The Fundamental Principles of Christianity in the Light of Modern Thinking* By REV. JOHN M. MACINNIS, B.D. V. HE MADE IT AGAIN.
I N our last study we saw that the progress of reproducing the divine image in man was arrested by man’s sin. Sin, therefore, is an arrest, not a step forward, but something that impedes the development of the essen tial purpose of life. This, however, does not mean that this purpose is finally defeated. God being' what He is we would naturally expect Him to do something to remove this impediment and to make it possi ble for His purpose in life to be finally consummated. This would be the natural thing for a father to do, and this is the very thing that God has done. The vessel was marred in His hand, but “ He made it again another vessel.” . It is at this point that the great story o f redemption is intro duced into human history. Through sin man lost his touch with God, and as a consequence death reigned in his life. That was a natural sequence. When life is cut off from its environ ment or source of supply, it must in the nature of things wither and die. Redemption is the process by which God removes the impediment of sin and restores man to his natural ele ment. This process must deal with sin and its results. As death is the result of sin there must be an intro duction of new life into the life of humanity. In other words, if man is to be saved from sin and to the thing for which he was intended God must interfere and introduce a new force ♦An address delivered at the Montrose Bible Conference, 1913. Copyright, by Jchn M. Maclnnis, 1913.
into life—man cannot save himself. He is helpless as far as the great pur pose of his life is concerned. He can not reproduce the life of God apart from God, and he cannot possibly real ize his life apart from this, for this is the purpose of his life. Hence, when God interfered in man’s behalf he did so by giving a new manifestation of Himself through a new relation with the race. This is the story o f “ The sublime stoop of the Godhead,” as given by Luke. The story of Jesus is the record of a new manifestation of God through a new relation with hu manity. In the coming of Jesus God moved into a new relationship with the race. This is the story o f the In carnation and virgin birth, and is the heart of! the Gospel of redemption. It is the story of how God manifested Himself in flesh in order that He might win men to Himself and save them to the life of the world. How does this article o f the Christian faith stand the test o f modern thought? At first thought we may be inclined to think that this whole conception of incarnation is contrary to nature, and therefore cannot be true. However, we must not hasten to such a conclu sion. A closer study may discover to us that instead of this being contrary to nature it is in strict harmony with God’s methods in creation from the very beginning. It is not necessary for us to wait to argue that God is active in creation. Creation is still going on, and if “ Cre ative Evolution” means anything it means that there is. in the activities of the universe an active power that is
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online