Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1922-06-28

Em need Of distinct
= M% transformation oil
life called q new,
birth. We enter this life by birth
our entrance upon eternal life must
be preceded also by birth. Sin has
effaced In man both the moral and
spiritual image Of God. The new birth
restores both. This Is the uniform
testimony Of Scripture. The! best that
can be said Of the old nature, declared
to be dead In trespasses and sin (Eph.
2:D, Is that It retained, In spite Of the
fall, capacity to receive new life
from God and respond to His known,
will.
The parable Of the sower aptly III
Illustrates this. Therein four kinds oil
soil are represented. In three cases
the soil Is inhospitable. In ono case
only is the soil good. But even here tt
does not germlnate the seed nor create,
life within it. 1t only receives It, for
which 1t has tho capacity and fur.
nlshes hospitable environment in,
which 1t may develop and grow. The,
Interpretation Of the parable as gen.
orally given treats Of the soil as the
>N|A ASoA t'ilu VI Sllc 6ccu us lu6
Word Of God. It is therefore the plant;
Ing Of tho Living Word In the heart,
(Which has the capacity to receive 1t
and furnish hospitable environment
for Its development) that results in
the reproduction Of the moral and
spiritual Image Of God. This recep-
tion Of the Living Word into q heart
Is definite, and more or less clearly.
marked In the experience of the indi-
vidunl, being accompanied often by as
positive q crisis as when q child is
born into the world
In His talk with Nicodemus John
| 800, Christ gives us the one instru-
ment, the Living Word, and the one
active agent, the Holy Spirit, in effect
Ing the wonderful transformation
called the new birth. These divine
elements Of conversion are expressed
in other connections, as for instance,
'"That He might sanctify and cleanse
it with the washing of water by tho
Word" CEph. :2G); "Being born not
Of corruptible seed, but of incorrupt-
ible, by the Word Of God, which livcth
and ab:dcth forever" (I Peter :23) {;
and "AccOrding to His mercy He
saved us, by the washing Of regener-
alton and the renewing Of the Holy
Ghost" (Titus 3:5).
Whenever, therefore, the Spirit Is
mentioned In connection with water
1t signifies the Spirit Of God operating
In and through the Word. To be born,
therefore, Of water and of Spirit, is
, the New Testament way Of saying
/ thnf &l,1 Ct,>t,
agent, and the Divine Word Is the ef-
fective instrument In the new birth Of
Of the soul. 1T Is the Spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh proflteth moth.
ing; the words I speak unto you they
are SPIRIT and they are life" (John
0:63).
"Here then from Headquarters we
have n statement that His Words are
very spirit and life; that His Word
and Spirit are instrument and agent
In the immense work Of creating a
new nature for the believer" "In the
new birth, then, the Word of God ia
the seed; the human heart Is the soil !;
God by His Spirit opens the heart to
receive the seed; the hearer believes.
the Spirit quickens the implanted
seed into life In the receptive heart !;
tho new divine nature springs up out
Of the implanted Word; the believer
Is born again, created anew, made
alive, passed out Of death into life"
A remarkable brick, taken from the
ancient wall Of Babylon, bears the In.
scription Of one Of Its mighty kings.
In the center OF the inscription Is the
footprint Of dog. 1t was the custom
to imprint the royal mark upon bricks
used for public works. While this par.
ticular brick was lying in it's plastic
or soft state, drying In the sun, a
vagrant dog evidently trod upon 1t.
The kings inscription Is entirely IL.
leglble, while the footprint Of the dog
Is perfectly distinct. So sin has ef.
faced the image of God. leaving be-
hind It's own unmistakable mark. The
divine method Of recovering what was
lost In sin Is a new creation based on
an act Of faith In the finished work Of
Christ. QI Cor. 5:17.)