Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-01-29
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For Feb. 3, 1924-Ex. 1924 Len. 10, Deut. 4:32-54.
BY DR.. MARION McH. HULL

stances they backed off from the
mountain, and asked that Moses
speak to them and not God any
more. The people stood afar off,
but Moses drew near unto the thick
darkness where God was.'
What Do They Mean?
Are the Ten Commandments given
us as a law of life? Is that the eff,
feet they had on the people to whom
they were given? Did they not rather
produce the opposite effect and bring
them under the curse Of death!
These people put themselves under
the law; they had been dealt with
under grace. God had given them
freely without any contract with
them. Now they put themselves un-
der contract not to be dealt with
but to do all that God requires. He
had no other alternative that to show
them what He requires and expect
Of them that they do it and do it all
The Ten Commandments show us
what God requires. what God wants
every man and woman to do and
who has ever lived up to that re-
quirement? Is there anyone who
car live up to that requirement?
Study them a bit before you an
swer. Can you have no other gods
before Him? Have you made no
representation of Him? Have you
always hallowed His name? Have
you always kept His day holy'
Have you always honored your ia
Their and mother as His representa-
tives? Have you never killed nor
wished to? Have you never held
in your heart that lustful look which
would have produced adultery if you
had not been held in check? Have
you never taken that which was
anothers-his property, or his good
name? Have you never by impli.
cation borne false witness? Have
you never inordinately wished for
that which was anothers?
Can the law be to you a law Of
life? Is it not rather to show you
how far short you have come Of
Gods standard for you and there
fore reveal to you the fact that you
are under the curse of the death
and in the need Of a Savior?
No, the Ten Commandments car
never bring life. They were never
to a people who forgot all Gods
gracious dealings with them and
put themselves in the attitude OF
promising to do all that God re-
CURED and thereby forced God to
show them how great His require
ments were and how utterly impos.
sible it was for them to keep it.
Can they mean then rule OF
life? Did God give them, not as a
law to give life, but as a rule Of
life, a rule to shape our lives by?
The law is perfect; am I to live by
it? A perfect mirror will reveal
to me crooked legs, but it won't
plumbline will reveal to me the
crookedness of my way, but it won't
straighten it out. A perfect lamp
obstacles in my way, but it won't
remove them. The law can do No
more than reveal. 1t is neither
law to produce life, nor a rule by
which to shape life. Paul tells US
what it is-a pedagogue to bring US
to Christ. He alone has met all the
requirements of God, and He alone
is the rule of our life. When we
study the law we are brought to a
conviction of our desperate need OF
a Savior, and after we have &C.
copied Him and put ourselves UNI
der His blood, the law has nothing
more to do with us. We are no
longer under the law, but under
grace. Having been saved by grace,
we are also sanctified by grace. We
are not saved by grace and sarcti-
fled by law. Yet this is the attitude
of most believers today-and a mis-
cradle mess they are making of it,
when they might be clarifying God
by wonderfully beautiful lives if
they thought nothing of law and
only Of Him who has perfectly kept
the law for us.
A Terrible Photograph
If you would like to see a, picture
of yourself just read Elk. 20:24-ch. %.
You may not have recognized it as
Of yourself until now; but think!
God would not have given any of
these laws if it had not been that
man was capable of committing
such sins. The very fact that He
found it necessary to say, 'Ye shall
not afflict the widow shows that
somebody would afflict a widow; the
fact that it was necessary for Him
to give such a command as Elk. 22:19
simply shows the degradation to
which man away from God can and
will go. Read these chapters care
fully and see the depravity of your
heart what it is entirely possible for
you to do and to be, except for His
marvellous grace.
But in reading them see another
photograph, one of wondrous beau
ty. 1t is a picture of the great God
Himself who is not only the Crea-
tor of the universe, but the Divine
Lover Of all His creatures, who is
careful of a servants tooth and of
a neighbours ass. AS you look at
the terrible photograph of yourself,
look again at the beautiful photo
graph of Him, and remember that
He has only given you the law be-
cause it was forced upon Him; and
that His greatest desire is for you
to come to Himself, If you will.