67
February 1930
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
What is the message of religion ? What are the demands of religion ? D o ! Give! Sacrifice! Then a merciful God will incline His ear. Hence we see the many altars o f heathendom. But Christianity comes with a different mes sage. Nothing to do, nothing to pay, nothing to give, nothing to suffer—God—a God of Love—has done it all for helpless, guilty, lost man. He comes with the message, the good news, that He has righteousness and peace for his enemies and for a restless, burdened conscience; that He, a holy and righteous God, by meeting the needs of lost man, in His unspeakable love-gift of His Son, is still the just God and Justifier of those who believe on Jesus. All He asks of us is to accept. “ Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.” The great oriental scholar of a bygone generation, Prof. Max Mueller, said that such a message is unknown in all the religions of the world, that the doctrine of righteousness by faith is the exclusive message of Christianity. What a Message! It offers glories untold to man ruined and in shame. It reaches down to the lowest depth and lifts out of the hor rible pit and the miry clay, and lifts, lifts, lifts, till the sinner rests forgiven on the bosom of a loving Father. 6. Christianity gives what no earthly religion can give, supernatural power. This power is the power of the Holy Spirit. It is not obtained by sacrifice, or by labor of any kind, but it is God’s gift likewise. The Holy Spirit by His power imparts life, and man becomes the partaker of the Divine Nature. This begins the new life. He gives power to live in righteousness, power to serve, power to pray, power to suffer. He comes to possess man, to be his guide, his helper, his comfort. He dwells in the heart of him who believes, and abides there till the work is done. And here we may listen again to His voice: “ I am from above. I am not o f this world.” The same words were spoken by our Lord on another occasion. He spoke
And He came for a certain purpose. He did not come to bring a new religion; He was not sent with a new philosophy; nor did He come to offer leadership; nor was He sent for social purposes. He came to seek and to save that which is lost. He came not to be ministered to but to minister and to give His life as a ransom for many. He came to answer for ever the age-long question, “How can a man be just with God?” 3. I mention next the fact of His supernatural death. This term needs an explanation. What is death? It is both unnatural and natural. We do not believe that God created a class of beings with this in view, that they should live lives of misery, disease, and 'sorrow, and finally death and the grave. We believe that death is in the world on account of sin. Therefore physical death is unnatural. But it is also natural, for man has sinned and therefore dies. But if there is a Being who has never sinned, One who never transgressed and who always pleased God in perfect obedience, what then ? I turn to Death and ask, “ O Death, tell me, hast thou a claim on this holy, perfect, sinless man? Can thy cold hand touch His body?” And Death answers back to me, “ No! I have no power over that man.” The Lord Jesus Christ, because He know no sin, had not deserved death. No one could take His life. No stone hurled at Him could ever strike Him. Hands were ready to cast Him down the mountainside. It was fruitless. The ship in which the true and perfect Man rested, filled with water. It could not sink. No one could take His life. And when He dies He dies the death which had been in a supernatural way planned before the foun dation of the world. He died for sinners. He was made sin for us. And with His death are connected the super natural facts of redemption. If Christ died as a martyr, if He died for His principles, if He died as other men die, if this were true, I could lift my hand of clay to heaven and charge an all-righteous God with having committed the most unrighteous act possible. But He did not die for His principles, or as a martyr, nor was He put to death by man; He gave Himself. He died to be the Saviour of men. Deep is this truth, the sacrificial death of One who knew no sin; the Creator dying for the creature’s sin. Well nigh unfathomable for the finite mind of man. But hearts can believe it and experience its power. 4. A fourth fact is the supernatural survival of the Christ who died. O f Him it could never be true, “ Dust to dust and ashes to ashes.” His body could not see cor ruption, for corruption is the process on account of sin. He arose from among the dead. The evidences of the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are so powerful that only those can reject them who are wilfully blind, or who, in self-will, refuse to .accept the evidence. They talk of a spiritual resurrection. It is sheer nonsense. Christ arose physically. He ascended upon high. He is at the right hand of God as the Priest and Advocate of His people. Will you have still more evidence? The existence of the Church on earth, always victorious, never conquered by the gates of hell, always prevailing, is an evidence that her Head is risen, that He lives. And so is your experience as a true Christian believer. Hallelujah! Christ is not a religious leader, but a risen, glorified, all- powerful and all-victorious Lord. The truth o f resurrec tion as revealed in Christianity, is unique again. No other systems have it in this wonderful way, 5. But let us consider next the supernatural mes sage which Christianity brings. It is not a religious message, but a message of something higher and better.
Things Written B y W inifred A. I verson
GOD has written for our learning Things aforetime, wide in scope; That through comfort of the Scriptures, Patient hearts might dwell in hope. It is written in gold letters Hove we may, undoubting, know — We are born to life eternal, Every truth is gilt-edged surety; Every word is full in weight! “ It is written,”—-apt quotations Often from Chrisfs lips were heard; What He fed upon and cited Should be dear to hearts love-stirred. Settled in the heavens for ever Is God’s Word, by sign and seal; Far above earth’s changing customs, Or the turns o f fashion’s wheel. — The Christian. And are sons o f God below^ It is written! Does it matter That our feelings fluctuate?
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