MAN’S NEED OF GOD
* “HOPE OF THE WORLD TO-DAY ” SERMON BY PRESIDENT OF METHODIST CHURCH It was the sense of human insufficiency which constituted the religious basis of the human race, said the Rev. W Walker, of Auckland, president of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, in a sermon at the Durham Street Church last evening. Some people had imagined they could destroy religion by destroying church buildings, the Bible, and the ordinances of religion. They failed to recognise that these were but the outward expressions of the religious instinct which was deeply ingrained in all people, in all ages, and in all climes. “On the surface people of different nations may appear to be hopelessly divided, but in the depths the race is one,” said Mr Walter. Age-long questions surged into the thought of man: Whence did life come? Why are we here? Whither are we going? Unless God was taken into account there could be no satisfactory answer to these questions, went on the preacher, Not all the combined knowledge of the ages had been able to penetrate beyond the opening words of the Bible, “In the beginning God created . . . “Faith in God brings meaning in the place of mystery, faith in the place of doubt, ahd effulgent light m the place of black darkness,” said Mr Walker. He emphasised that man was a spiritual being and that the soul alone was capable of surviving the disintegration of the body and' the material world. “From God man comes and to God he must return to render an account of his stewardship. The capacity for life hereafter will be determined by the development of his soul here on earth.” Man’s cry to God from the depths of sorrow and his cry to God from the depths of sin and shame were further proofs of his inherent need of God, said Mr Walker. Only God in Christ was able to meet the soul’s deep needs, restore the harmony of the inner life, and bring peace. This, he concluded, was the hope of the world to-day and of the nations now engaged in wan
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19420914.2.31
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23742, 14 September 1942, Page 4
Word Count
353MAN’S NEED OF GOD Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23742, 14 September 1942, Page 4
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.
Log in