The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1907, Page 51

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The Lutheran Pioneer. bl

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to His glory, and His name will be hallowed
among us.

But if God’s name is hallowed by pure doctrine
and a holy life, it necessarily follows that it is
profaned by false doctrine and an unholy life.
Every departure from the rule of God’s revealed
Word is a desecration of His holy name. ‘To teach
a different way to heaven from that which God’s
Word teaches, or to teach anything at variance with
the Bible is virtually declaring that God is a liar.
Thus when men say that Christ is not true God,
but a mere man; that Christ’s blood does not
cleanse us from our sins; that we are not saved by
grace only, but also by our works; that God does
not love the whole world, but only those whom He
has chosen to life eternal; that if a man only tries
to do right, even if he does not perfectly succeed
in his endeavors, he will go to heaven; that our
conversion is not the work of the Holy Ghost only,
but also depends upon our good behavior; or if
men go even so far as to say: There is no God,
no heaven, no hell, and death is the end of man, —
such lies are a desecration and profanation of God’s
rame, and God will surely not hold such men guilt-
less. ‘Therefore we pray God to preserve us from
all false doctrines.

But God’s name is profaned also by an unholy
life. Let us not only be hearers, but also doers of
the Word. When children lead bad lives, they
bring shame not* only upon themselves, but also
upon their parents; when they that bear the name
of God’s children lead unholy lives, they cause the
name of God to be blasphemed among those who
do not profess to be Christians. Good children do
not despise their parents, but strive to please and
honor them. If we really are God’s children, we
shall earnestly strive to honor and hallow His name
by our life. Thereby we can learn whether we be
really God’s children, if our daily prayer is: Grant,
dear Father in heaven, that we honor Thee and
hallow Thy name by our life! .

Thy name be hallowed! Help us, Lord,
To keep in purity Thy Word,

And lead according to Thy name

A holy life, untouched by blame;

Let no false teachings do us hurt,
All poor deluded souls convert.
F. J. L.

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Wuorver secketh his own and does not love
Christ above all things, so that for His sake he can
give up all his own honor, glory, and righteousness,
is of no use in Christ’s kingdom. — Luther.

The Difference.

“Are you a believer in the Christian religion?”
asked an aged Christian of a chance acquaintance.

“Oh, certainly,” was the reply.

“You are a member of some church, then, I
suppose ?”

“Member of a church? No, indeed.
should I be a member of a church?
unnecessary.

Why
It is quite
The dying thief wasn’t a member of
a church, and he went to heaven.”

“But of course you’ve been baptized? You
know the command” —

“Been baptized? Oh, no. That is needless.
The dying thief never was baptized.”

“But surely you do something to show your
faith? You give of your means — you help the
cause in some way ?”

“No, sir, I do nothing of the kind. The dying
thief” —

“Tet me remark, my friend, before you go any
further, that you seem to be on pretty intimate
terms with the dying thief. You seem to derive
a great deal of consolation from his career; but,
mind you, there is one important difference he-
tween you and him. He was a dying thief, with
a penitent heart—and you are a living one, with
an impenitent heart.”

—_——_——_oeoo—"—_

Beware of Idleness!

A crooked twig makes a crooked tree, and lazy
boys make lazy men, and lazy girls make lazy
women. It is said that the largest portion of the
criminals in our prisons and of the paupers in our
poorhouses have come to what they are by being
brought up in idleness. Beware of idleness !

“An idle soul shall suffer hunger,” Prov. 19, 15.

“Tf any would not work, neither should he eat,”
2 Thess. 3, 10..

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The Law and Man’s Nature.

Our nature is so wicked that it cannot and will
not adapt itself to the Law. And our human race
is so corrupt that you cannot find 2 man who does
not transgress all the commandments of God.
When Law and nature meet and come to know each
other, then the conscience is aroused and sin is
understood. Man sees how radically wicked he is
in his own heart, how great his sin. — Luther.

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