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H
ow many times llave you beard
non-cbristians, judging one who
profesks Cbrist, say in disgusc:
~weu
if
rlrar's
Cbristianicy,
1
don'c wanc any ofic!"
How many judge Goo by tbe way
professing Christians tive? How many
assume that one mus! tive a
perftct
tife,
before he
can
beoome a Christian?
'
How many say: "lf
1
could give up
smoking, l'd become a.Christian."
How many think a Christian is sup·
posed to be perfect, never doing any·
thing wrong? Suppose you do see or
hear about
a
Christian doing something
WRONG.
Does
tbac mean he is a hypo–
crice - cbac he is
not
really
a
Christian.
after
all?
ls lt
pouíble
for one co actually
sn<,
while he is a Christian, and
still
nmmn
a
uuly convened Christian?
1
suppose nearly everyone would
reply in tbe negacive. Buc b,ere is
a
vital
point)'()ll
need lO
UNOERSTANO!
lc's
hard co betieve - hui TIIUE! Few
knowjusc whac
/s
a
Christian. Few know
HOW ooe is converced - wbether sud·
denly, all at once, or gradually. Does
convcrsion happen
immediate/y,
or is ita
PROCI!SS? IT'S HlGH TIME
W1l
UN06R•
STANl)!
The
TltUTH
is tbat 1bere is
a
sense in
wbich uue conversion
does
take place
al
l---'a=-=«.,6"'nf~leJ.~-
allac.once .• But ic is
also
true chal in anotber sense conversion
is
worked out gradual/y
-
a
prooess of de–
vetopmenc and
growtb.
Now NOTJCE CAIUlFULLY!
WHEN does one really become a
Christian?
11
is wben be receives God's
Holy Spirit. In Romans
8:9,
we read that
unless
we bave cbe Holy Spiril, we are
noc Cbrist's - noc Christians.
There is a delinice
TIME
when Ood's
Spiric encers inco one. Al tbe
very mo·
ment
he receives tbe Holy Spirit, beis, in·
tbis first sense,
con
verted.
Yes,
al/ at
once/
lf he bas Chrisc's Spirit, be. is
CHusr's - be is a Christian! He has
been begoccen as a child ofGod.
Buc
does
tbac mean
bis
salvacion
is
comple1e?
ls
be now fully and linally
"saved"?
ls
tbac all cbere is
lo
ic?
ls
be
now, suddenly,
per[ffl?
ls ic now impos–
stble for bim codo waoNG?
NOI
PAR FROW rr! Buc
WHYl
Wbat's
the answet'? Wby do
so
many Mlsunder·
stand?
Here is tbe
PLAn< TRUTH
you need lo
know.
~-0114:
HERBERT W. AR.M$TRONO
~~
GARN"EJt TE0 ARMSTa.QifO
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WEEK ENDINO NOVEMBER 1,
l91S
Firsc, 1here are rwo
conditions
co
be–
coming a Christian: UPENTANCE, and
P
AJTH. These two we, ourselves, muse
peñorm. Yet no one
can,
ofbimself, say:
"Oh now
1
see -
r
must repenc. AU right,
1
hereby repenL
~
One does noc jusc de·
cide casually, as
a
mauer of roucine. co
repenL WHY?
Jesu5 Cbrist said tbat none can come
10 Him, excepc tbe Spiric of tbe Falber
draw him. God
granrs
repentance. God
calls
one, and convicls tbe mind and
conscience by His Spirit, working on che
mind excemaUy. Usually a real struggle
goes on witbin. The person has been
sbaken co
know
be
has
done wrong- be
has
sinned. He is noc onty
sorry -
he
abbors hi.mselfl He is. broughl co real
RVEHTANCE noc only for wbac be has
done. buc for wbac he now sees tbat be
...
Yec he, himself, must make tbe dea·
sion. lf be does repenc, surrender 10
God, and in PAITH accept Jesus Christ as
personal Saviour, tben, upon perfor–
mance of these TWO conditions, God
prom/ses
co puc wichin
him
che GIPT of
lhe Holy Spiric. Tbis is tbe very
life
of
GOO- SPIRIT tife. lt imparts lO bim tbe
very
divlnt naturt!
Then
what,
a( cbac scage,
has h4p·
pened?
This new convert has only been
Mgot·
lln
of God - no1 yet
BORN.
He bas ooc
received tbe full measure ofOod's Spiric
Chrisc had - be is only a
spirirual babe
in
Christ - be must
OOW
GROW spiritu·
ally~jusc
as a newly oonceived fetus in ilS
motber's womb musl grow pbysicaUy
large enough co be BORN as a human.
This new convert has now
REPENTllD,
in his mind, from the deptbs ofbis beart.
