King's Business - 1921-07

XAMINE YOURSELVES WHETHER YE BE IN

THE FAITH! 2 Cor. 9

Whosoever transgressetk and akidetk not in tke doctrine of Ckrist, katk not God. 2 John 9

JULY 1921—Fundamentals Number

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T H E K IN G ’S BUS INESS MOTTO: f% the Lord, do keep it, I will water it every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day/ . ' . :■■ ............... Isa. 27:3 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE IN S T ITU T E OF LOS ANGELES 536-558 SO U TH HO PE STREET, LOS ANGELES. CAL. Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17» 1910, at tHe Post Office at Los Angeles, California under the A ct of MarSh 3, 1879 _■ ^ Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917 authorized October 1, 1918. Volume XII July, 1921 . Number 7

Rev. T. C. HORTON , Editor in Chief

Rev. KEITH L. BROOKS. Menaging Editor

ALAN S. PEARCE, Adv. Manager Contributing Editors

DR. F. W. FARR

DR. FRENCH E. OLIVER

REV. WM. H. PIKE

DR. A. C , DIXON

CONTENTS Editorials: Fundamental Doctrines (637), Bryan Blasts Evolution (638), Gushing Gordon (638), Peeved at Premillennialism (640), Missionary Menace (641), “Jump” on the Devil (643), True Esti mate of the Bible (644) What We Believe (646)

The Grace of God—By Dr. C. I. Scofield (647) Doctrine of Sin—-By Prof. James Orr (651) Salvation—By Dr. Ralph Atkinson (655) Should I Be Orthodox?—By Wm. H. Crouse (658) Deity of Christ—By Prof. H. S. Miller (660) Bible Institute in China—By Dr. Frank Keller (662)

Evangelistic Stories (665) Bible Institute Notes (671) Homiletical Helps (674) What About Hell?—By W. B. Screws (677) The Church, Christ’s Bride—By J. H. Todd (678) Sunday School Bessons (680) Daily Devotional Readings—By Dr. F. W. Farr (715) Editorial Afterthoughts (722) Prayer Points—By K. L. Brooks (724) Do We Reject the Old Testament?—By K. L. Brooks (725) Reality of Sin—By Dr. Roads (727) God—By Walter Scott (729) PLEASE W h en se n d in g s u b s c rip tio n s , a d d re ss c o rre sp o n d e n c e to Office of T h e K in g ’s B u sin ess, B ib le I n s titu te of L o s A n g eles, 536- 558 S o u th H o p e S tre e t. C h eck s m a y be m ad e p a y a b le to B ib le I n s titu te of L os A n g eles. Do n o t m a k e c h e c k s o r m o n ey o rd e rs to in d iv id u a ls co n n e c te d w ith th e B ib le In s titu te . Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA $1.24 - SINGLE COPIES_15 CENTS O N L Y O N E D O L L A R A

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All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Tim. 3:16, 1-7.) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received ud into glorv. (1 Tim. 3:16.) . That ye'may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life. (Phil. 2:15-16a.) ; ' . For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti christ. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed. For he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds (2 John 7, 9-11.) He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.' (Rev 22 : 20 , 21 .) The Fundamental Doctrines of the Word of God. (1> The Holy Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired, supernaturally given, supernaturally preserved. (2) The Trinity of the Godhead, manifest to us in Three Persons,— Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (3) The Deity of Jesus Christ, virgin-born, and to us God manifest in the flesh. (4) The Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit. (5) The Total Depravity of the Human Race. (6) The Atonement for Sin by the Blood of Jesus Christ. (7) Salvation of the Sinner, by Grace, through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. (8) The Physical Resurrection of Jesus Christ and of the bodies of all believers. (9) The Impartation of Eternal Life, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, to every believer. (10) The Endless Punishment of unbelievers. 1 (11) The Personality of Satan and his final subjection and eternal punish ment.

