Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-23


begotten Son, that whatsoever be-
lieveth in Him should not perish,
but have everlasting life. john
3:16.
The golden text reviews and sums
up the opening period OF Christs
ministry, and every other period
since. 1t is difficult to see how the
Hoy Spirit could have packed so
much into so small a space as is
occupied by these words. One has
SAID of John 3:16 that it contains the
greatest possible gift to the greatest
possible number from the greatest
possible source for the greatest pos
sible time, and in the easiest pos
sible way.
Probably more sermons have been
preached from this text than from
any other text in the Bible, and no
doubt more souls have been won to
Christ by means of it than by any
other. Nothing new can be said
about it, nor shall We attempt any
thing more than a simple study of
it today because it seems to be the
best Way to review the studies of
thc last quarter. But, as ever, we
hope that by this study some will
eaten a new vision of Jesus Christ
and yield their lives to Him, some
even who are now His protested
followers, but who may be follow
ing afar off and not fully.
A Unique Personality
These words are concerning the
''only Begotten Son. Gods only
&aAtten Son. He is, therefore,
1RuNS,e. There are many creations
of God. Angels are called in tf&
of In,
even the devil himself is one of the
soa= af God. In Job 1:6 we read:
NOW rnere was a Gag when the
sons of God came to present them
!. selves before the Lord, and Satan
came also among them. Angels
who had sinned-the DEVILS angels,
mind you-are, called sons of God
in Gen. So In fact it was as a
result of their marriage with the
daughters of men that God had to
bring about the judgment of the
flood and wipe away their progeny
from the earth. Men and women
who have come into vital relation
ship with Christ, who are born
again ones, born of God, are sons
OF God But in no sense are these
to be classed with Jesus Christ, for
He was the only begotten Son of
God. His was a unique person
. ality.
1t became necessary in the fulness
of time that there should be a man
who would do all of Gods will; a
man who was free from the faint
of inherited sim; a man who, sin
apart, could be tempted in all points
like as we are and yet not yield
to the tempter; a man, who after
having lived a perfect life, could
and would willingly die as a sub
stltute for men who had sinned, and
who were not able to meet the de-
mands of divine justice; a man who
would not be held by death, but
'live again that He might insure
life TO others.
There was no such man on earth;
nor could earth produce such a
man. An angel couldn't be a SUBJ
stitute for q man. No man born
by the ordinary process of genera
ton could meet these demands. God
was in a piclle-He loved men; He
wanted to save them; He did not
want them to die; above all He
'craved their cOmpanionship, for He
had created man originally for that
purpose. 1t was man who had put
Him IN this predicament; for man
had willfully refused to do His WILL
after the consequences of this dis
obedience had been plainly stated to
Him.
But God."SO" loved, He wasn't
willing to stay in this predicament.
THAT little word $50" in this verse
is the biggest word in the Bible
and and in the world. He so"
loved that He found a way out,
way by means of which He might
save men and yet offend His in
herent sense of right, a way to be
merciful and just at the same time.
The price was great, but He $50
loved that He was willing to pay it
God Himself would become man,
live a perfect life, die as a substi-
tute. and live again that others
might live!
Therefore, according to prophecy,
a virgin was overshadowed by the
Holy Ghost; and there began to be
formed in her womb a man-child.
that holy thing to be born of her
which should be called the Son of
God The body of Jesus was the
result of the Holy Spirits opera
ton OIeb. 1879. A new creation
was the result. AS Adam had been
4 Created WITHOUT the intervention OIL
either man or woman, and Eve
without the intervention OF woman;
so Jesus Christ the Second Adam, a
new creation, was created without
the Intervention of man. No other
man could have been able to meet
Ne demands. This Man was unique,
' the &od-Man
All of His ministry that we have
been studying proves His unique
personality. His baptism was UNI
like the others because of the tes-
timony of the Holy Spirit at that
time, He resisted the devil when
all others had yielded. His cleans
ing of the temple would have been
resented with violence had lie been
mere man. Turning the water
n m " - NEAEENEm