Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-08-23

dry bones had been gathered together,
breathed upon from heaven, vitalized
and made to stand upon their feet, on
exceeding great army ready for battle.
II you are Christian believer, be-
ware Of thut which minimizes the I'M
portance OF Christian doctrine.
The value Of Christian truth and
doctrine lies in It's ability to supply
Spiritual power, to furnish moral in
centiVe and to impart mental vision
: or understanding. This very truth Of
Christ risen from the dead, tho first
fruits of them TINT slept, Is an ex-
ample OF this. When believed and re-
celVed 1t operates In saving way:
III thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus Christ, and shalt be-
Hevc In thine heart that God hath
raised Him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved"
Salvation Comprehensive.
Salvation is a big word, and COM
prehends the whole process Of Gods
remedial work, past, present and fu-
ture. 1t includes the resurrection of
Christ as the firstfruits and the res
direction Of believers In Christ as the
harvest. The firstfruits is the pattern
and pledge Of the coming harvest. In
the Mosaic law the Hebrew people
were directed to bring q sheaf of the
field, like other sheaves that were to
be gathered later, and to wave it be-
fore the Lord as the first sheaf Of the
harvest. So Is Christ presented as
the firstfruits Of the glorious and
plenteous harvest to come-"Because
Il live, ye shall live ALSO" There Is
spiritual power In this. What Is true
of our Lord Is true Of evcry believer
In Him. Everything Is made depend
ent on the believers position rs united
to Christ. This underlies the whole
philosophy Of the Gospel message, in
which we are invited to change our
position from headship in Adam to
headship in Christ, who through His
atonement for sin and Ills victory over
death and the grave, has become Sa-
vtor to all who put their trust in
Him.
The doctrine Of our identity with
Christ and our participation in His
risen life and victory supplies moral
incentive for holy walk, and for
sacrifcial service. This very truth
Of the bodily resurrection Of Christ
and Of the resurrection Of Christian
believers when He returns, is the
ground Of the appeal in Cor. IS :69--
Wherefore be We steadfast, uDmov-
able, always aboundlng in the work
OF the Lord, forasmuch as ye know
that your labor Is not In vain in the
Lord"
The Apostle John used the same ba-
sis of appeal and finds moral incentive
In the same facts-"Beloved, now are
we the sons of. God, and It doth not
yet appear what we shall be. but we
know that when He shall appear we
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him
as"He Is. And every man that hath
this hope in him purineth himself, even
as He Is pure"
These great doctrines concerning
the future blessings of Christian be-
levers are never presented as abstract
truths or for mere academic discus
sion. but as vtalizing truths supplying
the necessary incentive for the conflict
with evil within and without.
Worldly Philosophy Inadequate.
Such truth rs this concerning our
great ht vest, to follow imparts
clear mental vision and understand
Ing concerning the future 1t re-
claims the future from that drenry In
defniteness and unthlnkableness into
which false philosophy and false spir-
ltualism have put 1t. The New Testa-
ment teaching Of the resurrection is
plain, and when believed it saves us
from the delusive teaching against
which the Holy Spirit through the in
spired writer's always puts Christians
on their guard. Beware, lest any
man spoil you through philosophy and
vain deceit, after the tradition Of men,
after the rudiments Of the world, and
not after Christ" This philosophy
may he very attractive; 1t Is to the
natural mind. 1t has In 1t a specious-
ness and an appearance which prom
tse much, but which In the end give
no rest, no power for n holy life and
no solid hope for tho future It be.
longs to the rudiments Of the world
md Is not after Christ.
The religion of the New Testament
Is plain and homely. It begins With n
babe In n cradle. 1t follows that
babe all the way through death and
resurrection to tho place Of power
where tho cruclflcd and risen Man is
seated on tho right hand Of God. It
bids us live in tho risen Lord and look
to become like Him, risen in His very
image in glorhed body when He
shnll come From the heavens Jo