Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 May 1912 — THE SAVIOR'S TEACHINGS BROOKLYN TABERNACLE BIBLE STUDIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE SAVIOR'S TEACHINGS BROOKLYN TABERNACLE BIBLE STUDIES

CHRISTIANITY AND THE LAW. Matthew v, 17-2 S—May 19. "He that lot l th hie niijhhor hath fulfilled the '■'Laic.*:— flomans riii. S. C HE Great Teacher declared that He came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfil them. While the Law was spoken of as Moses’ Law, it was really the Divine Law given to Israel as a basis for the Divine Covenant with that nation, and Moses merely stood as mediator of that Law Covenant—That agreement by which Israel was obligated to keep the Law. and God was obligated if they did so to grant them everlasting life. Divine fa-

vor and the glorious privilege of men t s for the blessing of all nations. under Messiah's Kingdom. The failure of even the mast sincere Israelites to gain the promi s e d everlasting life proved, not

that God’s Law was unjust. but that Israel, like the remainder of the world; shared by inheritance Adamic weaknesses, which so impaired their moral quality that they could not keep God’s perfect Law, which our Lord defined to be wnoleshearted love for God and “Golden Rule" love for the neighbor. The Gospel of Jesus magnifies the Jewish Law by admitting its righteousness. The prop' sition of Jesus in respect to His followers is this: He, being perfect, was able ,to keep the Mosaic Law perfectly, and had a right, therefore, to everlasting life, and needed not to have died; but instead of retaining His life He laid it down sacrifi. tally, as a part of the great Divine Plan for human redemption. That sacrifice will bring to the world the blessed opportunity for eternal life which, it has been promised, Messiah’s Kingdom will bring. But meantime the Redeemer, carrying out Jehovah’s plans, offers an imputation of His merit to any who have His spirit of full consecration to do the Father’s will by laying down the. present life sacrificially, to gain with the Redeemer a heavenly, spiritual lif?, glory, honor, immortal-

ity, the Divine nature, as Messiahs joint-heirs in His Kingdom. All who thus do will be counted as a part of the spiritual Seed of Abraham, through whom all the families of the earth will receive their blessing. These disciples of Jesus sacrifice their earthly Interests and rights and thus become reckonedly dead to earthly things. God accepts their sacrifices and begets them of the Holy Spirit. Thus they become New Creatures in Christ. But, how could God accept a blemished offering? and are not these New Creatures held responsible for the conduct of their flesh, so long as they live—-until their sacrifice is completed? The Scriptures answer. The great High Priest, who presents these offerings as part of His own sacrifice, covers their imperfections by an imputation of the merit of His own sacrifice, which is already in the hands of Justice waiting for application on behalf of the sins of the world. When this High Priest thus presents us to God, covered with His own merit as a robe, we are assured that the sacrifices are “holy and acceptable unto God.” As for subsequent weaknesses of the flesh, the New Creature is indeed held responsible for its mortal body, but since our High Priest tasted death for every man and for all sins of heredity, therefore these New Creatures in Christ are assured that all their trespasses, of ignorance, or weakness, may be forgiven, and that the Redeemer, their Head and Representative in glory, will, upon application, impute His merit for the cancelation of such imperfections. that they may be maintained in their standing, “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.” The Pharisees' Standard Lower.

The Pharisees prided themselves on their zeal for the Law and found fault with Jesus’ disciples and with Himself

tor healing the sick on the Sabbath. They were particular respecting the little requirements ( of the La w, but careless respecting its spirit. of love. This Jesus termed hypocrisy. He declared that unless His fol-

lowers were hearer right in heart than were the Pharisees they would not get into the Kingdom at all. (We must remember the difference between the embryo Kingdom inaugurated at Pentecost and the glorious Kingdom into which the faithful will be ushered by the First Resurrection.) All Christ’s followers must\ not only guard their actions but also their lips and the very thoughts of their hearts, that even In thought they shall be in fullest accord with the spirit of the Divine Law of love. The intimation is that if we have wronged a brother and delay to make the matter right and the case come before the Lord for settlement, we will be obliged to suffer the full penalty of our neglect, “the uttermost farthing,’’ before we will be fully restored to Divine favor and fellowship.

Letter of Lau—"Thou shalt not kill.”

Spirit of Lcu—Hatred is murder.