638 T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S (12) The Personal, Premillennial Return of our Lord Jesus Christ to take the sceptre and to rule in His prophesied kingdom. To these fundamental doctrines we bow our will and pledge our un wavering fidelity while it pleaseth Him, whose we are and whom we serve, to give us breath. There are many good people who take issue with us concerning the need .of any doctrinal statement of faith, but they are very illogical. Most of them demand and affirm their faith in some political doctrine and give of their time and means for the dissemination of their belief. ' In a matter affecting, as it does, the honor and glory of God and the eternal destinies of men, how foolish, how trifling, it is to assume an indif ferent attitude as to one’s belief. Thank God for the Fathers whom God raised up, whose red blood tingled with the fire of devotion in defense of the great doctrines of the Bible, and to whose untiring zeal, under God, we are indebted for this country of ours. T. C. H. Bryan Blasts Evolution. William Jennings Bryan'may not be popular with everybody down here, but he will certainly be popular with the Lord because of a recent % statement made in Springfield, Illinois, on May 2, when he paid his respects to the evolutionists in our schools and declared that the teaching of this doctrine was one of the greatest problems with which our country has to grapple. .He said: “Teachers and professors In schools, supported by public money, are turning! the youth of the land but into a starless night, robbing them of their faith in im mortality and a Heavenly Father, and substituting cold, clammy materialism which reduces Christ to mere man, and gives him an ape for an ancestor. The, Darwinian theory is not scientific. It is wilder fiction than the Arabian nights.” This would be an appropriate message to read in all of our grade schools, high schools, colleges and seminaries, and would not be amiss in many of our churches. It has always been a mystery to us how a theory such as that of evolu tion,—which never had any foundation but was hung on air by Brother Darwin who loved to think of his ancestors hanging by ,their tails to the branches of trees, talking in an unknown language to their fellow citizens while cracking nuts and jokes,—could have found such a foothold in the minds of supposedly intelligent people. No wonder that Paul says, by the power of the Spirit, that the “ wisdom of men is foolishness with God.” We wonder if this is one of the things over which the Scripture says “ He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh?” (Psa. 2:4.) ..$!&. m n TT g&y 1 • JPg Gushing Gordon. Almost, every day we are moved to exclaim, “ Well,.what next?” To day it is a new tract published and thrown upon the market by Rev. Dr. James L. Gordon, pastor of the First Congregational Church of San Fran cisco (which city, by the way, has fostered a number of queer children). Some of the doctors seem to be competing with each other in these days for first place on the brainless bench, but Dr. Gordon has out-doctored them all.

T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 639 He occupies a pulpit in a supposedly evangelical church: but has been caught in the “ Eddy” and been swept into the arms of the Eddyites. His pamphlet is entitled “ How Did Mrs. Eddy Discover Christian Sci ence?’’ and is surely full of gush for the old lady. He divides her life into two periods,—the first forty years searching for a particular truth, and the second forty years in building up a Christian church. Yes, yes. We had thought that she spent the first forty years in try ing out husbands and the second forty years in gathering in the shekels, for she certainly succeeded in both these efforts and left a brilliant record, along these lines. If she searched for a particular truth she certainly got lost, for she found some old fables and dressed them up for the weak minds of mortals. We did not know that anyone still believed that her propaganda had any element of the new in it. We have not space for all of the Eddyitish emanation's from our friend, Dr. Gordon, but just a few will show how the human mind is susceptible to the influence of the vague sentences which are without meaning to the average normal mind. Here is the way in which his brain storm worked: He says: “ What is Christian Science? I answer, it is the “science by which the real, vital, substantial, eternal, spiritual and invisible nature within us becomes a channel for the inflowing and outgoing of the divine principle of life, love and truth which we call God.” Look that sentence over several times; isn’t it some science? He says: “ Mrs. Eddy was a genius and she had her own way of put ting things. ’’ She had, indeed, and her own way of putting it over the feeble-minded. Take her spoon proposition, for instance. She put that proposition over good' and strong. She was some genius for getting the gold. He says: “ Christian Science is idealism enthroned.” He does not say where the throne 'is, but' we have an inkling. Again he says: “ Christian Science is expressed in one sentence, ‘You are on the inside of God.’ ” We suppose he means on the ground floor but his is a more scientific way of expressing it. Again : “ I like a Christian Scientist because he looks like a Christian.” What kind'of a Christian, doctor? Your kind? Again: “ I like the Christian Scientist because he has the glow, fervor and enthusiasm of a deep religious experience.” Sure, he has. Hear him as the dentist handles his teeth, or when you accidentally or on purpose step on' his pet corn; you will be conscious of his fervor, all right. Again: “ I like the Christian Scientist because he ignores the fact of death and emphasizes the fact of life.” When the flu was on, however, the physicians had their hands full in looking after these same Christian Scientists. They were not ignoring any fact then except the fact that they had played, a losing hand and wanted a real'doctor. And, finally: “ I like the Christian Scientist. If this be heterodoxy, make the most of it,” Well, doctor, what’s your little pamphlet for, anyway? Are you tired of the little flock that you minister to and is this tract your bid for a posi tion as lecturer on the Christian Science staff? If so, we recommend you

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for the place. That is where you belong. There is a sad side to this matter, however. You are supposed to be a Congregational minister and we take it you took some kind of vows. The Congregational Church building in which you have been preaching was built by .professing Christians who believed in the word sin, and in the words, blood atonement for sin, Are you tired of the good old family Bible; of the old saints of God; of fellowship with the old-fashioned be lievers ? What’s the matter with your mortal mind, anyway? You owe the clothes you wear, the country in which you live, and all of the blessings of life, to that old Book. Are you getting restless now? Your brilliant brain soaring into un known heights? Your soul longing for affiliation with the spirit of the departed Mrs. Eddy ? Don’t soar u p ! Drop down! She has gone the other way. (2 Pet. 2:1, ?.) “Bat there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even deny ing the hord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the Way of truth shall be evil spoken of.” T. O. H. AlA; Atfe. Peeved at Premillennialism. Almost every day some of our friends send us little clippings from different sections of the country which evidence a real sulky spirit about this doctrine of our Lord’s return upon the part of some editors of religious papers and some pastors. Of course, life is too short and space too valuable'for us to give atten tion to many of them, but we want to emphasize one point that is outstand ing in them all and that is the absence of any Scriptural contradiction to the premillennial doctrine. In our little booklet, “ Who Are These Pre- millennialists ?” which has just been revised and enlarged, we give the facts which every believer should possess and then, with the Bible in hand, prove for himself whether the doctrine is true, and whether it is a new doctrine or a fundamental doctrine of the Word of God and a doctrine held by the early church. We open the doors wide; we give every one an opportunity to verify three facts: (1) The premillennial return of our Lord is definitely taught in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. (2) The premillennial return of the Lord was fundamentally believed and taught by the early church. ’(3) The premillennial return of our Lord has been preached and taught by many of the leading expositors, teachers and preachers in,this country and Great Britain during the last seventy-five years and. is so taught all bver Christendom today. • Now we state this to meet the insidious effort being made on the part of some teachers, preachers and religious papers to foist upon the Church the idea that it is a new doctrine and to associate the doctrine “with the Seventh Day Adventists and Russellites. It is not new, but it is true; it is

