The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1915, Page 9

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Che Lutheran Pioneer,

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

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PusBiisuep BY THE EvaNGELiIcaL Lutneran SyNopicaAL ConFERENCE oF Nort AMERICA.
REv. F. J. LANKENAU, EDITOR.

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

Vol. XXXVII.

ST. LOUIS, MO., FEBR

No. 2.

We Shall Understand.

Now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to
face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even
as also Iam known. 1 Cor. 138, 12.

Many a doctrine, Christians dear,
To our reason seems not clear,
This does not perplex us though,
Nor our faith o’erthrow.

For these glorious teachings far,
Far above our reason are;

We must own that we but know
Little here below.

Can we fathom depths unknown,
Measure the eternal throne,

Or behold our God on high:
With our mortal eye?

What we cannot comprehend
We believe, and in the end
When we'll be in heaven’s land,
We shall understand.
If, OSTERMUS.

: The Holy Trinity.

The heathen worship many gods. ‘The Jews
and all Antitrinitarians believe in one God, with
only one divine Person, the Father. ‘The Chris-
lians, however, confess that there is one God, in
whom there are three Persons, Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost. Although this doctrine of the Holy
Trinity seems very unreasonable, it is the only cor-
rect one according to the Bible.

That there are not many, but that there is only
one God, is clearly stated in the Old as well as in
the New Testament. Concerning the gods of the
Gentiles we read that “they are idols,” false gods,
Ps. 96, 5; “but the Lord made the heavens,” as

UARY, 1915.

the Psalmist continues.
one true

Accordingly, there is only
God, the Maker of heaven and earth.
“Tear, O Israel, the Lord, our God, is one Lord,”
Deut. 6, 4. “There is none other God but one,”
1 Cor. 8, 4.

At the samé time there are three Persons, each
of whom very plainly appears as the true God in
the Holy Seriptures. Concerning the Father we
read: “Tlave we not all one Father? Hath not one
God created us?” Mal. 2, 10. “Blessed be God, even
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and the God of all comfort,” 2 Cor. 1, 3.

Concerning the Son we read in the Old Testa-
ment: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever:
the scepter of Thy kingdom is a right scepter.
Therefore God, ‘Thy God, hath anointed Thee with
the oil of gladness above Thy fellows,” Ps. 45, 6. 7.
Furthermore: “Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous

‘Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and

shall execute judgment and. justice in the earth.
In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall
dwell safely. And this is Ilis name whereby He
shall be called, The Lord [Jehovah], Our Right-
eousness,” Jer. 23, 56. Striking New Testament
texts of this kind are the two following, besides
many others: “This [Jesus] is the true God and
eternal life,” 1 John 5, 20. “Whose are the fathers,
and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen,’
Rom. 9, 5.

Concerning the Joly Ghost it is written:
“Whither shall IT go from Thy Spirit, or whither
shall I flee from Thy presence?” ete., Ps. 139,
%—10. Here a divine attribute, omnipresence, is
ascribed to the Spirit, while the divine work of
creation i§ attributed to Him in this text: “The