Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-11-11


the truth on the other side tolls out
a dolorous sound like death kneA-
One part of the text is filed with
the sunshine that kisses the roses and
the lilies into bloom; the truth on the
other side is like the blackness OF
midnight. One side tells us about
wages; the other side speaks hope
fully of a gift. Wages or a gift
which?
Let us look at the somber side of
the text. ssThe wages of sin is death"
Wages come to one in return for Ia
Dor given. They are supposed to be
the just compensation for services rem
dered. Sin here is represented as
paying wages. / presume some have
never thought of sin in just that way
before Sin has been considered as
something over which we have con-
troll; when the fact is, sin is master
of the one who commits it. This is
the truth Christ states when he says ::
.'Whosoever committeth sin is the
servant of sin" (John 80.
Now the text tells US that the slave
of sin receives as his wage, death. The
Scriptures make clear what this wage
is. 1t is in the first place
Physical Death.
Contrary to the modern view that
the death of man is natural, the Scrip
lures teach that it is unnatural.
Man is, according to the Scriptures.
a triune being; body, soul, and spirit
OThes :23). 1t is the union of these
three that constitutes his complete
personality. The body. the soul, the
spirit Is each a part of himself and
I'll. Il
ing this union is a physical conse
quence of sin: Wherefore as by one
man sin entered into the world an6
death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned'
(Rom. 5 :12).
Whatever else the modern view
may deny of the teaching of the Word.
it is in perfect agreement with this
statement of the universal reign OF
death over man. This is an obvious
fact that cannot be denied.
But physical death is by no means
all of the wage sin pays Awful as it
Is. more terrible by far is the
Spiritual Death,
which, because of sin, has passed upon
all men.
There is no truth against which man
chat he is spiritually dead; for if there
is one thing he believes about himself,
il is that he is very much alive. And
so he may be in many ways, but not
spiritually. The verdict of the Word
of God is that he is sdead through
Srespasses and SINS (Ephes. 2:1-2)
Thus our Lord Indicated when he said,
Verify, verify. / say unto you. the
10. nd &c. he
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God: And they that hear shall live"
tJohn 5:25). 1t was not of the phys
ically dead Christ was speaking, for
shortly after this he spoke of those
who are in their graves as hearing
his voice and coming forth, some unto
everlasting life and some unto the
resurrection of damnation (vv. $500
The truth as Christ presents it is that
as he has power to raise the physically
dead. and will; so he has power tC
raise the spiritually dead; to quicker
whom he will.
But physical and spiritual death are
not all of the wage sin pays. The,
are only the prelude to the full and
final wages of sin which is
Eternal Death.
Spiritual death has already taker
place in men This is true of the en-
tire human race, but blessed be God
spiritually dead men may live: "Fol
the hour is coming and now is, whel
the dead shall hear the voice of God
and they that hear shall live" elmo
$3.50.
To Nicodemus. Christ made it plail
what men spiritually dead must do il
order to live: 'iAs Moses lifted up tn
serpent in the wilderness, even so,
said Jesus. s.must the Son of Man b
lifted mp that whatsoever believeth ii
him should not perish. but have eterns
life." (John 3 :14-15).
Not to look in faith to the Lor
Jesus Christ as ones Savior is to re
main spiritually dead and to renal
spiritually dead is to receive finall
the fun wages of sin-eterna1 deaf
{John 1:12: 3 .36l-
What an awful solemnizing trutl
But over against it is the blessed wor
that @the gift OF God is eternal If
through Jesus Christ our Lord" Whic
shall 1t be. WAGES or gift2