He WEANS
tT,
too! ln all sincericy, in ltis
mind and heart he has
rurned around to
go theOlher
way-
lOJive
a
dilferenl tife.
He
is
now a CHRISTIAN - he
has
re–
ceived God's Holy Spirit. He reaUy
wants
co do wbac is rigbc - co obey Ood
- co live Ooo's WAY.
YET
HE
FINOS
HE DOES
NOT
DO
THIS
PERnCTI.Y! Many,
ac
tbis
stage, become
disoouraged. Sorne
give
up even
trying
co tive a O!ristian tife. And WHY?
&·
cause of the fa/se notion rh4t a Christian
is ont who «comes
PERFECT
at ont fe//
JWO()p
-
or, tbat one cannot become
a
Christian
until
he has brolcen aU wrong
habics, and
made
himseifrighceous.
h's vital co UNOERSTANl) how true
Chriscianicy REAU.YWOR.KSI
Personal from...
The newly begonen Christian muse
grow
up, spiricually. Wbac would you
tbink of
a
human ba!>y. wbo became
6
feec tall
al/ at
once,
wichout
growing
up?
The growing up process requires
nwe.
There is
an instant
wben a person re–
ceives 1he impregnacing Holy Spiril of
God - when be firsc becomes a Chris–
tian. Buc he
is
only a spiricuát
lnfant.
He
must
grow up
spiritually.
The newly converted person,
In hls
mind and hearr.
sincerely has ABOUT·
PAC!D! He has actually gained concact
_witb GoX>. and received Ood's Holy
SplriL
God's
own divine NAT\IRE
has
now been conceived witbin bim. BUT
THA
r's A
U..
h
Ís
mue/y
cancrived
- noc
yec fuU grown! Aíld bis HUMAN NATURE
is
stll/ thtrt.
le
has noc been killed or
removed!
Underscand tbisl
We were aU bom HUMAN. We all were
bom wich HIJWAN NATVRE. Few seem lo
know what human natUTe is.
11
is
a
scrong PULL - a tendency - and, like
gravicy, ic is
a
downward
pull Like a
strong magnet, ic draws us in tbe WAY
OP SATAN- tbat is, a pull toward pride
and vanicy, seUishness and greed,
a
laclt
of oucgoing
coneem
for otben - tbe
spiric of competition, oppositioo, scrife,
etron co aequire, and
to
exalt tbe setr.
le
is
a
puU coward self-gracifie1tion, and
jealousy, envy and resentmenl coward
ochers.
le
i5 che spiric of rebeUio'! against au–
tboricy, hostilily coward God and lhe
Iaw of God. THAT is buman nature. Yo
u
were bom wich it.
le
is
scill
witbin you.
briginally God created tbe beauciful
Volume XL No.
18
arebangel Lucifer. He sealed up tbe surn
of wisdom, knowledge and beaucy. Buc
one ching he
laclted
was tbe righteous
CHAIIACTER co choose tbe right way, and
resise che wrong -
lO
discipline tbe
self
in che way ic ought co go, inscead of che
way ofself-desire.
Ood's PURPOSE in baving crealed bu·
manity - in havihg caused
YOU Co
be
bom - is eo reproduce Himself. And
Goo, above
aiJ
chings,
is
PERFEct, ltiOH·
TEOUS
CHAIUCTER!
God
is able co
creace character witbin us - buc ic muse
be done as
a
resutc of OUT independeot
free choóce. We,
as
individual separa1e
eaucies, have OUT part
in
tbe
prooess.
Whac
is
peñecc character?
le
is tbe
abilicy, in a separa1e enticy, co come to
tbe K.NOWUDGE
of
tbe righc from tbe
wrong - tbe uue from tbe false- and co
CHOOSE tbe righc, and
possess
the
wcu.
to enforce self·discipline co
00
lbe righc
and resisl the wroog.
Like muscle, cbaracter
is
dt;.veloped,
and grows by exercise. My name
is
Arm·
scrong, 1 suppose 1 could make my arm
scrooger, and develop che muscle, by
conscandy bending ic back and forth ac
tbe elbow. Bue
if
1
pull, or push. againsc
sorne heavy weigbt
or
resistance, tbe
muscle will develop mucb raster. There–
fore God purposely puc witbin us
tbis
NATVIU! thac exerts a beavy pull
aga/nst
tbac
perfect
righteous character - lo
give
us
sometbing
lO
strive against,
for
THE VERY PURPOSE OF STRENGTHENINO
ANO OEVEJ..OPING lt.IGRT CHARACTERI
Ood's CHAAACTER travels in tbe
direo–
cion of His taw - tbe way of LOVE.
11
is
(Conllnued on page 7)
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