# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1901_S5 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) sy E> ———————————————— —“‘i—OS A MISSIONARY PusuisHep BY THE EvANGELICAL LUTHERAN SyNopICcAL CoNFERENCE OF NorTH AMERICA. R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor. Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter. St. Louis, Mo., February, 1901. Vol. XXIII. utheran Pioneer. MONTHLY. upon all that do not render this obedience. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.’’ Against all sinners the law thunders forth its curse and condemns them all to eternal damnation. How can sinners be redeemed from this curse of the law? Some one who owes no obedience for himself must take their place under the law, and do for them what they cannot do, and besr for them the curse which they deserve for their transgressions. Is there such a Redeemer? Yes. St. Paul says, ‘‘God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were un- der the law, that we might receive the adop- tion of sons.’’ God’s own Son became man and took our place under the law. He was without sin and not subject to the law, since He is the Lawgiver Himself. What He did and suffered under the law He did and suf- fered for us. He perfectly fulfilled the whole law in our place and in His sufferings and death bore its curse in our stead. Thus men were redeemed from the curse of the law by Him who took their place under the law. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,’’ says the apostle. This redemption is for all men, but not all accept it. Most men reject it, and therefore remain under the curse of the law and under the wrath of God. They, however, who by faith accept this redemption enjoy all its blessings. What Christ did and suffered for them under the law has become their own. God looks upon them as if they themselves had done and suffered all that Christ did and suffered for them. By faith they are in Christ and there- fore no longer under the curse of the law. For the apostle says, ‘“There is now no con- demnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”” Therefore, dear reader, if you would enjoy the redemption from the curse of the law and es- cape the wrath of God, you must put your whole trust in Jesus who took your place un- der the law, and by whom ‘tall that believe are justified from all things.” ——. oa There are people who seem to lose all their religion the minute they can’t have their own way- Nothing to Pay. “Nothing to pay?—no, not a whit; Nothing to do?—no, not a bit; All that was needed to do or to pay, Jesus has done in His own blessed way. “Nothing to pay?—no, thanks be to God, The matter is settled, the price was the blood. The blood of the victim, a ransom divine — ; Believe it, poor sinner, and peace shall be thine.” <=> oe —— Redemption from the Curse of the Law. _Men are God’s creatures. He is their Lord. They owe obedience to His law, which is the revelation of His holy, eternal, and unchange- able will. The sum of this law Christ gives in these words: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ‘hou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’’ To this law man owes, not a mere outward obedience, not a half obe- dience or a quarter obedience, but a full and perfect obedience. God says to all men, ‘'Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.”? According to God’s law, man is to be holy in his very nature, holy in all his desires and 'thougths and words and deeds. Man does not, and can not render this per- fect obedience to God’s law; for he is a sin- ner by nature. His very nature is sinful and corrupt; and as a rotten tree brings forth rot- ten fruit, so all that comes from that sinful na- ture is rotten, sinful, corrupt. Men are not what the law demands them to be; men think not what the law demands them to think; men speak not what the law demands them to speak ; men do not what the law demands them to do. That which is forbidden is done, that which is commanded is left undone. ‘‘There is none righteous, no, not one,’’ says the Bible. Since all men are transgressors of God’s law, they are all under the curse of that law. It is written, ‘‘Cursed is every one that con- tinueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”” God is not like a weak father who overlooks the disobe- dience of his children. No. God is a holy God. He demands a perfect obedience to all His commandments, and His wrath must come The Blind Man. “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?" — Luke 7S, 41. Only a blind beggar by the wayside? But Jesus of Nazareth stood still when he cried to Him. He could not grope his way among the crowd, but Jesus commanded him to be brought near Him. cried out, but He would have him tell it to Himself. So He said, ‘‘What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?’ with a wonderful promise wrapped up in it! For it meant that the mighty Son of God was ready to do whatever this poor blind beggar asked. What did heask? First, just what he most wanted! Not what/he supposed he ought to ask, nor what anyone had taught him to He knew why the poor man had Wonderful question, ask, nor what other people asked, but simply what we wanted. Secondly, he asked straight off for a miracle. He never stayed to question whether it was likely or not, nor how Jesus of Nazareth would do it, nor whether it was too much to ask all at once, nor whether the people would think him too bold. wanted, and he believed that Jesus of Naza- reth could doit, and so he asked and that was enough. He knew what he “And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee.” And that was enough, his prayer of faith and Christ's answer of power, for “‘immediately he received his sight.” Was that all? Did he go back to beg by the wayside? No; he “followed Him, glorifying God.” What a change from the cry of only a few minutes before! Just one thing more is told us in this lovely little story. ‘‘And all the people when they saw it gave praise unto God.’’ See what that first cry of ‘‘Have mercy on me,” so quickly led to! Who would have expected a few min- utes before to have seen him with his eyes open, following Jesus, glorifying God and causing 8 whole crowd to give praise toGod. I think the Lord Jesus says to you to-day, ‘What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” What will you answer Him? “Pass me not, O tender Saviour! Let me love and cling to Thee: Tam longing for Thy favor, When Thou comest, call for me. Even me.” ed E. R.