King's Business - 1922-07

T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S This doctrine appeals, and appeals profoundly to two classes of the earth's millions: The first class has the sympathy of every right-minded person. These are the men and women who have loved ones who lived and died out­ side the Christian faith. To these, the Russell gospel of a second chance comes as the one ray of light, flashing into what seems to be unending, impenetrable darkness. These men and women grasp at Rus­ sellism with its second probation as a drowning man grasps at a straw, and in the hope that this professed prophet speaks God’s message, they are ready to honor him with their money and their support. The other class deserves no sympathy of man or God. The second class is composed of those who' hate righteousness and love vice, a.nd who will persist to the end in a viciously immoral state, hating God and God’s church and God’s people. To such as these, the so-called gospel of a “ second chance” comes as a sweet morsel to be rolled beneath the tongue. There is no announcement that God could make from His throne that would more quickly throw the world in open rebellion to His government, and plunge the race more quickly into every con­ ceivable excess of sin and crime, than the assurance direct from His throne that every man and woman, whatever their record here, was to have another opportunity for accepting Christ and being saved on the other side of death. — Evangelist John E. Brown. IF CHRIST WERE DEAD “ How do you know Christ is risen?”' asked a scoffer of an old Christian. “ Because I had an hour with Him this morning,” quietly replied the Christian. The believer has fellowship with a liv­ ing Saviour.

674

When so beset, what is the remedy? (Heb. 12 :2 ): ' “Looking- unto Jesus the author and fin- isher of our faith.” (Gal. 5:16, 17): “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh t and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye eannot do the things that ye would.” What is able to give us victory over the law of sin and death? (Rom. 8:2, 37): “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved Russellism stands out distinctively in the world of religious cults through the fact that it offers to all a “ second chance”— an opportunity beyond the grave for every man to repent, believe and have life. According to Russell­ ism, you can slap God in the face, do despite to the Spirit of grace, tread under foot the blood of Christ, die with foul oaths on your Ups, hating God, God’s church,. God’s Christ, and everything pure and worthy and good, and then, after a rest in the grave, in unconscious sleep, you are resurrected, to stand before an open door that opens into life. If there you refuse to accept Christ and have life* you are taken away to be annihilated, wiped out root and branch. That any there will accept annihila­ tion in preference to Jesus Christ and life, is hardly probable, which means that all men and women are to be saved. Probably ninety-nine out of a hun­ dred of -the Russellite following were attracted to Russell and the Russell movement through the alleged gospel of a second chance. THE RUSSELLISM BONUS HE bonus which Russellism has to offer its followers is widely different from that which these. other cults offer.

Made with FlippingBook Annual report