Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-06
DISCUSSED BY

Christ and the power of His resurrec-
ton, as did the apostles and their little
band of converts.
Third, the refrigeration of our reli-
gion is the paramount obligation of all
who profess 1t. The efficiency of the
ministry, the preservation Of sound
doctrine, the apologetical and propa-
gandist values of the church universal
depend to large extent upon our one
ness in Him who is the vine Of which
we are the branches,
Fourth, IL Christians would stem the
tides of goddess secularism, eXterminate
the fatal effects of thoroughly fleshly
code of so-called morals. stabilize So
ciety by protecting its ethical founda-
ton and resist the threatened tyranny
OF political over spiritual institutions,
they will have to abandon their fruit
less controversies and center on their
Redeemer and Lord. He must reign
whose right 1t is to reign. not only
over temporal, but also ecclesiastical
rivalries.
O. % How do you explain st. Mat
thew's declaration that the birth Of
Jesus fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy that a
Virgin should conceive and bear son,
whose name should be Emmanuel, or
God with us?
~ Again, why should we address
God in prayer through Christs medi-
alton, since in His own prayer Christ
supplicated the Father directly?
A. "a AS you suggest. this is the
only place in the New Testament where
the word Emmanuel" occurs. But
other titles which are its full equivalent
are given to Christ by the writer's of the
Gospels and the Epistles. need not
enumerate them ALL 1t Suffices to say
that He is spoken of as the Lord, the
Eternal Logos, the Son of Man. the Son
of God. the Only Begotten OF God and
the Christ of the Father.
The belief in the Virgin birth of
Jesus developed in the early church
and confirmed it's conception OF His
divinity. Moreover. many writer's were
anxious to find support for their faith
in statements made by the Old Testa-
ment prophets. OftentimeS the pas
sages chosen to prove these sacred veri-
ties were not entirely pertinent. and
when studied in their original context
they show that they did not directly
relate to the Virgin birth and divinity
of our Lord.
The word translated virgin" for ex-
ample, in the text to which you refer.
means young woman of manageable
age. Consequently IT. may not have ref
erence to the virgin birth of Jesus His
divine personality is not established by
references to stray verses from the Old
Testament Scriptures which happen to
contain the beautiful word Emma uel. :"
but rather by an examination of all the
facts in the case. including His own life,
character teaching, His consciousness
OF His supremacy and its claims.
90 All prayer should be offered d.
rectly to God, as enjoined by our Lord
in His model prayer and in other scrip
tural injunctions concerning prayer
But for Christians Christ has the value
OF God, and it is therefore very natural
that they should think of Him as their
one mediator with the Father. Indeed
this Is the express teaching of the apos-
tolic writings. II we admit. as seems
reasonable. that Christians first
thought of God is determined by what
he knows of Christ, 1t is TO God as re-
vealed In Christ that he prays. because
that Is the most effective method for
him.
Read Bishop McConnelIs book. 1.-THE
ChriStlike God" also that OF the pres
ent Bishop of Winchester, DR.. Woods,
bearing upon the same theme. I think
they may be helpful.