T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S 641 not fanatical, but it is soul-inspiring. It gives buoyancy to the saints; it promotes soul winning; and we challenge these critics to prove the asser tion that it cuts the nerve of Christian endeavor, of missionary activity, of sacrificial service of life and gifts. One may be a devoted minister of ■Christ,—one may be a devoted member of the b(5dy of Christ and be a post millennialist. We know such and love them, but it is a devilish denial of the truth to malign the multitude of believers whose lives have given evi dence of their faith in the whole Word of God and whose ,devotion to 'Christ and His service has resulted in' great achievements for their Lord, to make this uncalled for assault upon a doctrine dear to the Lord, dear to the waiting saints in heaven and dear to hundreds of thousands of the best people now living and laboring for His return. Why not bring us some facts instead of fanciful insinuations? Take the names and records of these great soul inspiring, soul saving pastors, preachers, evangelists and workers and ask these fault finders ■“ how come” that these outstanding premillennialists could have been so graciously owned of God and blessed, if this doctrine is. such a dangerous doctrine. Don’t be afraid. You can tackle any one of them with the proof in your handstand put them to silence. When you have done this, pray that their eyes may be open to the truth and remember also that some of them are with you in heart, but the overseer has the lash and is compelling them to stifle their convictions and to do as they are commanded by the authorities. It takes God-given strength for a minister to contend for the faith when domineering, ecclesiastical rulers insist that he must accept their interpretation of the teaching of the Word of God. Strange, is it not, that men are free to air their doubts and disseminate doctrines of denial of the Scripture without stint, but are not permitted to proclaim a “ Thus saith the Lord.” Great days, these, brethren. T. C. H. The Missionary Menace. Last year Dr. Griffith Thomas and Mr. Charles Trumbull, editor of the. Sunday School Times, visited China under the auspices of the.Milton Ste wart Fund for Foreign Missions. They attended the missionary confer ences arranged for them in different sections of that country, and gathered ■some important facts concerning the position of the missionaries regarding the fundamentals of the Bible. We have known from reliable sources for a long time that many mis sionaries of the various evangelical Boards were no longer holding the •evangelical view of the inspiration of God’s Word. Several years ago when ■the late Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, Ex-Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, returned from a world-wide evangelistic tour by the way of China, he advised the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presby terian Church to recall those missionaries who were not loyal to the Word. Nothing, however, was done. In China, Japan, Korea and other countries there are many Union Seminaries in which representatives of the different denominations are teaching the Bible, some of them from the standpoint of what is now termed

