Wherever the word of God has been faithfully preached, results have followed that attested its divine origin.
--The "light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9) illumined the secret chambers of their souls.
--But sin alienated him from his Maker.
--The "light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9) illumined the secret chambers of their souls.
--But sin alienated him from his Maker.
--He no longer reflected the divine image.
--His heart was at war with the principles of God's law.
"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Romans 8:7.
--Revivals brought deep heart-searching and humility. They were characterized by solemn, earnest appeals to the sinner, by yearning
compassion for the purchase of the blood of Christ.
--There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation.
--But many of the revivals of modern times have presented a marked contrast to those manifestations of divine grace which in earlier days followed the labors of God's servants. The light which flames up for a time soon dies out, leaving the darkness more dense than before.
--Popular revivals are too often carried
--Revivals brought deep heart-searching and humility. They were characterized by solemn, earnest appeals to the sinner, by yearning
--There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation.
--But many of the revivals of modern times have presented a marked contrast to those manifestations of divine grace which in earlier days followed the labors of God's servants. The light which flames up for a time soon dies out, leaving the darkness more dense than before.
--Popular revivals are too often carried
-by appeals to the imagination,
-by exciting the emotions,
-by gratifying the love for what is new and startling.
There is an emotional excitement, a mingling of the true with the false, that is well adapted to mislead. Unless a religious service has something of a sensational character, it has no attractions for them. Converts thus gained have little desire to listen to Bible truth, little interest in the testimony of prophets and apostles. "Ye shall know them by their fruits" (Matthew 7:16), it is evident that these movements are not the work of the Spirit of God.
--The power of godliness has well-nigh departed from many of the churches.
*Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world.
--Notwithstanding the widespread declension of faith and piety, there are true followers of Christ in these churches.
*Before the final visitation of God's judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times.
--The tendency of the modern pulpit is to strain out the divine justice from the divine benevolence, to sink benevolence into a sentiment rather than exalt it into a principle. The new theological prism puts asunder what God has joined together.
Q: Is the divine law a good or an evil?
A: It is a good.
--Had it been possible for the law to be changed or set aside, then Christ need not have died to save man from the penalty of sin. The death of Christ, so far from abolishing the law, proves that it is immutable.
--The law of God, from its very nature, is unchangeable. It is a revelation of the will and the character of its Author. God is love, and His law is love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to man. "Love is the fulfilling of the law." Romans 13:10.
--Many religious teachers assert that Christ by His death abolished the law, and men are henceforth free from its requirements.
--But not so did prophets and apostles regard the holy law of God. Said David: "I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts." Psalm 119:45.
--The apostle James, who wrote after the death of Christ, refers to the Decalogue as "the royal law" and "the perfect law of liberty." James 2:8; 1:25.
--And the revelator, half a century after the crucifixion, pronounces a blessing upon them "that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.
-- "Sin is the transgression of the law." "By the law is the knowledge of sin." 1 John 3:4; Romans 3:20.
--In order to see his guilt, the sinner must test his character by God's great standard of righteousness.
--It is a mirror which shows the perfection of a righteous character and enables him to discern the defects in his own.
*The law reveals to man his sins, but it provides no remedy.
*The gospel of Christ alone can free him from the condemnation or the defilement of sin.
*He must exercise repentance toward God, whose law has been transgressed; and faith in Christ, his atoning sacrifice.
*Says Paul: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Romans 3:31.
*And John declares: "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous."
*Under a religious guise, Satan will seek to extend his influence over the Christian world.
--Notwithstanding the widespread declension of faith and piety, there are true followers of Christ in these churches.
*Before the final visitation of God's judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times.
--The tendency of the modern pulpit is to strain out the divine justice from the divine benevolence, to sink benevolence into a sentiment rather than exalt it into a principle. The new theological prism puts asunder what God has joined together.
Q: Is the divine law a good or an evil?
A: It is a good.
