presumptuous sin, or that terrible iniquity, that would lead to death. David says in this Psalm, “Let them not have dominion over me.” In other words, he abhores iniquity and does not want it to be the rule and prac tice of his life. We receive a number of questions here at “The Biola Hour” concem- Since Christ my Saviour keepeth me? He goes before His blood-bought sheep O'er mountains high, through valleys deep. Afraid— of what, I pray, Since He doth hold my hand alway? He turns the darkness into light, And fills my soul with pure delight. Afraid— of stormy sea, And what the future holds for me? He sees the path that I must go. And guards me in my walk below. Afraid— that He'll forget When hope is dim and fears beset? Ah, no, He'll come In might and pow'r. And keep me through the darkest hour. Afraid? How can I be, When Christ the Lord doth watch o'er me? He never slumbers day nor night, And so my heart doth know no fright. Afraid— when at the end Cold death shall cherished plans all rend? E'en then His way I know is best, And so I'll praise Him for sweet rest. — J. M. Carlson ing different portions of Scripture. One of the most common concerns I John 3:9, which tells us, “Whatso ever is bom of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is bora of God.” To understand this portion, we need the context and background involved. The proper translation de- AFRA ID Afraid? Why should I be,
have sinned and come short of the glory of God” ? The problem is that the pleasures of this life become so entrancing that we tend to overlook the promises of God’s Word. Do you recall the legend of the lotus eaters in mythology? Soldiers, having waged an extensive and costly battle, were coming home victorious. As they passed th rou g h the strange land of the lotus, their taste so turned to rapacious craving for the narcotic herb that their minds became affected. They fell into a dreamy state and lost all ambition to go on. They quickly forgot that for which they fought, as well as their loved ones at home. So are the pleasures of this life as they work upon us through the temptations of Satan. Verse 13 of Psalm 19 declares, “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins.” These are sins, which like all iniquities in a basic sense, are really o p e n rebellion against God. It’s interesting to note that atonement is provided in the Jewish law for every sin except this one. Nothing is available or pre scribed for sins of willful presump tion. We read in Scripture, “But the soul that sinneth presumptuously shall have no atonement. It shall be cut off from the midst of my people.” Secret sin, you see, is a stepping stone to presumptuous sin, which has sometimes been called in the New Testament the sin unto death, spoken of in I John 5, as well as II Corinthians 3. We read of it in connection with Ananias and Sap- phira, (Acts 5:1-11), who not only sinned secretly, but also presumptu ously before the Lord. The Bible does reveal in a very sobering manner that there are some sins which are so grievous to God that He sends physical death, in order that souls might be preserved unto eternity. You see, when a believer comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, he can’t lose his salvation; He can’t be unborn. Yet there is the very real danger of
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