The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 66

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66 The Lutheran Pioneer.

objects of His wrath, members of the kingdom of
darkness, and unable to do good. But we are no
longer dead. We have passed from death to life.
We are converted, spiritually alive. We have re-
ceived spiritual life out of God by faith in Christ,
the Savior of sinners. We walk according to the
Spirit, and have the hope of everlasting life. We
know that we are alive, for we love the brethren.
Hence brotherly love is a mark of true believers;
but he that loveth not his brother abideth in
death, 14b.

V.15. Whosoever hateth his brother 1s a mur-
derer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal
life abiding in him. He that hates his brother can-
not be a Christian, whosoever he may be or claim
to be. Such hatred of the brother proceeds from
the human heart, Gen. 4,4.5. This passion may
not appear externally at all, or it may become ap-
parent by gestures or facial expression, Gen. 4, 5,
by words, Gen. 4,8; 27,41, or by deed, Gen. 4, 8.
By asserting that he that hateth his brother is a
murderer the Apostle teaches that God’s judgment
is stricter and deeper than that of man. Human
courts punish only those as murderers who mali-
ciously take a person’s life. God judges sin by its
sources, the motives and ampulses of the heart, and
thus declares voluptuousness to be adultery and
hatred murder, Matt. 15, 19; 5, 21. 22. He who
hates his brother is troubled by the fact of his very
existence, which is a thorn in his flesh. He would
like to see him dead, and hence murders him in his
heart. It is impossible that spiritual life, which
is also an eternal life, as it is here called, should
abide in a heart given to hatred. This Christians
know, their conscience bearing witness, but also from
the Fifth Commandment and similar texts, for in-
stance, Gal. 5,19—21. Faith and spiritual life can-
not remain in the heart together with a wilful work

_of the flesh such as murder.

V.16. Hereby perceiwe we the love of God, be-
cause He laid down His life for us: and we ought
to lay down our lives for the brethren. Hereby, by
the example which John mentions in this verse, we
perceive, learn to understand, the nature of God’s
love, yea, of true Christian love as it is alive in the
believer’s heart. Christ laid down His life for us.
On the cross He sacrificed Himself for us and in
our stead, thus proving the greatness and sincerity
of His love, John 15,13; Rom.5,6—10. Being
His disciples, we are in duty bound to walk in His
steps, following His example and obeying the second
table of the Law. We should be ready to lay down

our lives for the brethren wherever it is necessary
for their temporal rescue, as nurses have saved
patients’ lives by risking their own ix. self-sacrificing
service. But especially should we be willing to do
this wherever. the spiritual welfare of our neighbor
is to be considered, as the apostles sealed their tes-
timony of the Gospel with a martyr’s death. In
fact, our entire existence should be 4 continued lay-
ing down of. our lives for the brethren.

our lives for their benefit, making their interests
ours and being active therein for them.

V.1%. But whoso hath this world’s good, and
seeth his: brother have need, and shutteth up his
bowels of compassion from him, haw dwelleth the
love of God in him? If true love even lays down
the life for the brethren, it will surely not withhold
the earthly goods, which are greatly inferior, from
him. The supposition is that a man upon whom
God has bestowed this world’s goods notices, sees,
or rather beholds his brother in needy, wretched
circumstances. The man’s misery is not hidden
from him, he being very well aware of it. If he
were animated by the right spirit, this wretchedness
would move him to profound compassion and
thorough aid, Instead, he hardens his heart, turns
from him coldly and uncharitably, and leaves him
to his sorrow. Such a cruel, loveless heart is
indeed spiritually dead.

V.18. My little children, let us not love im
word, neither in tongue, but in deed and m truth.
Let us not love “in word,” mere, empty words, not

followed by the deed, the help, the aid (Jas. 2,

15.16). Let us not love merely with the tongw,
without participation of the heart. Let us not loze
only seemingly, but really, energetically remedying
the brother’s troubles, as the Samaritan helped the
Jew that had fallen among thieves. Let us re-
member Christ’s words at the close of that parable:
“Go, and do thou likewise.” H. OstERHus.

oo ois

Immanuel Conference.

The twenty-ninth mecting of Immanuel Con-
ference was held in Zion Congregation, Gold Hill,
N.C., July 242%. Promptly at ten o’clock on the
morning of the opening day, the pastors and teachers
assembled and went into private session. After the
usual order of business and organization, Conference
at once proceeded to take up and discuss many
timely subjects relative to the field in general.

In other _ -
words, we should devote the time and strength of

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