105
TH E
K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
March 1925
<*W*» :’ *í* ■ art’s Q u e s t io n s an d G o d ’s A nswers Dr. A. Gordon MacLennan, P asto r, Bethany P resbyterian Church, Philadelphia
Dr. MacLennan is known to most P resbyterians as th e m an who had th e courage to bring in a m inority rep o rt of one again st th e o th er twenty-two members of th e comm ittee which acted on th e Fosdick m a tte r in th e General Assembly. H e prefaced th a t rep o rt w ith th e brave words: “Bet us be definite in ou r utterances. As a young man, I ru n th e risk of being branded for tak in g th is stand, b u t I fear God, no t men,” H is b ro ther, Dr. S tew art P . MacLennan, is p asto r of th e Hollywood P resbyterian Church, California, and our readers will be much in terested in th e account of God’s blessing on his work on page 108 of th is issue.
every one of us shall give account of him self to God.” Your question and my question is a definite one: Shall we give an account to God? God answers it ju st as defi nitely: “Every one of us shall give account of him self to God.” T hat set tles the m atter! It is a statem en t on the au tho rity of God Himself. And it is ju s t as foolish to try to escape the dawning of a day as it is to escape giv ing an account to God. The second question: Does God Know All About Me? This one, too, is im portant. Aye, on th e basis of the first, it is trem en dously im portant! Now th a t I have to give an accounting to Him, does God know all about me? Those I associate w ith see merely the outside. They h ear w hat I say; they see my actions, bu t th e inner man they know not. My thoughts are veiled and hidden from the knowledge of my
Text: “ Call unto me, and 1 will answer th ee.” Je r. 33:3.
AN is constantly asking ques tions. One of the most hope ful and encouraging signs in the m ental development of a
boy or girl is the hab it of asking ques tions. The person who really succeeds in th is world in m aterial things is the one who is constantly, inquisitively and persistently asking questions. The one who takes everything for granted and receives it ju st as it comes will gener ally move along in th a t type of life all his days, b u t the person who wants to know the why and wherefore of every th ing is the one who makes the most of th e circumstaftces which surround him in life. So our subject is one which concerns .every man; and I do feel th a t the topic, as I have noted it, is one th a t is p ar ticu larly applicable to the man who has not yet satisfied him self regarding the g reat facts' of th e sp iritu al life and the - sp iritu al experience.
^MacLENNAN friends. Does God know all about me? God gives answer to th is question in Heb. 4 :13 : “All things are naked and laid open before th e eyes of him w ith whom we have to do.” Notice the th ird question: Does God Charge Me W ith Sin? This becomes more and more im portant upon the basis of the preceding two questions and th eir answers. I shall give an account to God, and God knows all about me. (Let us keep it simple and practical.) Does God, to whom I am to give an accounting and who knows all about me, charge me w ith sin? Is it all recorded ag ain st'm e? It does not m atter how well I can excuse myself to some other person. It does not m atter how other people regard me. Here is the im portant question: Does God charge me w ith sin? Let me merely read the answer from Galatians 3:22: “But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin.” And again, from Rom. 3:23: “F o r ALL have sinned.’! This is God’s charge: “All have sinned.” I t is an u tte r impossibil ity for any man or woman to escape th e all-inclusiveness of th a t little word of th ree letters, A-L-L. From the prince in (Continued on page 136)
DR- A- GORDON To each of the questions which I w ant to bring to you, th ere is a simple form of answer, all of which are abso lutely definite, simple, and easy to understand. They are not obscure questions of th e hour, but are entirely prac tical for you and me and altogether important, because they have to do w ith a man’s eternal destiny and a m an’s experience in all the ages yet to be. The first is one which every man who believes th a t there is a God, infinite, eternal, and unchanging, must necessarily stop and ask: Am I Accountable to God? Must I answer to Him? Is th ere a day coming— and I insist th a t we keep the question practical—when you and I in a very real manner shall stand before God and give an accounting? This is a fundam ental question; this is an im portant question, and one well worth considering and thinking over: Am I accountable to God? We like to boast of our independence, and we like to say we are not answerable to any one; bu t are we definitely, personally accountable to God? Listen to the answer from Rom. 14:12: “So then
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