The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-03-27
CHRISTIAN LIFE
ANDITS VALUE
Must Be Born Anew"
Pastor Campbell
Emphasizes.
.PAUL's CONCEPTION
"Yield Yourselves Unto Cod
And Disregard Selfishness,
Is His Plea.

BY REV. J. ALVIN CAMPBELL.
Pastor of Wallace Memorial United
Presbyterian Church.
The Christfan Life and What IL
Offers. Gal. 2-2o.
Nowhere in all the writings of
the Apostle Paul does he strike
deeper than in the. words of the
text. Here he reveals the very
heart and core of Christ's teach
tngs regarding the Christ life. In
the text We have strong and clear.
the Pauline conception of the be-
levers union with Christ. Self
and selflshness are naiied to the
cross, and Jesus Christ is en-
throned in the life. II have been
crucified with Christ and 1t Is no
longer 1 that live. but Christ liveth
IN me; and that life which l now
live in the flesh, I live in faith,
the faith which is in the Son of
God who loved me and gave Him
self for me-"
I. Now. what do we mean by
Christian living? What Is the
Christian life? Our answer to this
question depends on the source of
our Information. Shall we consult
our emotions or our conscience or
our knowledge of things, or. shall
We come to these words OF the
Apostle Paul. and with him, try to
discover just what IL Is to live the
Christian life? From him we learn
that the Christian life is not a re-
formed life merely. not a weak.
sinful life NEEDED and patched. but
a new life. For. "Old things are
passed away. behold all things have
become new" We are told to put
of the old man and to put on the
new. and we and Paurs conception
Is akin to that of the great teacher.
He declard to Nicodemus that we
must be born anew born from
above" With Paul. the Christian
life means that We have put to
death self and selfshness, and have
enthroned Jesus Christ in our life.
And Christ is living and reigning
and working in and through the
believer. "Ye are dead and your life
Is hid with Christ in God"
Source OF New Life,
.. What is the source of this
new life? The words of our text
tell us plainly that the source is in
Jesus Christ. The Christian life Is
a life of union with Christ and of
harmony with His will. 1T is no
longer I that live. but Christ that
Hveth in me-" That is, have no
longer a separate life, for Christ
Is the source-the life of my life.
is its animating principle as
Veil as its object. For TO me to
live is Christ" And this is the
vital relation Jesus speaks of in
the parablr of the vine and the
branches II am the vine ye are the
branches" And one life. the life
OF Christ, flows through all. There
must be something very real and
very wonderful to justify such
language as Jesus here used. Just
as the sap from the tree flows
through the branches. So the life
OF Christ imbues and fills the be-
Iieyer.
,. What instrumentaiity makes
possible and maintains this union
between Christ and the believer?
This question Is also answered
for US. The life now live in the
flesh. I live in faith, the faith which
is in the Son of God. who loved me
and gave Himself for me-" Paul
always uses the term faith when
describing the Christian life. He
tells US We are justified by faith"
We walk by faith" We live in
faith" Faith leads US to Christ.
and 1t is the bond OF our Union
with Him.
VnIse Of Faith.
In speaking thus, Paul uses a
term that is fundamental and es-
sential in all life. For all life. in
the last analysis, rests on faith.
The business of this country could
not be carried on without the eIe-
ment of faith. The great difficulty
with America and with Europe to-
day is that business men lack faith
in each other and in the future.
Ou= education Is largely a question
of faith. for here we must take the
word of others. The same is true
Of life in the home. Without faith
in each other, there can be little
Of real home life.
This Is essentially true in regard
to our relation with Christ. With
out faith il is impossible to please
Him" He that believeth on the
Son hath the life" For God so
loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son. that whatsoever
believeth on Him should not perish.
but have everlasting life"
"YIeId YourseIves."
4. what will the Christian life do
for US?
Whatsoever believeth in Me shall
be saved and whatsoever belieyeth
not is condemned already" Ask
John what II will do for us. and he
tells US "In Him Is life" Ask the
Apostle Peter, he tells US I'VE are
redeemed by the precious blood of
Christ" Turn to the Apostle Paul
II can do all things in Christ who
strengthened me-" Ask the Master
Himself. And we hear Him say.
MY sheep hear My voice and ]
know them and they follow Me.
and I give unto them eternal life
and they shall never perish. and
no one can pluck them out of My
hand" There is salvation. and new
life. and safe keeping. for every be-
lever in Christ Jesus.
Is IL not a tragedy that our God
has provided this wonderful new
life In Christ for every believer.
and yet comparatively few have
accepted this new life, and trust
Him for II. II the influence of the
Christian home and the Christian
Church is waning, It is not because
our Christ. but because self in some
degree still holds sway in the be-
Iiever's heart yield yourselves
unto God"