642 T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S “ orthodoxy,” and others from the standpoint of the “ Modernists.” This has resulted in much confusion and has distressed many godly missionaries and native preachers and teachers. Dr. Thomas’ report of .his visit, as published in the Sunday School Times, contained a kindly but definite criticism upon the conditions. This has awakened some definite interest upon the part of ministers and laymen who were not aware of the seriousness of the conditions. As a result of last summer’s conferences in China, a Bible Union was organized by the native leaders with a membership of over two hundred, all of whom signed a statement' of doctrine. Among religious papers which have taken this matter up in a definite way is the good old paper “ The Presbyterian’.’ of Philadelphia, which has held firm to the faith of the fathers and has also been loyal to its denomina tional position. In its issue of March 31, Dr. John Pox, President of the American Bible Society,—one of God’s good soldiers—has an article which should have wide-spread notice. Dr. Pox quotes from page 540 of a book written by Dr. Arthur' J. Brown, Secretary of the Board of Foreign Mis sions, entitled “ Mastery of the Par East,” and comments upon same, as follows: " . “The typical missionary oi the first quarter of a century alter the opening of the country, was a man of the Puritan type. He kept the Sabbath as our New England forefathers did a century ago. He looked upon dancing, smoking, and card-playing, as sins in which no true follower of Christ should indulge. In theology and Biblical criticism he was strongly conservative, and he held as a vital truth the premillennial view of the second coming of Christ. The higher* criticism and liberal theology were deemed dangerous heresies. In most of the evangelical churches of America and Great Britain conservatives and liberals have learned to live and work together in peace, but in Korea the few men who hold ‘the modem view’ have a'rough road to travel, particularly in the Presbyterian group of mis sions.” Has not the church the right to ask its secretary of foreign missions this question: Who are the Presbyterian missionaries in Korea who do not regard “the higher criticism and liberal theology” as “dangerous heresies?” Is h e n o t bound much more to answer than Dr. Griffith-Thomas is bound to name the Pres- byterian “liberals” in China? But not content with this unflattering, not to say contemptuous, portraiture of the first missionaries in Korea, Dr. Brown proceeds to belabor their converts: “The Korean converts naturally reproduced the ‘prevailing type.’ The re sult was a Christian experience like that of Bunyan’s Pilgrim. Salvation was an escape from the City of Destruction. Satan was not a rhetorical expression, hut a real and malignant personage—‘your adversary,’ ‘who as a roaring bon walketh about seeking whom he may devour.’ The accounts of the Garden of Eden, the experience of Jonah, the virgin birth of our Lord, the resurrection of Lazarus, and of the gates of pearl and the streets of pure gold in the Heavenly City were taken as historical descriptions of actual facts.” I am not so unsophisticated perhaps, and therefore I am not so ready to be lieve that Dr. Brqwn is really as black as he has painted himself. I have known Dr. Brown for many years, and esteem him highly, and I shall venture to add I know something of his limitations, and among them, with all due respect to him, is a propensity for letting his considerable talent for missionary rhetoric rather, out-run his theological knowledge and soundness of doctrinal judgment. If we were to take his words about the virgin birth, about the raising of Lazarus, about Jonah, about Job, about Satan, at their face value, should we not be compelled to conclude, however reluctantly, that his resignation as a secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions was already over due? No man rejecting or questioning such doctrines has any right to he a secretary of any hoard.

T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S 643 Good for Dr. Fox! A true servant of God, loving his brethren, hut not -willing to sit quietly by and see the work of God on the Foreign Field ruined by those who have departed from the fundamentals of the faith. Our position has been such that wo have been compelled to know facts concerning the conditions on the fields which are sufficiently serious to burden the hearts of lovers of the truth who long to see the evangelization of the world, and who sorrow over the consciousness that many of God’s people have been deceived with reference to their investments for God. We bespeak for the true men and women of God in the regions beyond your special prayers in their fight for the faith, and also for those in auth ority that there may be a speedy return to evangelical normalcy. T. C. H. “Jump” on the Devil. The Rev. H. A. Jump, D.D., a Congregational pastor in New Hamp shire, is quoted in the papers as follows: “Christendom has now progressed sufficiently far along the road toward en lightenment to be able to write the obituary of the devil. Without terror or regret and with no sense of genuine loss we should be able in these days to bury his Satanic majesty. He was a tradition that served many uses while he lasted, but we can now explain the dark facts of sin and moral evil by more scientific devices than a personal Beelzebub. And with the deepening of the sense of personal responsibility for sin we shall be in a better way to build up the Kingdom of righteousness and truth pnd brotherly love. It is not necessary for a man to believe in a personal devil in order to be a Christian. He ought to believe in God and Jesus and the Bible and the soul, but the devil is not in a class with these spiritual fundamentals. It is most important to draw the distinction between the essential and eternal aspects of Christian faith, and its incidental and temporary forms in which that faith was revealed. “Let us bury the devil. Let us have no more fears of his power. But let us hate and loathe and avoid sin more than ever, and devote ourselves to its extinc tion with a zeal as unquenchable as that of the Son of Man.” Hell abolished, the devil buried—leave it to the Modernists to fix up everything “ nice and pretty.” But there is nothing at all modern about these attempts after all. There have always been a goodly number of high brows who thought it wise to get rid of sin, hell and the devil, simply by denying their existence. However, there is still considerable evidence that the attempts have been unsuccessful except in the minds of these broad thinkers. , Mr. Jump has jumped altogether too far. He wants us to believe God, Christ and the Bible, and bury the devil. Doesn’t he know enough about the Bible to see that by consigning the personality of the devil to the religi ous junk-pile, he has thrown the Bible into a jumble of-contradictions and inconsistencies and made God and Christ the worst of liars? Believe in them! Who would be so dumb—if all that is said about a personal devil is mere rubbish? v Jesus Christ certainly believed in and combated a personal devil, a being of individual substance, intelligence and will, a being who has at his command legions of evil forces. Satan is clearly distinguished from the world and the flesh (Eph. 2 :2, 3; Jas. 4 :4; 1 Jno. 5 :3, 4). He is coming to a personal and individual doom (Rev. 20:10). If Satan is not a personal being, then the temptation of Jesus (Mt. 4) was from within His own

