South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-03-06
THE GOD OF The
BIBLE" Is THEME
OF SUNDAY SERMON
Rev. James l.. Gardiner De-
livers Interesting Address
at Il. Paul's Church.

The God ~ The Bible was the
theme ~ the sermon preached yes
terdav morning bv Rev James l.
Gardner. ID D. AZ the So. PauIs
Methodist Episcopal church.
To presenting tn.7 subject Dr..
Gardner said The God of the Bible
is not the God ~ the Pautheist.
Pantheism is derived from two
Greek vvords-Pau. mean.ns 'alI
and 'Theos meaning God Pam
the.sn is the he,iea that maintains
that 'AIr - Cod God is the uni-
verse Panthe.em asserts that God
does net exist ontslle the world. IL
denies God any distinct being apart
from the world and the world any
being apart from God Such a God
AZ this is not tho God Of the Old
Testament nor ~ the New Teta-
mcnt
The God ~ thte bible .s not the
God Of tho Deist The Dcist main
taIns that God Is district from the
world Tie is personal being who
has made the world and r,ade %
soif sustaining But On Deist
denies that God Is present active
is this world God 90 the Deist, is
merely an absentee eort Of God. The
Deist denies any special revelation
of God through Jesus Christ.
Nor is the God of The bible the
God % the narrow thoOlogian Tn
ali ages there have been narrow
theologians who have held 70 mar
row and false ideas Of Cod There
have been theologians who have
pictured Cod one who had
chosen part Of the human race 20
everlasting life. while He had cho-
sen the other part TO everlasting
punishment-and all for tho glory
~ the God we are called upon ito
Worship. This surely is not the
God ~ the bible.
Answer co Question.
What. then is the character OF
the Cod presented iu the greatest
book on religion the world has ever
known answer:
lie is "a personal God The high
est life known to- our consciousness
is personal Here fs the highest
standard OF values. And now when
we speak Of God shall We say Tt or
He for as some one has well said,
Worlds turn on the distinction.
We classify whatever comes 10 our
knowledge as either things or per
sons To which Of these catagories
does God belong
The bible distinctly answers this
question. 70 teaches us that God Is
not some great Tt tt teaches us
that God U.s. not merely some first
cause lie is a distinct. divine per-
sonahfy. 7 hold that this doctrine
Of the personality Of God is one Of
the great fundamental doctrines of
tho Christian faith I'm fact the
truth or tho divine personality is al
the very heart Of the bible Take
away this big word and YOU will
have nothing worth while left i'm tho
bible teachtus concerning God So
when Won think or the cod we are
called upon 20 Worship. do not thinE
of an lt or some great cause hut
think of divine being with intel
Iect heart and will
"Thc God of the bible is a living
God The rsalmist says. My hope
is iu God What was the secret OF
that hope? IL was To be FOUND I'm a
real belief i'm living God Pau
SAYS. We trust in the living God
And that is the great need Of today
- heller in the Eodness. love and
power OF living. personal God.
Best Word for God.
The God OF the bible is our hea
venly father I'm every religion NJ
matter how crude or strange there
has been tho idea that man wa,
related so God Then 10 centurie.
ago Jesus Christ came into this
world and Tie told men when the5
prayed that they were 20 look an
into the face of God and pray. 'Our
Father. who art I'm heaven
"Iesue taught us that the bigces
and best word for God was no
creator nor moral governor. bu
Father The doctrine of the di
vine fatherhuod of God is doCtrin,
that dinercn tiates christianitv from
other system Of religion
THE God cf Tho bible. then. is
divine being who is personal liv
ing factor in the world and on,
who stands in the relation of fathe
go the men and women or the world
such a Cod Is today. the great nee,
~ the individual. Of tho family. %
the church and OF the nation