The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 5

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

Pusiisuep BY THE EVANGELICAL LutHeraAN SynopicAL CoNFERENCE oF NortH AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

Entered at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo., as second-class matter.

Vol. Til.

St. Louis, Mo., February, 1881. CGNow2s

(For the ‘‘Lutheran Pioneer’’.)

The Way to Heaven.

We all have read about the ladder that Jacob
saw inadream. It reached from the ground
to heaven. Heaven was open, and God stood
at the top of the ladder and spoke to Jacob,
while angels went up and down on it. (Gen.
28, 12. 13.) <A ladder from earth to heaven!
Does not this make us wish for a ladder on
which we might climb to heaven and be with
God? There is such a ladder, my dear reader.
God made it, and it has only ten rounds, or
steps. That is, God gave all men ten command-
ments to keep and made a contract with them,
saying that, if they kept these commandments,
He would willingly take them into heaven.
Now, very many people think that they are
climbing this ladder, or, in other words, that
they are keeping the commandments and on
that account will unfailingly get to heaven.
But they are sadly mistaken. To climb this
ladder, means to keep every commandment
perfectly with heart, soul, body, in thought,
word, and deed. And the ladder itself tells
us that it is foolish and useless to try to get to
heaven by it; that we constantly do wrong
and, if we should be judged according to our
thoughts, words, and actions, we should be for-
ever lost. By that ladder, therefore, we can-
not get to heaven. But, if this ladder that
God built will not answer, what are we to think
of all those ladders that men make themselves,
and on which they propose to reach heaven?
One thinks he will get to heaven, because he is
a church-member. Another hopes to get there,
because he attends church so regularly. Still
another is sure of heaven, because he prays so
much and reads the Bible. Then another
thinks he cannot miss heaven, because he gives
to the poor, or because he does not lie, cheat,
swear, kill, like other people. Let me tell you,
all these ladders will not answer. All these
things are good, but not sufficient to earn
heaven with. If you want to gain heaven by
your own good works and for what you are
worth you must climb the entire ladder that
God made, you must keep all the command-
ments perfectly. Nothing less will do. And
now try the first round of God’s ladder, and it

will snap, break and throw you to the ground.
That is, you break the first commandment, in-
stead of keeping it. You'll not even reach the
second round. Do not try to get to heaven by
this ladder!

There is one ladder, however, on which all
men may ascend to heaven. It was made by
God alongside of the other, but entirely differ-
ent from it.
one only two.

at all.
may climb this one. Let me explain.
two rounds of this blessed ladder are, 1st, God’s
mercy, 2nd, Jesus Christ. It is, in the first
place, only through God’s mercy that we may
get to heaven. As we are by nature, as we
live, speak, think, or do, we don’t belong to
heaven, do not deserve heaven, but belong to
hell, having justly deserved eternal punish-
ment. If then we may, shall, and do get to
heaven, it can be only because God has taken
pity on us and lets mercy take the place of
justice, by forgiving and covering our sins, in-
stead of punishing them eternally. God, how-
ever, could not and would not be so merciful
and forgive sin, if it were not for Jesus Christ.
Therefore, Jesus Christ is the second round of
this ladder. Jesus was the only one that ever
climbed the ladder of God to heaven, step by
step, that is, He fulfilled the whole law, all the
commandments, perfectly for us all. This
saves us the climbing of the ladder, which we
could never do. We can go to heaven without
climbing it, for what Jesus did, is the same as
if we did it. If Jesus climbed the ladder, it
is our climbing. So God must keep his con-
tract and promise all the same and take us to
heaven. Jesus also suffered and died for our
sins, so that God should not punish us; for the
punishment that was laid on Jesus, was our
punishment. It is the same as if we had been
in hell forever. ‘Therefore, God can ask no
more. Full payment has been made for sin-
ners by Christ. And God willingly and merci-
fully forgives our sins for Christ's sake. But
who are they that are pardoned and become
children of God? Who are they that accept
God’s mercy in Christ and go to heaven by that
ladder? ‘Those that truly believe in Christ

Jesus. None else. Let us believe in Christ.
Let us believe that we are really such great,
lost and condemned sinners, as the Bible de-
scribes us. Let us despair of saving ourselves
by our own good works and worth. _ Let us
hope for pardon from the mercy of God alone,
as a gift to beggared sinners. Let us then
believe that Jesus saved us too, and that

The other has ten rounds, this} through Him we may have pardon from God,

The other requires climbing, | and that as surely as we trust in Christ, so
hard work, to get up, this one requires no work | surely are our sins forgiven.
All men fail to climb the other, all} begin to believe in Christ and trust that God
The} is merciful unto us poor sinners for Christ’s

The moment we

sake, we will have full pardon. Faith is the
hand that takes the pardon bought for every
sinner so long ago and offered to all the world
in the Gospel. What holds men in their sins
still is their failure to take what is offered them,
their failure to believe the Gospel and trust in
Christ, and thus be forgiven. Consequently,
if men fail to rench heaven, it will not be on
account of their failure to keep the command-
ments, but their neglect to believe. F. B.

2 o~ao + <p

“ConsipER Hm«.’’—Looking at the natural
sun weakens the eye; but the more we look at
Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, the stronger
and clearer will the eye of faith be. Look but
at Christ, then you will love Him, and live on
Him and for Him. Are you tempted to sin?
remember that He gave Himself for you, that
you may be saved not only from the guilt of
sin, but also from its present power over you.
Think how much he loved you—how much He
suffered for you, and you will loathe sin in every
form. Love to read the Scriptures—they
testify of Christ. Are you in danger of being
carried about ‘‘with every wind of doctrine”?
Be occupied with Christ—the ‘‘Rock of ages’’
is a sure foundation—“the same yesterday, to-
day, and for ever.’’ Do the trials of life weary
you, and its cares threaten to overwhelm, look
unto Him who says, ‘(Come unto me all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest.’’—Selected.

——_s <0 0
As soon as God makes a man a Christian
by faith, Satan loses a subject aud finds an
enemy.