The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1908, Page 59

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

59

ing forgiveness, the Bible offers it for
ceptance.

This may also be clearly seen from 2 Cor. 5,
19—21: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world
unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them; and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. Now, then, we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we
pray you in Christ’s stead, Be ye reconciled to God!
For He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him.” Here we are told, not only that
God in Christ has justified and thus reconciled the
world to Himself, but that God has also given us
the word of reconciliation, that is to say, the preach-
ing which makes known the reconciliation, the jus-
tification of the world. Furthermore, we are here
told to regard this preaching as God’s urging us to
be reconciled, which manifestly means to accept
this reconciliation that was brought about by God’s
not imputing our trespasses to us, but making
Christ to be sin for us. Assuredly, forgiveness is
here offered to us. So it is also in all passages that
tell us to believe and be saved; for if a man is
saved, he is forgiven; and when we are asked to
believe we are requested to take, because saving
faith is the acceptance of salvation.

By faith we accept the forgiveness which is pro-
claimed and offered to us in the Bible. There is no
other way to take this proffered gift. That accept-
ing or receiving is the office of faith may be seen
from John 1, 11. 12: “He came unto His own,
and His own received Him not. But as many as
received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on His
name.” No matter how healing a remedy may be,
it cannot cure if not used. Let the food set before
a person be ever so wholesome, it cannot nourish
the person that refuses to partake of it. Neither
will the salvation that is in Christ profit us, the
forgiveness that is offered us will not benefit us, if
we refuse it through unbelief. But “through His

“name, whosoever believeth in Him shall receive re-
mission of sins,” Acts 10, 43. J. Pu. 8.

our ac-

A Christian Woman’s Influence.

A missionary in India tells of a poor. Hindoo
woman who became a Christian and had to suffer
exceedingly cruel treatment at the hands of her
heathen husband. Time and again she was beaten

by her husband because she prayed and went with
the Christians. She bore it all patiently and held
fast to God’s Word, in which she sought comfort
and strength. When her husband noticed that she
read the Bible, he tore the book and threatened to
kill her if she would bring another Bible into the
house. This only moved her to pray more earnestly
for her husband, and she soon had the joy of learn-
ing that the Lord fulfills the desire of them that
fear Him.

One day, when the missionary came to the house,
the husband was willing to listen to the Gospel
teaching. He told the missionary that the behavior
of his wife had made a deep impression on him and
had changed his mind. He was ready to receive
instruction in the Christian doctrines. And it was
a day of joy and thanksgiving to the woman when ©
her husband and the children were soon after re-
ceived into the Christian congregation by holy
baptism.

A Christian woman’s influence may indeed be
great, as many a pastor can testify. _ One of our
pastors relates the following: ;

A wife, whom I had confirmed, came regularly
to the services, but her husband never accompanied
her. As I shook hands with her one day, I asked,
“Why are you always alone?” . She answered, “My
husband is busy with his accounts, and, indeed, he
says he knows all the preacher can tell him.” I told
her, she was not altogether free from responsibility
in her husband’s neglect of divine services, and this
set her thinking, to better results than mere scolding
or complaining.

On the following Lord’s Day, when she had
dressed for church, instead of quietly leaving the
house, she came into the room, where he was at
work over his books, and stretched out her hand to
him. He saw the tearful earnestness a her face,
and rising up, said, “E will go with you.” She said
nothing, but embraced and kissed him.

From that time on they have come to church to-
gether. It was ‘her evident concern for his soul
that roused him out of his shameful indifference.

The apostle says that husbands may be won
by the. conversation, or behavior, of the wives,
1 Pet. 3, 1. :

Farry is to rest, not on signs and wonders, but
on the Word. He only who builds his faith on the
Word cannot be deceived, for the promise of God

is sure and cannot lie. — Luther.