The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-12-21
The MARYLAND BIBLE SOCIETY'S CORNER
"The Word of Our God Shall Stand Forever
ROMANS

hAo lCIICl was "AlIICii ny pOS-
ele Paul at Corinth and sent by Phebe,
servant of the Church at Cenchrea to
the Christians at Rome. In the sew
enth verse of Chapter l, we find the
address: "To all that be in Rome, be-
loved of God, called to be saints: Grace
to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ" Its pur-
pose is to set forth the plan of saliva
ton, emphasizing the great doctrines
of justification by faith, and sanctifi-
cation through the Holy Spirit. There
are two grand divisions of this epistle,
the first included in Chapters Ill,
which are doctrinal; the second, Chap
tiers 1916, and demonstrates his vic
tory over self, victory so complete
that he, once the most intolerant of
men, had learned even to tolerate in
tolerance.
In the doctrinal part of his letter,
Paul deals with such themes as the
certainty of divine judgment; univer-
salty of guilt; Blessings of justifica-
ton; Christ's sacrifcial love; the reign
and death of sin; a comparison of the
old life and the new. what fruit
have ye," he exclaims, "in those things
whereof We are now ashamed? for the
end of those things is death. But now
being made free from sin and become
servants of God, we have your fruit
unto holiness and the end everlasting
life. For the wages Of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life thru
Jesus Christ our Lord"
This epistle presents a mastery ar
gument in which the apostle proceeds
to prove that the entire human race
is surrounded by three insurmounta-
BILE walls: l. The wall of universal
guilt; 2, The wall of sinful tendencies;
8, The wall of the supposed sovereign
election of God of certain portion
of the race to salvation and the di-
vine reprobation of others. He points
out the doors of divine mercy pro-
vided for in the plan of salvation, by
which all men may escap" the impend-
ing judgment of God, if they will
They are, () justification by faith,
chapter ST.; (2) Regeneration, chapter
STA; and (3) Universal opportunity,
chapter 1913; "For whatsoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved"
The elimination of the divine plan
of salvation is pictured in Chapter 8.
The Christian life is here portrayed as
a new spiritual life of liberty and
righteousness, through faith in Christ.
The law of the spirit of life in Christ
Jesus hath made me free from the
law of sin and death. Paul is not at
tempting to put the Christian above
the demands and eXactions of the
moral law, but rather infers that be-
cause of the new life begotten within
him the things of the lower nature
no longer dominate his thinking and
have lost their power to command his
obedience "For as many as are led
by the Spirit of Cod" says Paul,
"they are the sons of God"
In these days when human hearts
are like wax and all material founda-
tons are shaken, it is sublime to hear
the voice of this grand old warrior of
the cross calling to US adown the CEN
turtles: eve are saved by hope;
but hope that is seen is not hope: for
what a man seeth why does he yet
hope for? But if we hope for what
we see not, then do we with patience
wait for it. Who shall separate US
from the love of Christ? Shall tribu-
lation, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril or
sword? For 1 am persuaded that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor
length, nor depth, nor any other crea-
ture, shall be able to separate US
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