644 T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S nature, not from without. If so, Jesus had an inherent evil nature, was not conceived of the Holy Ghost, was not the spotless Son of God and Him self needs a Savior.. From repudiating the Bible teaching that the source of evil emanates from a great personality opposed to God, it is only one more step to do away with the incarnation of Christ. Mr. Jump gives no explanation of the presence and power of evil in the world. Anyone who has made a study of sin, must realize that the problem goes far deeper than human depravity and free agency. There is a mightier hand that pushes men on, a spirit that in many cases enters in and controls, compelling men to do what their own hearts do not desire to do. The passions of men are fanned by the breath of an invisible person ality. To deny the existence of that personality puts one all the more in his grip and serves his purpose better. The devil is a theologian with clearly defined doctrines. Some of these doctrines have been expressed through our friend Jump. K. L. B. The True Estimate of the Bible. J. M. Stanfield has issued a book on Christ’s second coming in' support of the postmillennial theory. We were interested in his introductory statements in which he says he sets great value upon the writings of Moody and the work of the Moody Institute and the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, “ from most every stand point, except their premillennial theory.” “ I most heartily agree,” he continues, “ with such men as Torrey, Chapman, Scofield, Gray and others, in teaching that the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is the very Word of God. I have become so disgusted with the materialism and higher criticism that .pervades the Sunday school literature of my denomination that I use the helps in The King’s Business and Christian Workers Magazine. I read these two magazines regularly and their sound Scriptural teaching in the main strengthens my faith.” ' Mr. Stanfield, in other words, has noticed the tendency of postmillen nial writers to discount the Scriptures. They usually begin by questioning the inspiration of those writings in which the so-called pessimistic view of the 'close of the age appears most prominently. They are almost sure to go on to question other vital doctrines, such as the atonement, a literal resurrection, the virgin birth, regeneration, etc. The postmillennial idea invariably tends toward social regeneration rather than individual salva tion and thus turns completely away from God’s program as defined in the Scriptures. Mr. Stanfield is disgusted with higher criticism. Has he not noticed that almost without exception the higher critics have come from the ranks of postmillennialists ? He honors premillennialists because of their adher ence to the great doctrines. Would it not seem strange that men who place so high a value upon the words of God should go entirely astray re garding this one doctrine which is referred to in plain terms in the New Testament three hundred and eighteen times or more often than almost any other doctrine in the New Testament?

T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S 645 Our friend, who says he deplores the “ fanciful interpretations” put upon portions of the Scriptures by premillennial teachers, then proceeds to give us some of the best specimens of “ fanciful interpretation” we have ever come across. We are sure he would not apply such methods to any other doctrine in the Bible than the Second Coming. When, one starts out with the statement, as Mr. Stanfield does, that- “ the wording of prophecy cannot always be taken to mean exactly what it says,” they are almost sure to get themselves into a pack of trouble with the Bible.

K. L. B.

M M

LIBERALISM—A LEMON We quote here a remarkable statement by Dean Fenn, of the Divinity School, Harvard University, a Unitarian minis ter. He says: We must seriously raise the question whether (religious) liberalism can bear the weight of the tragedies of human experience. Does not its amiable faith in inherent goodness appear but ghastly mockery when confronted by the facts of life? A religious doctrine which can not bear the weight of the heart-break ing disasters of life will prove a broken reed piercing the hand of him who leans upon it. Every fall is a fall upward—tell that to 'a man who by his own sin has fallen from a position of honor and pow er into deep and damning disgrace. While the message of religious liberal ism, with its impotent God of law and natural force, is but “ghastly mockery” to him who seeks salvation from sin and divine power to uphold him in the crush ing experiences of life, the acceptance of the Christian message, on the other hand, (resulting in Christian exeprience)

is fully adequate to his needs. The act ual realization of the living God and of â blessed personal relation to Him neces sarily brings the conviction that He is doing the very best for His child even in the disappointments which He may per mit to befall him; and that trials will in the end result in great blessing, if they are borne as- they ought to be. BLOOD-BOUGHT BLESSINGS I dare assert, without fear of success ful contradiction, that the inspired writ ers attribute all the blessings of salva tion to the precious blood of Jesus Christ. If we have redemption, it is through His blood; if we are justified, it is by His blood; if washed from our moral stains, it is by His blood, which cleanseth us from all sin; if we have victory over the last enemy, we obtain it not only by the word of the divine testimony, but through the blood of the Lamb; and, if we gain admittance into heaven, it is because, we “have washed our robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, and therefore are we before the throne of God.” Everything depends on the blood of Christ; and “without shedding of blood is no remis sion.”—Dr. R. Newton.

Give It Up Brother—It Wasn’t Made To Fit

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WHAT WE BELIEVE ‘Take not tke word of truth utterly out of my mouth.” Psali ,m 119*43

No man could take His life from | Him, but He had power to lay | down His life and power to take j it again (John 10.18). By His j offering of Himself on the tree He | bare the sins of His people (1 Pet. j 2.24) ,-and was made the Lamb of | God Who took on Himself the | sin of the world (John 1.29).- By this death He paid the pen- j alty that justly should have been | paid by sinners, in order that God | might justly forgive sinners who | believed in Jesus (Rom. 3.26). He rose from the dead with the j actual body that had died (Luke | 24.39), and was seen by numbers | of His disciples, once by more | than 500 at the same time (1 Cor. j 15.6). He was taken up to heav- § en (Acts 1,9), and now is able to | save to the uttermost all who | come to God through Him (Heb. | 7.25) , and is reigning till all en- j emies are brought under His feet | (1 Cor. 15.25). He shall come again with glory | (Mark 13.26), and all His people, | whether .they have died or are § still living, shall be caught up to j meet their Lord and shall be ever j with Him. Those who have not been saved | through Him (Acts 4.12) shall | have no share in the everlasting j life, which is God’s gift through | Him (Rom. 6.23), but the judg- j ment on sin will come on them | (Rev. 21.27). |

