rhe fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man but not in the sense in which 1t is commonly used-that since God is the Life-glver of the world, therefore He is under obligation to save all mankind--that the world is to have universal saliva ton. While the thought of universal salvation is much to be preferred to that of universal damnation, yet nei- ther is wholly Scriptural. According to the Bible God is the Father of all, Him when He created Adam. But Adam forfeited his sonship by his dis obedience; and his entire race have been born in a condition of alienation from God, Only through faith in the redemption effected by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ can any human being hope for salvation.
 The speaker reminded his audience that the word father means life-giver, one who bestows life. He pointed out the Bible declaration that all life ema- mates from God alone, and that the Heavenly Father recognizes His re- sponsibility in this respect. Every earthly parent has responsibility for his child. It is his duty to make pro vision for the child's welfare physical, mental and moral. Whoever cannot do this has no right to bring child into being This seems to be just prin- ciple, one generally recognized by all intelligent people. Then surely 1t would apply to the great Father from whom comes every blessing.
 People Misled by False Theology.
 This thought contradicts much Of current theology; for when the creeds tell us that God is all-wise, all-power- ful. loving and good, they spoil it all by declaring that, notwithstanding His Wisdom. Justice. Love and Power, He is sending the vast majority of man. kind to endless misery-in other words. that He has made a miserable failure in creating mankind. and that His Plan of Salvation is a farce. Even without Bible. we should have known better than this. The only reasonable explanation for our believing such teachings is that given by the Apostle Paul-that Satan has 30 blinded the minds of many that they seem unable to reason intelligently upon the sub ject.-2 Corinthians A; l Timothy 4:1. The Adversary has shrewdly backed up the theory of eternal torment by the mortal and therefore cannot destroy him. How puerile the idea that in ere ating man. God gave him something that even his Creator is powerless to take from him. This theory is direct ly contradicted by our Lord Jesus Him self, when He said, Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Ge- henna"-the Second Death Matthew 1928; Ezekiel 1894. 20; Psalm 145:20
 Some of our learned people talk about ''the fatherhood of God and the broth erhood of man" This thought is not upheld in Scripture. While the Bible declares that mankind are the offspring of God, that He is their Creator, yet 1t does not say that He is now the Father of the race. Many of these men urge the theory of eternal salvation for all mankind. While preferable to the theory of universal damnation. this theory is also unscriptural
 Through Sin Game Death.
 The plain declaration of the Bible is that our first parents received life from God and were forewarned that if they disobeyed Him He would take that life from them. Not even hint was given that the penalty for disobedience would be a life continued in eternal torment. Genesis 2:17; 3:l9: Romans S.23) Man lost his right to life by taking a wrong course. From Gods standpoint. the hu- man race is dead. Thus we see that mankind today are not children of God. Adam was son of God until he for feited that blessed relationship. Since his sin there have been no human sons of God except Jesus while he was in the flesh.
 When our Lord came into the world, He opened up way whereby those who would follow closely in His steps might become sons of God on the very highest plane of life. If faithful unto death, they would share the glorious reward which the Father had promised Him-immortality. life in its highest form. For over 1900 years the Call to saintship has gone quietly forth. Comparatively few have responded But it is to these alone that God now becomes the Father.--John 1:12; Ro-