# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1913_S28 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 28 How to Prove the Truth of the Gospel. In the end there is but one way to prove the truth of the Gospel, and that is by accepting it. It is only when the Spirit through the Gospel con- vinces us in our inmost heart of the divine truth - of the Word that we can accept the truthfulness of the Gospel. When, therefore, Philip came to JESUS AND THE WOMAN OF SYCHAR. Nathanael, telling him that he had found the Savior, and Nathanael by means of arguments would convince Philip that he must be mistaken, Philip's only answer was, “Come and sec2? And in speaking thus, simple-minded Philip said the right thing. It is only by coming and seeing that you can become convinced that Jesus is the Lord, and that His Gospel is truth. When Jesus was passing through Samaria from Jerusalem ‘to Galilee, He stopped at the well near Sychar, and there entered into a long conversation The Lutheran Pioneer. with a woman of the city. The outcome of this con- versation was that the woman. became convinced that He was the promised Messiah. No sooner had this conviction taken root in her heart than she hastened into the city to tell the people of her great discovery. “Come and see,” said she to the people. people followed her and saw. But when they had heard Jesus, they said to the woman, “Now we be- lieve, not because of thy saying; for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” The word of the woman had drawn their attention to Jesus, but not till they heard Christ’s Word were thoy convinced in their inmost hearts that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Savior. And so it ever will be. We may draw people’s attention to Christ, and it is our blessed duty to do so at all times, but it is only Christ’s Word that can convince, it is the Gospel alone that can prove that the Gospel is truth. The old adage holds good here also, “Ihe proof of the pudding is in the eating.” The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to them that be- lieve, to them only that believe. It is the Bread of Life, but to him only that eats; it is the Water of Life, but to: him only that drinks; it is the Guide to heaven, but to him only that fol- lows its guidance. ‘To the unbeliever the Gospel is foolishness; but to him that accepts it, it is the Wisdom of God, the Truth of God, making him wise unto salvation. Have you proved tlie truth of the Gospel in yourself? —_——>e> “I Give Myself to Him.” A little girl once gathered a bunch of flowers and brought it as a gift of love to her pastor. In accepting it, he said, “Do you ever bring little gifts to the Lord Jesus to show your love to Him?” »“O yes,” said the little maid, with a cherub smile upon her face, “I give myself to “Him.” Are we always careful, like this little girl, to give our whole selves to Christ, to love and serve Him as our Lord and God? And the | faa |