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LavJ and Grace Utterly Diverse Principles. Pure Grace the Only Gospel Now B? Dr. C. I. SCOFIELD

RACE is an English word used in the New Testament to translate the Greek word, Charis, which means “favor,”

and eschew evil; promises, with the help of God available through prayer; law, tried,on a great scale, and through cen turies of forbearance, supplemented by the mighty ethical ministry of the proph ets, without ever once presenting a hu man being righteous before God (Rom. 3:19; Gal. 3:10; Heb. 7:19; Rom. 3:10, 18; 8:3,4); this is the Biblical picture. And it is against this dark background that grace shines out. Definition. The New Testament definitions of grace are both inclusive and exclusive. They tell us what grace is, but they are careful also to tell us what grace is not. The two great central definitions follow: “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:7). This is the inclusive, or affirmative side; the negative aspect, what grace is not, follows: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8,9). The Jew, who is under the law when grace comes, is under its curse (Gal. 3:10); and the Gentiles are “without Christ, being aliens from the common wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12). And to this race God comes to show “the exceeding riches of His GRACE in His kindness towards US, through CHRIST JESUS.” The other great definition of grace is:

without recompense or equivalent. If there is any compensatory act or pay ment, however slight or inadequate, it is “no more grace”-—Charis. When used to denote a certain atti tude or act of God toward man it is therefore of the very essence of the mat ter that human merit or deserving is ut terly excluded. In grace God acts out from Himself, toward those who have deserved, not His favor, but His wrath. In the structure of the Epistle to the Ro mans grace does not enter, could not enter, till a whole race, without one single exception, stands guilty and speechless before God. Condemned by creation, the silent tes timony of the universe (Rom. 1:18,20); by wilful ignorance, the loss of a knowl edge of God once universal (Rom.l:21); by senseless idolatry (Rom. 1:22,23); by a manner of life worse than bestial (Rom. 1:24,27); by godless pride and cru elty (Rom. 1:28,32); by philosophical mor- alizings which had no fruit in life (Rom. 2:1,4); by consciences which can only “accuse” or seek to “excuse” but never justify (Rom. 2:15,16); and finally by the very law in which those who have the law boast (Rom. 2:17; 3:20), “every mouth” is “stopped, and all the world become guilty before God.” In an absolute sense, the end of all flesh has come'. Everything has been tried. Innocence, as of two unfallen creatures in an Eden of beauty; con science, that is, the knowledge of good and evil with responsibility to do good

T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S (Rom. 3:19); grace, of forgiveness (Eph. 1:7). Law curses (Gal. 3:10); grace re deems from that curse (Gal. 3:13). Law kills (Rom. 7:9,11); grace makes alive (John 10:10). Law shuts every mouth before God; grace opens every mouth to praise Him. Law puts a great and guilty distance between man and God (Ex. 20:18,19); grace makes guilty man nigh to God (Eph. 2:13). Law says, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth (Ex. 21:24); Grace says “Resist not evil; hut whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to -him the other also” (Matt. 5:39). Law says, “Hate thine enemy;” grace, “Love your enemies, bless them that despitefully use'you.” Law says, do and live (Luke 10:26-28); grace, believe and live (John 5:24). Law never had a missionary; grace is to he preached to every crea ture. Law utterly condemns the best man (Phil. 3:4,9); grace freely justifies the worst (Luke 23:34; Rom. 5:15; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Cor. 6:9,11). Law is a system of probation; grace, of favor. Law stones an adultress (Deut. 22:21); grace says, “Neither do I condemn thee” (John 8:1-11). Under law the sheep dies for the shepherd; under grace the shep herd dies for the sheep (John 10:11). The relation to each other of these di verse principles, law and grace, troubled the apostolic church. The first contro versy concerned the ceremonial law. It was the contention of the legalists that converts from among the Gentiles could not be saved unless circumcised “after the manner of Moses (Acts 15:1). This demand was enlarged when the “apostles and elders” had come together at Jeru salem to settle that controversy (Acts 15:5,6). The demand then made put in issue not circumcision merely, or the ceremonial law, but the whole Mosaic system. “That it was needful to circum cise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5). The decision of the council, as “it seemed good to the Holy Ghost,” neg-

