The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 17

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The Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PUBLISHED BY THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN SynopicaL ConFERENCE OF Norriy AMERICA.

R. A. BISCHOFF, Editor.

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

Vol. IV.

St. Louis, Mo., May, 1882.

No. 5.

A Finished Work.

‘*God sent forth His Son, made of a woman,
made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law,’’ says St. Paul (Gal. 4, 4. 5.).
From this we learn that our redemption was
the work which Christ came to do. And
He did not do part of the work and left the
other part for us todo. No! He finished the
work of our redemption. The same Apostle
says, ‘‘Christ hath redeemed us’’ (Gal. 3, 13.).
And the whole Bible sets forth the work of our
redemption as a finished work in which sinners
are simply to trust with the calmness of ‘a sure
confidence. Jesus Himself cried out upon the
cross: ‘‘It is finished!’’ God the Father, by
raising Christ from the dead on the third day,
made known to all sinners that the work of
their redemption is finished; and in Christ’s
ascending to heaven leading our captivity cap-
tive, we see the crowning proof that the work
which He came to do is finished. The Apostles
therefore, on the day of Pentecost, were filled
with the Holy Ghost that they may, be preach-
ers and witnesses of the finished work of re-
demption to a sinful world. For the Gospel
which they preached is not a doctrine which
tells sinners what they must do in order to re-
deem themselves and to earn salvation. No!
The Gospel is the glad tidings of the finished
work of our redemption. It tells sinners that
they are redeemed by the precious blood of
Christ from all sin, from death, and from the
power of Satan. We know that in many a
pulpit and in many a book of our days the
anxious sinner is told to look to his own works,
to his own holiness, to,his prayers for salvation.
But that is not the Gospel. Oh no! The
Gospel does not tell us what we must do in
order to save ourselves, but it tells us what
Christ has done for us and that by His suffer-
ings and death we were redeemed more than
eighteen hundred years ago. These glad tid-
ings the Gospel brings to sinners and works in
their hearts that true faith with which they
simply rest on the finished work of Christ in
the full assurance of eternal salvation. If you
therefore, my dear reader, ask, “‘What must I
do in order to earn salvation?’’ let that sweet
hymn answer:

“Nothing either great or small,
Nothing, sinner, no!
Jesus did it, did it all
Long, long ago.

“When He from His lofty throne
Stoop’d to do and die,
Everything was fully done—
Hearken to His cry—

««¢T'7 Is FINISHED’: yes, indeed—
Finished every jot.
Sinner, this is all you need;
Tell me, is it not?

“Weary, working, plodding one,
Wherefore toil you so?
Cease your doing; all was done
Long, long ago.

“‘Till to Jesus’ work you cling
By a simple faith,
‘Doing’ is a deadly thing—
‘Doing’ ends in death.

“Cast your deadly ‘doing’ down—
Down at Jesus’ feet;
Stand rn Hix, in Him alone,
Gloriously ‘CoMPLETE’.””

——s- +o oo

Church Festivals.

In the month of May we this year celebrate
two Church Festivals. The one is Ascension
Day, which we celebrate in commemoration of
Christ’s ascension to glory. The other is the
Day of Pentecost, which we celebrate in com-
memoration of the outpouring of the Holy
Ghost on the Apostles. It surely cannot be
wrong to:celebrate such festivals, as Christmas,
Good Friday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost.
It must only be done without superstition and
without the vain fancy that we thereby merit
something in God’s sight. With such vain
fancy those festivals are celebrated in the Ro-
mish church. ‘The pope’s people set aside the
Gospel and think that by celebrating those
festivals they do God a great service and
thereby merit His favor. Of such people the
apostle Paul says, ‘Ye observe days, and
months, and times, and years. I am afraid of
you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in
vain,” Gal. 4, 10.11. And again he says,
‘Christ is become of no effect unto you, who-
soever of you are justified by the law; ye are

fallen from grace,’’ Gal. 5,4. And to such
people God says, ‘‘I hate, I despise your feast-
days,” Amos 5,21. But the Lutheran Church
does not celebrate those festivals with the vain
fancy of thereby meriting God’s favor. No!
We, in the exercise of our Christian liberty,
celebrate those festivals for three reasons:

First, That the sacred history may he learned
in regular order.

Second, That the great blessings which come
to us through the events of which we are re-
minded on those festival days may be particu-
larly considered. Thus every Church festival
comes to us as a welcome witness, proclaiming
some wonderful work of God which he has
done for our salvation.

Third, That we may give due thanks to God
especially for these benefits, and apply them to
His glory and to our salvation. We say with
the Psalmist: ‘‘I will remember the works of
the Lord; surely I will remember thy wonders
of old. I will meditate also of all thy work,
and talk of thy doings,’’ Psalm 77, 11. 12.
We celebrate our Church festivals that we may
publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and
tell of all the wondrous works of God (Psalm
26, 7.).

ooo

A pasror tells of a blind beggar sitting by
the sidewalk on a dark night with a bright
lantern by his side. Whereat a passerby was
so puzzled that he-had to turn back with—
‘What in the world do you keep a lantern
burning for? You can’t see!’’ ‘‘So’t, folks
won’t stumble over me,’’ was the reply. We
should keep our lights brightly burning for
others’ sakes, as well as for the good of being
‘tin the light”’ ourselves. S

—_—> —- oo oe

TuEsE are the words of Annie of Austria to
Cardinal Richelieu: ‘‘My Lord Cardinal, there
is one fact which you seem to have entirely
forgotten—God is a sure paymaster. He may
not pay at the end of the week, month, or
year, but I charge you, remember that He pays
in the end.’’

—_» oor oe

Many sweeten an error with truth, to make

mei swallow it more readily.