The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1918, Page 41

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

NOTICE TO READER.

When yon finish reading this magazine, place a 1-cent stamp on this

notice,

mail the magazine, and it will be placed in the hands of our sol-

diers or sailors destined to proceed aeaane

No Wrapping — No Addresa,

.« S. BuRLEsoN, Postmaster-Gencrat,

The Lutheran Pioneer,

A. MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PoupiisHep BY THE Evancertcan Lvrieran

Syvopicat CoxFERENCE or NortH AMERICA.

REV. F. J. LANKENAU, EDITonr.

Entered at the Post Onice at St.

els xi.

Pentecostal Prayer.

Come, Holy Spirit, come,
Thy precious light impart;
Endue us with Thy grace,
And strengthen every heart.

In these beclouded days
Of error, sin, and strife
Our certain doom is death,
Unless Thon giv’st us life.

False prophets slyly seek
To Jead our souls astray.
Grant us Thy knowledge, Lord,
In- truthful paths to stay.

The bonds of sin are strong,
Temptations ever grow;

Thy help is needed, Lord,
To down the Evil Foe.

The battlefield is red,

With crimson overrun.
Grant us deep courage, Lord,
To say: Thy will be done.

Yea, let then come what may.
Grant faith that we might see
-Our Savior Jesus Christ,
Who died to make us free.
H. Craus.

How Christians Should Use the Doc-
trine of the Election of Grace.

II.

It is very important that people should use even
God’s temporal gifts aright. The greatest .and
richest blessings of our heavenly Father will be-
come harmful to those that abuse them. Intem-
perance in eating or drinking, for instance, has
ruined the most promising and prospering persons.

Louis, Mo., a3 second-class matter.

ST. LOUIS, MO., JUNE, 1918. No. 6.

Also God’s spiritual gifts, for example, the various
doctrines of Holy Writ, will prove snares and eyils
if they are not used aright. Thus Peter writes con-
cerning Paul’s epistles that there are in them “some
things hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the
other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.” In
order to make a right use of the doctrine of pre-
destination, we must bear in mind that the two
following truths are clearly set forth in Holy Writ:
1) God foreordained a certain number of people

unto eternal life; 2) God loves all (John 3,16); ~

Christ died for all (1 John 2,2); the Holy Ghost
earnestly seeks to convert and save all (1 Tim. 2, 4).
Faith.adheres to both truths alike, because the mouth
of the Zord hath spoken them. The people that are
not elected will be lost by their own fault (Matt.
23, 37; Acts 7,51). ‘The elect, however, are saved
only and solely by divine grace, not in any way by
their own merits (Eph. 2,8.9). This information
which the Bible imparts to us is fully sufficient
for us. We should by no means speculate on these
things in order to search out God’s mysteries. We

should rather, with regard to the doctrine of pre-

destination, do like Paul. After having treated

‘vf it throughout several chapters of his Epistle to

the Romans, he exclaims: “O the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His: judgments, and His ways
past finding out! For who hath known the mind
-of the Lord, or who hath been His counselor?” —

How, then, should Christians use this doctrine
in ‘the right and salutary manner? ‘The apostles —

simply address the Christians as God’s elect; we

Christians should be persuaded that we belong toh