648

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared” —the positive aspect; “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” —the negative aspect.. Grace, then, characterizes the present age, as law characterized the age from Sinai to Calvary. “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” And this con trast between law as a method and grace as a method runs through the whole Biblical revelation concerning grace. It is not, of course, meant that there was no law before Moses, any more than that there tfras no grace and truth before Jesus Christ. The forbidding to Adam of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17.) was law, and surely grace was most sweetly man ifested in the seeking, by the Lord God, of His sinning creatures, and in His clothing them with coats of skins (Gen. 3:21)—a beautiful type of Christ “made unto us......................righteous ness” (1 Cor. 1:30). Law, in the sense of some revelation of God’s will, and grace, in the sense of some revelation of God’s goodness, have always existed, and to this Scripture abundantly testi fies: But “the law” as an inflexible rule of life was given by Moses, and, from Sinai to Calvary, dominates, character izes, the time; Just as grace dominates, or gives its peculiar character to, the dispensation which begins at Calvary, and has its predicted termination in the rapture of the church. Law and Grace Diverse. It is, however, of the most vital mo ment to observe that Scripture never, in any dispensation, mingles these two principles. Law always has a place and work distinct and wholly diverse from that of grace. Law is God prohibiting, and requiring (Ex. 20:1-17); grace is God, beseeching, and bestowing (2 Cor. 5:18, 21). Law is a ministry of condemnation

T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S atived both demands, and the new law of love was Invoked that Gentile con verts should abstain from things espe cially offensive to Jewish believers (Acts 15:28,29). But the confusion of these two diverse principles did not end with the decision of the council. The controversy contin ued, and six years later the iioly Spirit, by the Apostle Paul, launched against the legalistic teachers from Jerusalem the crushing thunderbolt of the Epistle to the churches in Galatia. In this great letter every phase of the question of the respective spheres of law and of grace comes up for discussion and final, authoritative decision. The Apostle had called the Galatians into the grace of Christ (Gal. 1:6.) Now grace means unmerited, unrecompensed favor. It is essential to get this clear. Add never so slight an admixture of law- works, as circumcision, or law effort, as of obedience to commandments, and “grace is no more grace” (Rom. 11:6). So absolutely is this true, that grace cannot even begin with us until the law has reduced us to speechless guilt (Rom. 3:19). So long as there is the slightest question of utter, guilt, utter help lessness, there is no place for grace. If I am not, indeed, quite so good as 1 ought to be, but yet quite too good for- hell, I am not an object for the grace of God, but for the illuminating and con victing and death-dealirfg work of His law. The law is “just” (Rom. 7:12) and therefore heartily approves of goodness, and unsparingly condemns badness; but, save Jesus of Nazareth, the law never saw a man righteous through obedience. Grace, on the contrary, is not looking for good men whom it may approve, for it is not grace, but mere justice, to ap prove goodness, but it is looking for condemned, guilty, speechless and help less men whom it may save through faith, sanctify and glorify. Into grace, then, Paul had called the

649 Galatians. What (1:6) was his contro versy with them? Just this: they were “removed” from the grace of Christ into “another gospel,” though he is swift to add, “which is not another” (Gal. 1:7). There could not be another “gospel.” Change, modify, the grace of Christ by the smallest degree, and you no longer have a gospel. A gospel is “glad tid ings”; and the law is not glad tidings. “What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God” (Rom. 3:19), and surely that is no good news. The law, then, has but one lan guage; it pronounces “all the world”— “good”, bad, and “goody-goody” — “guilty”. But you say: What is a simple child of God, who knows no theology, to do? Just this: to remember that any so-called gospel which is not pure unadulterated grace is “another” gospel. If it pro poses, under whatever specious guise, to win favor of God by works, or goodness, or “character,” or anything else which man can do, it is spurious. That is the unfailing test. But it is more than spurious, it is ac cursed-—or rather the preachers of it are (Gal. 1:8,9). It is not man who says that, but the Spirit of God who says it by His apostle. This is unspeakably sol emn. Not the denial of thé Gospel even, is so awfully serious as to pervert the Gospel. Oh, that God may give His people in this day power to discriminate, to distinguish things which differ. Alas, it is discernment which seems so pain fully wanting. If à preacher is cultured, gentle, ear nest, intellectual, and broadly tolerant, the sheep of God run after him. He, of course, speaks beautifully about Christ, and uses the old words—redemption, the cross, even sacrifice and atonement— but what is his Gospel? That is the cru cial question. Is salvation, perfect, en tire, eternal,—justification, sanctifica-

T HE •

K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S

650 tion, glory,—the alone work of Christ, and the free gift of God to faith alone? Or does he say: (Dr. Abbott) “Charac ter is salvation,” even though he may add that Christ “helps” to form the char acter? The True Christian Life. And now we are ready to turn from the negative to the positive side, to the secret of a holy and victorious walk un der grace. We shall find the principle and the power of that walk defined in Galatians 5:16-24. The principle of the walk is briefly stated: “Walk in the Spirit, arid ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (5:16): The Spirit is shown in Galatians in a threefold way. First, He is received by the hearing of faith (3:2). When the Galatians believed they received the Spirit. To what end? The legalists make little of the Spirit. Though they talk much of “power” in connection with the Spirit, it is power for service which chiefly occupies them. Of His sovereign rights, of His blessed enabling in the in ner life, there is scant apprehension. But it is precisely there that the Biblical emphasis falls. In Romans, for example, the Spirit is not even mentioned until we have a justified sinner trying to keep the law, utterly defeated in that attempt by the flesh, the “law in his members,” and crying ouï, not for help, but for deliverance (Rom. 7:15-24). Then the Spirit is brought in with, Oh, what mar velous results! “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). Noit the Apostle’s effort, undler the law, nor even the Spirit’s help in that effort, but the might of the indwell ing Spirit alone, breaks the power of in dwelling sin (Gal. 5:16-18). You ask, and necessarily at this point, what is it to walk in the Spirit? The answer is in Gal. 5:18: “If ye be led of the Spirit.” But how else may we be led of Him save by yieldedness to His