--Had it been possible for the law to be changed or set aside, then Christ need not have died to save man from the penalty of sin. The death of Christ, so far from abolishing the law, proves that it is immutable.
--The law of God, from its very nature, is unchangeable. It is a revelation of the will and the character of its Author. God is love, and His law is love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to man. "Love is the fulfilling of the law." Romans 13:10.
--Many religious teachers assert that Christ by His death abolished the law, and men are henceforth free from its requirements.
--But not so did prophets and apostles regard the holy law of God. Said David: "I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts." Psalm 119:45.
--The apostle James, who wrote after the death of Christ, refers to the Decalogue as "the royal law" and "the perfect law of liberty." James 2:8; 1:25.
--And the revelator, half a century after the crucifixion, pronounces a blessing upon them "that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Revelation 22:14.
-- "Sin is the transgression of the law." "By the law is the knowledge of sin." 1 John 3:4; Romans 3:20.
--In order to see his guilt, the sinner must test his character by God's great standard of righteousness.
--It is a mirror which shows the perfection of a righteous character and enables him to discern the defects in his own.
*The law reveals to man his sins, but it provides no remedy.
*The gospel of Christ alone can free him from the condemnation or the defilement of sin.
*He must exercise repentance toward God, whose law has been transgressed; and faith in Christ, his atoning sacrifice.
*Says Paul: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Romans 3:31.
*And John declares: "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous."
1 John 5:3.
--Erroneous theories of sanctification, also, springing from neglect or rejection of the divine law, have a prominent place in the religious movements of the day.
--Erroneous theories of sanctification, also, springing from neglect or rejection of the divine law, have a prominent place in the religious movements of the day.
These theories are both false in doctrine
and dangerous in practical results;
The sanctification now gaining prominence in the religious world carries with it a spirit of self-exaltation and a disregard for the law of God that mark it as foreign to the religion of the Bible. Its advocates teach that sanctification is an instantaneous work, by which, through faith alone, they attain to perfect holiness.
--The desire for an easy religion that requires no striving, no self-denial, no divorce from the follies of the world, has made the doctrine of faith, and faith only, a popular doctrine;
--The Bible clearly teaches what sanctification is and how it is to be attained.
*The Savior prayed for His disciples: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." John 17:17.
*And Paul teaches that believers are to be "sanctified by the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:16.
*And the psalmist says: "Thy law is the truth."
-*-The sanctification set forth in the Scriptures embraces the entire being—spirit, soul, and body. "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
--The desire for an easy religion that requires no striving, no self-denial, no divorce from the follies of the world, has made the doctrine of faith, and faith only, a popular doctrine;
--The Bible clearly teaches what sanctification is and how it is to be attained.
*The Savior prayed for His disciples: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." John 17:17.
*And Paul teaches that believers are to be "sanctified by the Holy Ghost." Romans 15:16.
*And the psalmist says: "Thy law is the truth."
-*-The sanctification set forth in the Scriptures embraces the entire being—spirit, soul, and body. "whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thessalonians 5:23.
"Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.
--Every sinful gratification tends to benumb the faculties and deaden the mental and spiritual perceptions, and the word or the Spirit of God can make but a feeble impression upon the heart.
--The Scriptures plainly show that the work of sanctification is progressive. When in conversion the sinner finds peace with God through the blood of the atonement, the Christian life has but just begun. "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14.
--The world is given up to self-indulgence. "The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" control the masses of the people. But Christ's followers have a holier calling. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean."
--Every sinful gratification tends to benumb the faculties and deaden the mental and spiritual perceptions, and the word or the Spirit of God can make but a feeble impression upon the heart.
--The Scriptures plainly show that the work of sanctification is progressive. When in conversion the sinner finds peace with God through the blood of the atonement, the Christian life has but just begun. "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13, 14.
--The world is given up to self-indulgence. "The lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" control the masses of the people. But Christ's followers have a holier calling. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean."
It is by beholding that we become changed.
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