The Tribune. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1951-19??, 1952-04-19

In every church: N o. M
namely the Ten Dr. Eo,.rnn
Commandments.
People who do not belong to the
church sometimes give these laws
no more thought than they would
give to the Elks' constitution or to
the ritual of the Sigma Phi Nuthin'
fraternity. But that is mistake.
The Ten Commandments are a kind
OF constitution OF mankind. not a
set OF rules for private club.
No Ladder TO Heaven
HOWEVER, even inside the
church, Christians often have
mistaken notions about the law of
God, particularly the basic laws
embodied in the Ten Command
ments. Two of these wrong ideas
are almost exactly opposite each
other, with. the truth in the middle
One mistaken Idea Is that the law
is a kind Of ladder to Heaven. That
Is 10 say: God is supposed to run
sort OF bookkeeping department.
with Recording Angel Cor perhaps
millions of them, one looking over
every mans shoulder), jotting down
everything person does from birth
TO death. Every time he acts In ac-
cordance with the Commandments
down goes plus mark. Every time
Ne breaks one, down goes a minus
mark. At the time OF his death the
account is balanced. If there are
more pluses than minuses, then the
man is admitted TO heaven; IL the
minus side puts the man Sin the
red" with God, then off he is
hustled to He'll. In other words, on
this theory (Which is very popu.
lar though false), you write your
own ticket to Heaven, you climb
there on ladder OF your own good
deeds.
Jesus did not hold to this no
ton, indeed taught quite the con-
trary. Call no man good! he
said. For one thing, pius-marks
do not cancel out minus marks,
and for another thing, seen
with the eyes of God. as the ia
nous Richard Hooker said, 1.-The
best things ws do have some-
what In them to be pardoned."
Jesus, the New Testament, and
the church after them, teach with
one voice that we are saved by
faitA,-it is God that saves us, not
we ourselves.
Love Is No Excuse for Sin
THE mistake at the Opposite and
4 OF the line is TO fancy that II we
love God we can do as we please.
In other words, the idea Is that
love Is a substitute for obedience.
If we just love God fervently
enough, then his laws do not apply
20 az.
Now this mistake Is just as bad
a. the first one. What would we say
TO man who Is a careless driver,
and when arrested for ht-and-run
driving tells the Judge, your
honor. love everybody, / have
nothing against anybody, i love my
country, and you ought not to bother
me with traffic laws!"
What could we say about q
man who claimed he loved his
vito very much but never paid
any attention to the common
rules OF politeness when In her
presence? What would q grocer
say 10 a man who owed him
fifty dollars If the customer
claimed to be such good friend
the grocer ought not to send
hiro bill?
No: Jesus did not teach that Gods
children have any right to disre-
gard their Fathers will.
Living In Obedience
I'M the contrary, Christian will
~>bs all the more eager to do what
God commands, not because he
fears punishment, not because ne
thinks he can earn his way into
Gods love, but because obedience
Is the way God has given us by
which we can sincerely show our
love to him and TO our fe1lowrnen.
AS Cardinal Newman put IT.:
Justification the theOIogians'
word for a persons being on
right terms with Cod is re-
ceIved by faith; consists i'm Gods
inward presence, ami lives In
obedience"
To put it another way: Doiag
what God desires is not the cause
Of being saved; it is the result Of
being saved. When We have done
all we can, indeed all we have been
commanded, Jesus said, we are still
"unproftable servants" we have
nothing to boast Of, ct our best, for
our best comes from God.
NOTICE - The TRIBUNE
Office Closes at 100 Sat