sway? There is a wonderful sensitiveness in the blessed Spirit’s love. He will not act in and over our lives by way of al- mightiness, forcing us into conformity. That is why “yield” is the great word of Romans 6, where it is expressly said that we are not under the law, but un der grace. , The results of walking in the Spirit are twofold, negative and positive. Walking in the Spirit we shall not ful fill the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). The “flesh” here is the exact equivalent of “sin” in Romans 6:14, “Sin shall not have dominion over you.” And the reason is immediately given (5:17). The Spirit and the flesh are contrary, and the Spirit is greater and mightier than the flesh. Deliverance comes, not by self-effort under the law igi-that is Romans 7—but by the om nipotent Spirit, who Himself is contrary to the flesh, and who brings the yielded believer into the experience of Ro mans 8. PRAY FOR PREACHERS Jonathan Edwards said: “If some Christians that have been complaining of their ministers had said and acted less before men and had applied them- ‘selves with all their might to cry to God for their ministers—had, as it were, risen and stormed heaven with their humble, fervent and incessant prayers for them—they would have been much more in the way of success.” The great est preacher that ever lived besought his brethren to “pray for him and his associates that the Word of the Lord might run and be glorified”; that “ut terance might be given him in opening his mouth, to make known with bold ness the mystery of the Gospel,” and that God would “open unto him a door for the world.” The preacher who knows that his people are praying for him will be a new man, and preach with new power. In praying for the man of God in the pulpit the people in the pews will promote the interests of the king dom, and will at the' same time bring down blessings upon their own souls.

Tne Doctrine of Sin The Weakening of the Idea of Sin a Complete Departure from the Bible Bj> PROF. JAMES ORR

Holiness; the other is the idea of Moral Law. To these may perhaps be added a third—the idea of thè Moral End, of the Chief Good, identified, as Ritschl rightly held, with the Kingdom of God. Trans gression of moral law alone does not give the full idea of sin in the Christian sense; even as the moral law itself, in Christianity, cannot be severed from the idea of the holy God, whose law it is, and whose character is expressed in it. Sin, in other words, is not simply a moral, but is peculiarly a religious con ception. Sin is transgression against God; the substitution of the creature will for the will of the Creator; revolt of the creature will from God. It is this relation to God which gives the wrong act its distinctive character as sin (cf. Ps. 51:4). It is, therefore, only in the light of God’s character as holy—per fected, in Christ’s teaching in the aspect of Fatherly love,—and of God’s end for man, that the evil quality and full enor mity of sinful acts can be clearly seen. Hence the impossibility of so much as discussing the Christian teaching about sin without reference to the divine holi ness, and to man’s relation to this. Hence also the vital importance, as Christ’s words to Nicodemus suggest, and as will afterwards be seen, of just conceptions .of sin for the right under standing of the higher Christian doc trines. It is in inadequate and mistaken views of sin that the root of so much misapprehension of these doctrines lies. . In a large part of the thought of our time there is a wide, often a complete departure from these presuppositions of the Christian doctrine of sin, with, as

T he follow ing article is com prised of ex tra c ts from a tim ely book, “Sin as a Problem of T oday,” by Prof. Jam es O rr, a book th a t should be w idely read in th ese d ay s w h en th e B ible view of sin is so m uch discounted by v ario u s sects. .

IN is here: this conscience-and universal experience attest. The evidences of its presence are not slight or intermittent.

Men may belittle it, try to forget it, treat it as a superstition or disease of imagin ation—there are, as we shall see, no lack of such attempts in the thinking of today—but the grim reality asserts itself in the dullest consciousness, and com pels acknowledgment o|£ its existence and hateful power. Drug conscience as deeply as one may, a time comes when it awakes. Turn in what direction one will, sin confronts one as a fact in hu man life—an experience of the heart, a development in history, a crimson thread in literature, a problem for science, an enigma for philosophy. This deep-seated presence and baleful operation of moral evil in the world, prolific of such untold mental and physi cal anguish, has pressed as a frightful burden on the minds of men in all ages, and has given rise to every sort of the ory and effort—to great world-systems in thought and elaborate penitential and propitiatory devices in religion—for its explanation and alleviation. What an array of speculations and of methods for obtaining deliverance and peace, arising from this cause, has the world witnessed —witnesses still! Sin in Christianity is connected with' two ideas, without the right apprehen sion of which it cannot be properly con ceived. TEe one is the idea of the Divine

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