The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-11-03

l&$S ~ A on one side. sets
4 the JOY bells ring
ing in ouc'S = heart (;
the truth on the other side tolls out
Il doloruuS sound like death kucU.
one part OF the text is hllcd with
the sunshine that kisses the roses and
the lilies into bloom; the truth ON the
other side is like the huckuess OF
midnight one side tells us about
wages; the other side speaks hope
fully of gift. Wages or GfL
which?
Lct us look at the sombcr side OF
/ the text. "Ihc wages OF sin is DEATH
| Wages come 10 one I'm return for la
bor given. They are supposed To be
/ the just compensation for services rem
I dercd. SIN here is represented us
paying wages. | presume somc have
never thought of sin i'm just that way
| before. Sin has been considered ms
something over which We have CON
troll; when the fact is, sin is master
of the one who commits IL. This is
the truth Christ states when hc says:
1
servant of sin" (John S:3O.
Now the text tells Us that the slave
of sin receives MS his wngc. death. The
Scriptures make clear what this wage
IS. II is i'm the first place
Physical Death.
Contrary TO the modern view that
the death Of man is natural, the Scrip
| lures teach that IL is unnatural.
Man is, according To the Scriptures,
triunc being; body, soul, and spirit
U Thcs. :23). IL is the union Of these
three that constitutes his complete
personality. The body the soul, the
! spirit j. each II part Of himself and
death which mutilatcs man by sever
ing this union IS n physical cOnsc-
qucnce OF sin: "Whcrcforc as by one
man sin entered into the world and
death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinncd"
Rom. 5:12).
Whatever else the modern view
may deny of the teaching Of the Word,
IL IL 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 dcuth 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 mon.
There rs no truth against which man
more strcuuously rebels than This one,
that hc is spiritually dcad for II there
is one thing be believes about himself,
IL is that ho is very much alive. And
so p" may Dee IN many ways, but not
spiritually. The verdict OF the Word
Of God is that hc ls "doa1 through
trospassos and sins" Ophcs. 2:1-2).
Thus our LORD indicated when hc said,
"Ncrfly verify. / say unto you. tho
hour Us coming and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice NJ The Son Of
God: And they That hear shall live"
Gohn 5:2J. II 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 llfc and some unto the
resurrection Of damuation wv. 2229).
The truth as Christ presents II IS that
rs he has power 10 rulsc the physically
dead, and will; so be ha- power 10
raise the spiritually dead; 10 quicken
whom he will
But physical and spiritual death are
not all Of the wago sin pays. They
are only the prelude 10 the fun Hnd
final wages of sin which IS
Eternal Death.
Spiritual death has already taken
place in men. This Is true of the on
tire human race, but blessed be- God,
spiritually dead men may live: For
the hour Is coming and now is. when
the dead shall hear The voice Of God
and they that hear shall live Ono.
$3.50.
To SicOdemus, Christ rngde lt plain
what men spiritually dead must do m
order 10 live: as Moses lifted MP the
serpent 10 the wilderness, even so'
nid Jesus. "ruust The Son ~ Man Doe
lifted mp that whOsOevcr bclIcycth ln
him should not perish, but have eternal
life." John 3.lf-1J).
Not 70 look In faith 20 the Lord
Jesus Christ as ones Savior Is 10 re-
main spiritually dead and 20 remain
spiritually dead is 10 receive finally
the full wages Of sln-etornal death
John 10; .3G).
what an awful sOlemnlzing truth.
But over against ~ is the blessed word
that "the gift ~ God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord Which
shall II be- wages or a gifti