# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1912_S10 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 10 The Lutheran Pioneer. Yes, “Christ is our peace,” and only he who by faith has found peace in Him can and will do works that are pleasing to God. In loving gratitude he will also labor for the spread of the Gospel of our salvation so that troubled souls may learn the only true way of peace. ——__- 02 Original Sin. Original sin is the sin with which we are born, the total depravity of our nature, which we in- herited from our first parents, and which subjects us to God’s wrath and punishment. It is the root out of which grow what are called actual sins, that is, all transgressions of God’s Law in desires, thoughts, words, and deeds. A preacher, setting forth the doctrine concerning original sin, spoke of its nature and its damnable- ness. Soon after, he was waited on by some of his hearers who stated their objection to the doctrine of original sin which he had preached. After hearing them, he said, “I hope you do not deny actual sin too?” “No,” they replied. The preacher expressed his satisfaction with their answer; but to show them the folly of their opinions in denying the doctrine of original sin so plainly taught in Scripture, he asked them, “Did you ever see a tree growing without a root?” After he had then again gone over the Bible passages treating on original sin, the men left the pastor’s study wiser than when they came. Love for the Bible. Madagascar is a large island, about 250 miles to the southeast of Africa. The people of Mada- gascar go by the general name of the Malagasy, and are divided up into.a large number of tribes. Among these, mission work has been carried on for many years, often amid much persecution. Also Norwegian Lutheran missionaries have been labor- _ ing there, and God has blessed their labors. _ ..One of the missionaries speaks very highly of the native Christians’ “love for the Bible and their . trust. in it as the only rule of faith and life” He ". relates the following two incidents: ° pe flys A preacher from abroad, a friend of mine, came on a visit. He preached here and there as he jour- neyed through the mission fields. In one of his FSsate Ff Perk ye of ate fo tin sermons he laid special stress upon the duty of for- giving our enemies. Shortly afterwards one of the Malagasy Christians came to a missionary, told him what he had heard, and inquired whether this hard saying were really true. The missionary simply turned to Matt. 5, 44, and 6, 14. 15. Upon hearing these passages, he replied: “I see that the minister is correct, for so it is written. I believed that I could never do it, but with God’s help I will try to do the hard thing.” At another time a missionary was taking a con- gregation to task for neglecting a positive duty. One of the elders arose, pointed to the Bible, and said: “Here is God’s Word. If we have done evil, show us our sin from this book; we will then will- ingly repent and Jay aside the sin.” Such trust in the teachings of the Bible is certainly a hopeful sign for the future, and it happens that here, as in many other mission fields, babes in Christ become examples and teachers to those who have long had Gospel privileges. eos God Is Everywhere. A® missionary, preaching to the heathen, said that God is everywhere, that He sees everything, and that He knows all our secret thoughts. Thereupon a heathen replied: “We have no use for a God who sees everything. We like to lead a free and easy life, and do not want any one to hear and see what we do.” That heathen has many fellows of the same mind in Christian lands. There are many who wish God did not know their deeds, words, and thoughts. But God is everywhere and sees everything. “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord,” Jer. 23, 24. God knows all things. “Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and my up-rising. Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path, and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether,” Ps. 139, 1—4. Yes, God is everywhere, and sees and knows all things, even the most secret things, and when He comes to judgment, He will “bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts,” 1 Cor. 4, 5.