The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 10

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10

The Lutheran Pioneer.

Yes, “Christ is our peace,” and only he who by
faith has found peace in Him can and will do works
that are pleasing to God. In loving gratitude he
will also labor for the spread of the Gospel of our
salvation so that troubled souls may learn the only
true way of peace.

——__- 02

Original Sin.

Original sin is the sin with which we are born,

the total depravity of our nature, which we in-
herited from our first parents, and which subjects
us to God’s wrath and punishment. It is the root
out of which grow what are called actual sins,
that is, all transgressions of God’s Law in desires,
thoughts, words, and deeds.

A preacher, setting forth the doctrine concerning
original sin, spoke of its nature and its damnable-
ness. Soon after, he was waited on by some of his
hearers who stated their objection to the doctrine
of original sin which he had preached. After
hearing them, he said, “I hope you do not deny
actual sin too?”

“No,” they replied.

The preacher expressed his satisfaction with their
answer; but to show them the folly of their opinions
in denying the doctrine of original sin so plainly
taught in Scripture, he asked them, “Did you ever
see a tree growing without a root?” After he had
then again gone over the Bible passages treating on
original sin, the men left the pastor’s study wiser
than when they came.

Love for the Bible.

Madagascar is a large island, about 250 miles
to the southeast of Africa. The people of Mada-
gascar go by the general name of the Malagasy,
and are divided up into.a large number of tribes.
Among these, mission work has been carried on for
many years, often amid much persecution. Also
Norwegian Lutheran missionaries have been labor-

_ ing there, and God has blessed their labors.

_ ..One of the missionaries speaks very highly of
the native Christians’ “love for the Bible and their

. trust. in it as the only rule of faith and life” He

". relates the following two incidents: °

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A preacher from abroad, a friend of mine, came
on a visit. He preached here and there as he jour-
neyed through the mission fields. In one of his

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sermons he laid special stress upon the duty of for-
giving our enemies. Shortly afterwards one of the
Malagasy Christians came to a missionary, told him
what he had heard, and inquired whether this hard
saying were really true. The missionary simply
turned to Matt. 5, 44, and 6, 14. 15. Upon hearing
these passages, he replied: “I see that the minister
is correct, for so it is written. I believed that I
could never do it, but with God’s help I will try
to do the hard thing.”

At another time a missionary was taking a con-
gregation to task for neglecting a positive duty.
One of the elders arose, pointed to the Bible, and
said: “Here is God’s Word. If we have done evil,
show us our sin from this book; we will then will-
ingly repent and Jay aside the sin.” Such trust
in the teachings of the Bible is certainly a hopeful
sign for the future, and it happens that here, as in
many other mission fields, babes in Christ become
examples and teachers to those who have long had
Gospel privileges.

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God Is Everywhere.

A® missionary, preaching to the heathen, said
that God is everywhere, that He sees everything,
and that He knows all our secret thoughts.

Thereupon a heathen replied: “We have no
use for a God who sees everything. We like to lead
a free and easy life, and do not want any one to
hear and see what we do.”

That heathen has many fellows of the same
mind in Christian lands. There are many who wish
God did not know their deeds, words, and thoughts.
But God is everywhere and sees everything. “Can
any hide himself in secret places that I shall not
see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and
earth? saith the Lord,” Jer. 23, 24.

God knows all things. “Lord, Thou hast
searched me and known me. Thou knowest my
down-sitting and my up-rising. Thou understandest
my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path,
and my lying down, and art acquainted with all
my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue,
but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether,” Ps.
139, 1—4.

Yes, God is everywhere, and sees and knows all
things, even the most secret things, and when He
comes to judgment, He will “bring to light the
hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest
the counsels of the hearts,” 1 Cor. 4, 5.