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JS .. .' and then giving the Bible
definition of what sin is?"
"Christ died for our sins," they
replied, now becoming defensive.
"But if
1
come to your meet"ings,
1
want to know if your preacher can
show me what the BIBLE defines as
sin- what IS sin. Would one of you
run and bring your preacher, so
1
may ask him direct?"
By this time quite a little group of
curiosity seekers had gathered
around us. They urged: "Yes, go
bring your preacher-let's see if he
can answer."
The "great" evangelist carne.
1
asked him the same question. ·
" Jesus died for our sins," he
replied, just as he had instructed his
young men.
He refused to answer, or open his
Bible and show us the biblical defini–
tion of sin. He and his young men
slunk away.
The crowd which had gathered
laughed. "When someone knows how
to ask the right questions, they can't
answer from the Bible," one said.
"He could have, but he didn' t
dare, because he knew if he read the
true Bible definition of sin, it would
destroy his whole teaching,"
1
said.
"Would vou people like to see that
Bible definition ?"
They would. 1 was carrying a
briefcase from which·
1
took out my
Bible. Turning to
1
John
3:4, 1
read,
"Sin is the transgression of the law."
Then from Romans
7:14, 1
showed
them WHAT law it is sin to trans–
gress-"For we know that the law is
spiritual"- that is, a SPIRITUAL law.
Romans
7:7:
"ls the law sin? [Satan
represents that God's spiritual law–
His way of life-is evil, but that its
transgression is R!GHT.] God forbid.
Nay,
1
had not known sin [what sin
is), but by the law." WHAT LAW?
" .. . for
1
had not known lust, except
the law had said, Thou shalt not
covet." What law said, " Thou shalt
not covet"? THE TEN COMMAND–
MENTS!
This incident illustrates what
1
mean. A world-famous evangelist
tells his vast audiences that death is
uncertain-it may strike you when
least expected. Someone somewhere
may
unexp~ctedly
drop dead before
tomorrow morning. What would hap–
pen to you if that someone should be
vou? lf you don't come forward and
JANUARY 1980
accept Christ tonight , you have no
insurance for tomorrow-tomorrow
may be too late. So, to the mournful
tones of the choir singing "Just as
1
am"-in my sins- " Tcome,
1
come,"
the hundreds and even thousands
begin the trek down to the "altar."
The whole teaching of traditional
Christianity is that we do not haveto
REJECT Satan's
way
of sin-the self–
centered way of this world- that we
may crash right back through that
impassible BARRIER God put to guard
the "tree of life''- that we may TAKE
immortaJ life IN OUR SINS!
Jesus carne to save us FROM our
sins, not IN them. Repentance is
toward Goo, and faith is toward our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We
come to God
through
Christ, but
Jesus said plainly: "No man CAN
COMEto me, except the Father which
sent medraw him" (John
6:44).
You
or
1
cannot take the initiative. Goo
must first call and draw us to Him.
We must first REPENT-square our–
se!ves with Goo the FATHER! There
is one Lawgiver-Goo THE FATHER.
We must first repent-and repen–
tance is GRANTEo by God, and
TOWARD Goo (Acts 11: 18; 20:21 ) .
On the day of Pentecost, at the
ve"ry founding of the Church, the
inspired Peter said: "REPENT, and be
baptised [into Christ] ... and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit" (Acts
2:38).
Jesus said: "Ex–
cept ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish" (Luke
13:3).
We who were predestined to be
called by God .the Father NOW, were
called for our PART-if only by our
heartrending prayers for the Work,
our tithes, our encouragement, and
whatever is delegated to us to do–
were called to this DEFINITE ÜREAT
COMMISSION behind Christ's apost!e
whom He uses as His instrument.
But wE have to overcome SATAN
even as Jesus did-as well as Satan's
world and the human nature Satan
has instilled within us. Those called
in the millennium, or in the Great
White Throne Judgment , will not
have Satan to overcome. On the
other hand, WE, if we overcome, shall
sit with Christ in His throne at
Jerusalem, and be given power to
RULE THE NATIONS!
God unfair? NEVER! God is the
God of justice' to ALL- but to each in
H1s TIME and in H1s WAY! o
Ireland
(Continued from page JI)
Ulster oppose violence, but most have
been afraid to speak out for fear of
retaliation. This silent majority
m~st
come to realize that "whosoever will
save his life shall lose it" (Mark
8:35).
He who allows himself to be
intimidated into compromising with
men of violence may well lose his life
amid the continuing bloodshed they
perpetuate. "Biessed are the peace–
makers: for they shall be called the
children of God," Christ declares
(Matthew
5:9).
The people of Northern Ireland
must call a halt to violence once and
for all. Once the bloodshed ends, it
will befar easier for ordinary, decent
lrish men and women to put aside
their antagonisms and get along with
one another.
1
n the final analysis, peace will
come only when the people of Ulster
get together and live in Northern lre–
la'nd not primarily as Catholics or
Protestants but as
Ulstermen,
with a
fair political and economic role for
all, frée of prejudice and bigotry.
Otherwise, the strife in Ulster will
continue as before-and probably es–
calate- further brutalizing the na–
tional spirit and holding up as a
·Jaughingstock before the world the
spectacle of a "religion of peace" de–
stroying a people who profess it.
The good news is that there
wi/1
be
peace in Northern l reland, whether
or not Ulstermen choose to have it
now.
l f they will not solve the prob–
Iem themselves, it will ultimately be
solved
jor them-by
the returning
Christ in His soon-to-be established
millennial rule over this earth. At
that time-for l reland and for the
world at large- the Bible predicts
that "violence shall no more be heard
in thy land, wasting nor destruction
within thy borders" ( Isaiah 60:1 8).
Will the slaughter continue in Ul–
ster in the days ahead? Will there be
more tragedies yet to come? The an–
swer is up to the men and women of
Ulster.
" 1
call heaven and ea.rth to
record this day against you,' ' God
declares, "that l have set before you
life and death. blessing and cursing:
therefore
choose lije,
that both thou
and thy seed may live" (Deuterono–
my
30:19).
o
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