The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 66

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66

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

Still More About Piney Woods, Miss.

We know that our readers will be glad to hear
more about the work being done by the Lord
through Superintendent Geo. A. Schmidt at the
Piney Woods institution. Here are excerpts from
a letter written by Pastor Schmidt: —

“As far as the work itself is concerned, I feel
very much gratified both as to services and class-
room work. I am now getting the high-school stu-
dents to write a short essay on the question, “Just
How has My Bible-study Helped Me?” I am going
to copy for you one of the five papers so far handed
to me. This paper is typical of the five I have so
far received : —

“Since my study of the Bible at Piney Woods
these four and a half months I have a different con-
ception of it. And I’ve learned to understand its
teachings better. I never knew the difference be-
tween the Law and the Gospel or that man could
be saved without the deeds of the Law. But now
I know that the Law is only a mirror to show us our
sins and God’s anger. But it is through faith in
Jesus Christ that we are saved. It is not through
any goodness of ours. We are born into this world
dead in sin, and we remain so unless we confess our
sins, repent of them, and believe in Christ. The
Bible is truly God’s Word. It was written by men
who were inspired by God, and we know that His
Word contains no errors. In Num. 23,19 we read:
“God is not a man that He should lie.” It means
much to know that God created man in His own
image and likeness and that no other creature which
God made was in His likeness. [I suppose that this
statement is a result of change in thought concern-
ing evolution or science. — G. A. S.]

“«T understand that the Ten Commandments
are God’s Law, and no man keeps them perfectly.
For if one violates one of these laws, he is guilty of
them all. How often we worship idol gods uncon-
sciously! When we give too much time to pleasure,
fine dress, and earthly things, we make these things
idol gods, for they are the lust of the flesh and are
sinful. In observing the Golden Rule, we find that
it isn’t kept as it should be. I’ve learned that the
Bible is the greatest of books; and the more we read
it, the more we find there is to learn. This Word
is a lamp unto my feet and a light upon my path.
And now it is not to earn a crown or a home in
heaven that I shall try to be good, for Christ has
given me that, but because of Christ’s great love for
me; because of His death and suffering for me I
shall try to be good. It is to show my thanks and

gratitude that I shall try to be good. No good that
I can do will save me, but by my belief, by my faith
in Christ, I hope to enter into His kingdom.’

“This paper was written by Daisy Davis, twelfth
grade, who graduates this spring.

“Here is another paper, written by Neal Pear-
son, one of the twelfth-grade boys : —

“Tn the beginning, God created the heaven and
the earth. So we find God as a true God even be-
fore the creation. His first work was the separation
of light and darkness. Then He made all living
creatures that walked upon the face of the earth.
Then He made man in His own image, so to speak,
holy, without sin, and put him over all the other
creatures. The difference between man and other
animals [?—G.A.S.] is that man has a soul to
be saved. We find that, after God had placed
Adam — the man’s name — in the beautiful garden,
He gave His first law, that there was a certain tree
in the midst of the garden of whose fruit man must
not eat. When Eve came, she saw that the fruit of
this tree was good to eat, so she ate and persuaded
Adam to eat; and when they did, they heard the
voice of God, and they were ashamed because they
had disobeyed God. They were driven away from
the garden, and their eyes were opened, and they
lived in sin, or rather, they were sinners. But God
promised to send a Son that would save them from
their sins, so they looked forward to the com-
ing of this Son even at this early date.

“*T also learned that, when a child is born into
this world, he is born in sin, and there is but one
way to be saved from this sin, that is to believe in
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who suffered and died
on the cross of Calvary for all that the world may
be saved. One of the best stories that I heard to
prove that God is three in one is the story of the
Eskimores [!] that could not see God as three and
one, by taking snow, water, and ice, three different
forms — which produced the same thing. And in
studying the commandments, we find that we are all
poor sinners, saved from our sins only by the
mercies of Jesus Christ, who died for us. And, too,
we find that God is love, inasmuch as He gave His
only-begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him
shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

“T will not work my sdul to save,
This work the Lord has done;

But I will work like any slave

For Jesus Christ, God’s own dear Son.’

“Need I tell you that I am happy about these
efforts? I feel confident that the large majority of
the high-school students will do just as well as the
two whose papers you have just read.