Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-08

fake doctrines concerning Him? VIII
they still believe that He is coming
as He said and be watching for
Him; or will His delay have made
their hope of His return grow dim,
and be absorbed in the things Of the
world piling up treasure for them
selves or trying to make a kingdom
of heaven out of a sin-cursed and
condemned world? Will the unre-
pentent, for whom He has made this
extra time, be trusting Him, or be
more wicked because of repeated
refusals to yield to Gods pleading?
Will the world be trusting in Him
for righteousness, the righteousness
which is by faith; or will they be
trusting for Righteousness IN what
they can do, or are doing, or are not
doing?
Justified by Faith
That question made the parable OIL
the Pharisee and the publican neces-
sarv, for He spoke it to those VINO
trusted in themselves that they were
righteous and considered everyone
else unworthy of any consideration.
He was here not teaching, therefore,
about the attitude of prayer in gen
eral. but about how to be JUSTIFIED,
how to have that Righteousness we
ought to have when He comes.
The teaching is again by marked
contrasts. The Pharisee and the
publican go up into the temple to
pray Everybody expected that OF
the Pharisee, nobody would have
thought it of a publican. The Pharl-
1ooco-onT1't SOC
him?-and says to himself mo mat
ter what the words were that he
heard)-God, I thank Thee that l am
righteous, negatively and positive
ly. l don't do what other men do;
l don't do what the law forbids;
and I do twice as much as the law
requires. I am clean, moral, up
right honest, fair ih my dealings
with my fellowmen; as an employer
1 pay more than a living wage, las
an employee, [ give an honest days
work.. Furthermore, [ am very re-
Hgious. The law says fast once a
week; I fast twice a week. The law
says, pay a 1.-THE of all your net
profits; I pay a 1.-THE of all my gross
earnings.
Now, Jesus was not overstating
the case-the Pharssces were just as
exemplary folks as He here de-
scribes this one. There were two
things that were wrong with them;
they thought too highly if them
selves and too little of others; and
they thought that was the way to
become righteous.
Note the contrast. The publican
goes into the temple with such a
sense of his own sin and unworthi-
ness that he will not even so much
as raise his eyes from the ground;
and he kept humping himself upon
the breast as much as to say, in
here is where 1 am wrong. 80, God.
be propitiated to me. the sinner"
The Greek word translated 'be
merciful," is used six times in the
Bible; three times here and in He
brew 8:12 and 9:5; and three times
translated preparation" in Rom
ans 1926; 1 John, % and 4:10.
The Pharisee and the Publican
had come into the temple to pray
Before them was the altar and the
mercy seat, dripping and sprinllled
with the shed blood of the sacrificial
animal; the blood shed for the propi
tiation of sins. The Pharisee did not
see it, so full of his own righteous
| ness was he. The Publican prayed
| o, God, when you look at that shed
blood be propitiated toward me, eX
tend kindness and forgiveness to
ward me, the sinner for who nit was
shed. He was not trusting in any
| thing he could do or had done, but
only in what had been done for
| him.
Therefore,\ Jesus added, 81 tell
you this man went down to his
house justified and not the other
Righteousness is not developed; it is
imputed. The Publican wasn't JUST
| fed before the righteous Judge OF
all the earth because he had re
pented and confessed his sin, but be
cause the blood had been shed and
he was depending upon it. His con
| fession was but an indication that
| he realized his need, his own moth
ingness, his utter inability to dc
anything that would bring righteous
ness in Gods sight. His faith was
| but the outreached hand that claim
ed the benefits. The real thing that
made justification possible was the
shed blood.
His confession and penitence