Another Gospel A Kind of Preaching Much in Vogue Today Put to the Test of Some Plain Bible Statements By REV. C. F. SHELDON Perry, Iowa
N THE Galatian . le tte r the Apostle uses strong language w ith reference to those who preach a perverted gospel.
let him be accursed; let him be under the anathem a of God.” The test of the Gospel is grace. This gospel is good tidings concerning, not th e law of God, bu t th e grace of God. Law dom inated the former dispensation, bu t grace dom inates th is one. No man should presume to preach until he has th is distinction clearly in his though t and h eart. No sem inary should approve men as preachers un til they have been established in th is tru th . No church ought to call a man to its p asto rate who does not under stand th is g reat distinction. W hat Constitutes Another Gospel? I. If th e pulpit message excludes grace as the means whereby men and women are justified, it is “ another gospel.” “F o r by grace are ye saved.” “Therefore by th e deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified.” The New Testa m ent scriptures are full of th is tru th . We are both justified and sanctified by grace: the grace of God fills all the scene in th is present dispensation, as th e tra in of THE LORD filled the temple in th e vision of Isaiah. II. If th e pulpit message is an effort to m ingle th e principles of law and of grace, either as the means of justifica tion, or as constructing a rule for the life of th e believer, it is “ano ther gos pel.” Grave m istakes are made in this regard. Many preachers undertake to m ingle law and grace in th e ir gospel because they fear th a t they may dis honor God by leaving th e law out. Be cause they have been imperfectly in structed and do not fully understand th e doctrine of grace, they preach ju sti-
P au l’s nam e for th e gospel committed to him is: “The gospel of th e grace of God.” It is im portant th a t we know the tru th , in so far as it is possible, of th is great fact; th a t grace and tru th came by Jesus Christ. This gospel of grace is our gospel. It is all th a t we have to preach; and in such measure as we fail to understand the grace of God, we shall fail to be effective preachers. ' The g reat fact of GRACE; th e tru th th a t salvation from sin, from its guilt, and from its dominion, comes out of th e love, tile compassion, th e grace of God, and not as the resu lt of any human effort whatsoever, th is idea of Grace permeates, satu rates, and dom inates th e epistles of St. Paul, who was the man chosen of God to give to th e Church the tru th as to her origin and h er life, and her destiny. “ If ye have heard of th e dispensation of th e grace of God which is given me to you-ward; how th a t by revelation He made known un to me, th e mystery which in o th er ages was not made known, as it is now re vealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” This gospel of the grace of God is not a trad ition , it is a revelation. Paul says th a t he did not receive it from man; th a t God gave it to him, th a t he m ight preach it to th e Gentiles. And P aul uses strong language when he speaks of the men who preach any o th er gospel th an th is gospel of grace. “ If any man preach any other gospel
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