The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1906, Page 51

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

——————— ee

51

celed merely by abstaining from sin in future. In
it is
us to remember that even if God could accept our

this connection, however, also necessary for

present obedience as payment of the debt made by
our past transgressions, we should still be no better
off, since it is not possible for any man entirely
to avoid sin, and his imperfect obedience can never
satisfy the demands of God’s perfect justice.
David was a man who tried to obey God, and yet
he prays: “Enter not into judgment with Thy
servant; for in Thy sight shall no man living be
justified.” No man living can truthfully say,
“I can keep all of God’s commandments perfectly ;
I have made my heart’ clean, I am pure from my
sin.” Even the best of men must say, “We all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

But if man in no way-can satisfy the justice of
God, —is there then no hope for man? Must all
be lost? No; there is yet hope, sure and certain
hope. Despite all that we have heard concerning
man’s inability to satisfy the demands of God’s
justice, it is possible for the greatest sinner to be
justified before God. ‘Thank God, we can say,
“I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” Yes, Scrip-
tures assure us that God, who alone can forgive
sins, Mark 2, 7, does forgive sins. Despairing in
our ability to satisfy God’s justice by our own
power, we must exclaim with the psalmist (Ps.
130, 3): “If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniqui-
ties, O Lord, who shall stand?” - But with con-
fidence and assurance we may say with him: “But
there is forgiveness with Thee, that ‘Thou mayest
be feared.” And this gracious and forgiving God
does not cancel a part of our debt only and leave
us to pay the rest, but He daily and richly forgives
us all our sins. Therefore David in holy joy and
gratitude sings: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine
iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases,” Ps. 103,
2. 3. And if we ask, “How can God be just, and
yet the justifier of the ungodly?” the answer is,
“Christ died for the ungodly,” Rom. 5, 6. “In
Christ we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness: of sins, according to the riches of His
grace,” Eph. 1, 7%. Christ, by His holy life and in-
nocent suffering and death, has satisfied Divine
Justice and made it possible for the holy and right-
eous God to forgive the sinner without renouncing
His righteousness and holiness.

And how are the ungodly to avail themselves
of the benefit resulting from the death of Christ?
The reply of Scripture is, “By faith.” “By Him

[Jesus] all who believe are justified from all things,
from which they could not be justified by the Law
of Moses.” Acts 13, 39. “Being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus,” Rom. 3, 24. “Man is justified -by faith,
without the deeds of the Law,” Rom. 3, 28.° “He
saved us not by works of righteousness, but accord-
ing to His merey,” ‘Tit. 3, 5. “By grace are ye
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man
should boast,” Eph. 2, 8. 9. “Therefore, being jus-
tified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ,’ Rom. 5, 1.

My God is reconciled,

His pardoning voice I hear:

He owns me for His child,

I need no longer fear;

With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father!” ery.

F. J. LL.

>.

Ziegenbalg, the Missionary.

Two hundred years ago, on the 9th of July,
1706, the first Protestant missionary came to India,
where so many different churches are to-day en-
gaged in missionary work, among them also the
Lutheran church of our own country.

That first Protestant missionary was a Lutheran
clergyman, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg. How came
he to India?

“In 1704, Frederick IV, King of Denmark,
formed the purpose of sending the Gospel to the
heathen inhabitants of his possessions in the East
Indies. Finding no one suited for the work in
Denmark, he sent to Germany, particularly to
Halle, where the devoted A. H. Francke, the’
founder of the Halle Orphan House, labored, who
recommended Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and his
friend Henry Pluetschau.

“Ziegenbalg was born June 24, 1683, in the
village of Pulsnitz, Saxony, where his father was
a merchant. Whilst yet a child both of Ziegen-
balg’s parents died. His mother, on her deathbed,
calling her children to her side, said, ‘My dear
children, I have gathered for you a’great treasure.’
The eldest of her daughters asked, ‘Dear mother,
where have you this treasure?” The mother replied,
‘Seek it in the Bible, my dear children, there you
will find it; every page therein I have enriched
with my tears.’

“Tm the heart of young Ziegenbalg God early
began His powerful work. In 1703 he entered the