The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-10-09

said of David: "Wherewith should he
reconcile himself unto his Masterf
Should it not be with the heads OF
these men?" Clearly, the thought was
not that David would lay aside his en-
nifty against Saul, but that David
| would lead Saul to lay aside his en-
nifty against him. by turning against
| the Philistines In battle.
Again, Matthew 5 IA reads: Leave
there thy gift before the altar and go
thy way; first be reconciled to thy
brother and then come offer thy gift"
The idea is not that the man at the
altar shall lay aside his displeasure
against his brother. Instead, 1t is the
| brother who has somewhat against
him and reconciliation is brought
about when the brother Is led to lay
aside his displeasure.
So, In v. 10 of our text, where Paul
says: "When we were enemies we
were reconclled to God by the death
Of his Son." he can have In mind only
Gods laying aside of his enmity against
| us.
This is brought out by the fact that
v. 10 is parallel to v. 8, where he
speaks of "being justified by his
blood" Justification is certainly
Gods action and we conclude that rec
onciliation, which corresponds to it
in our text. is also Gods action.
Enemies of God.
Again, Paul speaks Of our being ten
emies" Many hold this is to be I'M
derstood actively, representing men as
"haters Of God" But we submit 1t is
to be understood passively, showing
men to be "hated of God" This Is in
accord with the reference, in the pre-
ceding verse, to "the wrath of Cod"
from which sinners need to be saved.
Moreover, such sense Of "enemies"
Is found in Romans II :2S: "These
| (Jews) are enemies for your sakes;
but as touching the election, they are
loved for the fathers sakes." Enc
miles," here, stands over against "be-
loved" so that 1t signifies "hated."
1t will seem hard saying to some
that God has ever taken such an at
titude to men that he has needed to
be reconciled. But the following wise
words by Doctor Clifford, profound
Bible scholar, are to be well pondered:
ut Is no figure but deep and essen
tial truth, that God hates sin; and
since sin is necessarily personal, the
sinner as such, l. G. so far as he will
fully identifies himself with his sin, Is
hated of God, his enemy. But God
loves everything he has made. He can
not love man as a sinner, but he loves
him as man, even when he is sim
analogy: the more a father loves his
son, the more he hates in him the
drunkard, the liar or the traitor. Thus
| God, loving as his creatures those
whom he hates as self-made sinners,
devises means whereby they may be
brought back to him."
Men make much of their laying aside
their enmity against God. Oh, that
there might dawn upon us the won
der of the fact that God, through the
death Of his Son, can consistently lay
aside his wrath against his enemies
and become reconciled to them!
| Human Side Of Reconciliation.
But now we are ready to emphasize
the fact that there is also a MAYNARD
side of reconciliation. 1t appears in
v. IL Of our text which states that.
through Christ. eve have now re-
ceived the reconciliation"
Well may Paul say we "joy In God"
when, by our acceptance OF Gods
mercy, the reconciliation is made mu.
tual
MY God is reconciled,
His pardoning voice hear:
He owns me for His child
| 1 can no longer fear:
il With NnnAdanna L Arox x,lexl.