April 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
202
require of thee, but to do Justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6 :8 ). Man is responsible for the thoughts of his mind and the desires of his heart, for the teaching of Christ on the Ser mon on the Mount is, that He looks at the "inness” of things (Matt. 6:27-48; 23:25-28). Man is responsible for the words he utters, for Christ hath declared, that “ every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment (Matt. 1£:36,37). Man is responsible to recognize God in creation, hence the works of God declare the God who works, and all men are left "without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). And all men are responsible to God as to how they treat Christ, for every man’s character is tested by Him, whether they believe in\Him or not (John 3:39; 16:9). Being made a free agent, man universally is responsible to obey God. Man may blame his environment or his ances try for his character, but God holds man responsible for his actions, for they declare the state of his heart and the inclination of his will. Dr. Dale says, “ Man is responsible, not merely for his volitions, but for his affections; there fore, a free, spontaneous, self-determined force, not merely in his volitions, but in his love and hatred, his generosity and his selfishness, his reverence and his scorn, his pity for suffering and his indifference to it. Man himself is ethically and spiritually free.” There are many ways by which man’s accountability and responsibility may be seen. The following are a few: Conscience Attests It Conscience is God’s arbitrator in man’s heart and life, hence, the Spirit says, there is “ a law” working within the thought of every man, "accusing” or “ excusing” him (Rom. 2:15). George Washington finely said, “ Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called con science.” We do well to listen to it, for it is the voice of God within. Man’s Will Affirms Responsibility Man’s will gives him the power of choice. This is emphat ically stated when Joshua said to the people, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Josh. 24:15), and they said, “ We will serve the Lord.” Tennyson has said, “ Our wills are ours, we know not how; our wills are'ours to make them Thine.” Hence, the ability to do or not to do. Since we have the power to will, we are responsible for our willing (Isaiah 7:15). Man’s Intellect Confirms Responsibility Man is not an automaton, but a thinking being, hence, he has the faculty to discern right and wrong. The Psalm ist wisely said, “ I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies” (Psa. 119:69). Daniel Webster, in his address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill monument, declared, “ Mind is the great lever of all things; human thought is the process by which human ends are alternately answered” ; and we may say, “ Divine ends” too. History Demonstrates Man’s Responsibility The history of the world’s nations proclaims the fact, that God takes notice of their actions. Men may pour into their cups the liquor of their actions, but they also generate the fire of God’s Judgment. When any nation ignores God, they sooner or later find that God has been weighing them in the scales of His discernment, as Belshazzar found to his consternation (Daniel 6:18-28). - (Continued on page 241)
Tb« aiutimi Service, New to n Piled one against another, these Chinese boatmen in their Ashing smacks And it hard to keep apart and still obtain the best catch. W ithout their broad-brimmed hats, one would be inclined to view the picture as a water polo match between college teams. The words of the poet may be applied to man as God s creature, although they have a deeper and larger signifi cance to the believer in Christ. Man’s Responsibility Webster has said, "The most solemn word in the English language is accountability/* Man’s accountability to God is that of which he needs to take account. Men think they can be independent of God, but they can no more be inde pendent of Him, than they can have life apart from Him. Man is responsible to God as His creature. He ir respon sible in many ways. Man is responsible to work. At the first, man was placed in the Garden of Eden to keep and dress it (Gen. 2:15). God never places a premium on laziness (Eccl. 9:10; Eph. 4:28; 1 Thess. 4:11 ). . “ Labor is life! ’Tis the still water faileth; Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth; Keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth.” Mark the blessings which come to the "diligent” man in the Book of Proverbs (10 :4 ; 11:27; 12:24, 27; 13:4; 21:5; 22:29). Man is responsible for the deeds done by means of the body (2 Cor. 5 :10 ),' hence he will be Judged according to his works (Rev. 20:12, 13). Man is responsible to obey the Word of God, for “ He hath shewed thee, O nlan, what is good, and what doth the LORD
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker