SET FREE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24633, 14 June 1941, Page 7

SET FREE

[Written for the Otago Daily Times.] By the Rev. Gardner Miller Have you ever noticed how eager the New Testament is on the matter of salvation! To the New Testament, men and women are more than human beings; they, are individuals for whom Christ died. 1 The salvation of men. for time and for eternity, is of more importance than anything else in life. The writers of the New Testament knew, by experience that until men are saved they cannot know the supreme joy that a new relationship with God brings. Indeed, it may be said that salvation is lust a new .relationship that has been entered upon between man and God, Sin prevents this relationship, Until sin is removed man is a stranger from God Christ came to put away sin so that man might experience the reconciliation that God offers without money and without price. Now of all the writers in the New Testament none is so eager to express and explain the sheer wonder and relief of salvation as Paul. He almost tumbles over himself in his rush to tell everybody what Christ has done Able man as he was. he knew quite well that no human mind could fully understand and express all that salvation means. He knew that no single illustration could adequately cover ail that the experience of being saved conveys. So he draws on his knowledge of life and puts into word-pictures his glowine conceptions of what being saved means And through all his picture-words he aims at showing this new relationship to God which the removal of sin brings He goes to the law court and he bring? back the great picture-word justification, He thinks of an'enmity beine dissolved and brings us the great word of reconciliation Owing a debt and being absolved from it gives him the tremendous word . “ forgiveness,’' Slavery gives him the word “ redemption ” and also leads him to the idea of sonship with its word “ adoption.” Not one of these words completely covers all that salvation means, not all of them put together can explain fully God’s redeeming mercy to sinful men. This week let us look at his first great picture-word. “ justification.” It is not a word we use often: indeed, lots of people would find it rather difficult to explain just what justification means. Now, if you will remember that Paul got the word from the law court you will have a clue to its meaning. In our language, justification simply means being acquitted, that is.,being set free. Now. are you catching a glimpse of what is the first, most glorious thing that happens when a man is saved! He is set free (acquitted) from the charge against him. In the Dock Some of my older readers will recall a picture that was both very pathetic and very popular many years ago. It was the picture of a ragged boy standing in the dock. He Was hungry and had stolen a loaf. His face was pinched, his hair untidy, and altogether the poor little chap was,so neglected that the tears came to your eyes just to look at him I saw a copy of it in a friend’s shop the other day We both looked at it and recalled the time when it was probably the most popular picture to be seen in every other home. Nowadays nobody asks for it. As Ilooked at it I remembered what Paul said about being acquitted. Here in this old picture was a reminder that man, through his sin. stands before the judge, Sin brings him there, and sin can produce quite a long list of misdeeds that prove the prisoner is not deserving of mercy. Indeed, it can be said of all of us that we are utterly undone. Yet if that were the whole story life would be wretched end eternity a mockery But it^isn’t the whole story. Sin does not win the case.' It is true that none of us can put up a defence. We know we have gone our own way. Even our own hearts condemn us, and our consciences are peopled with ghosts. But—and what a mighty ‘ but ’ it is!—there is One Who takes upon Himself the burden of our guilt, and we are set free. j No Condemnation That is Paul’s argument, because it is his experience. It is mine, too. Christ was never a “ prisoner in the dock ” in the way that you and I were, but as a man He was exposed to the assaults of sin. He came into our life of the flesh to deal with sin, and it can be said that the whole of His life was a refusal to submit to sin. I would not have you think that Christ has to argue with the Judge (God) to let us free. I know that all illustrations, especially those taken from the law court, are very apt to make sharp cleavages between the contending parties.. But God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. The Judge is our friend. The end of the case is that the prisoner is set free, because Christ has taken his sins upon Himself: and sin. thelitigant, is condemned. Set free is to be acquitted of all charges. And that is ’ what being justified means But it does not end there. A new relationship is set up between the acquitted prisoner and the Judge. They are friends now The barrier between them has been taken away, not through any merit on the prisoner’s part, but because of the identifying of Christ with his predicament

Not long ago I spent a day in the Supreme Court. I was interested' in a certain case, and had discussed with the counsel for the defence how he would present the case before the judge and jury. I shall never forget the relief that swept through the court when, after prolonged argument, and the verdict by the jury, the judge told the prisoner that he left the court without a stain on his character He was set free, he was acquitted, and his friends gathered outside the court to congratulate him. Salvation means that the -case against us has been met, and we are set free Not free to sin again, but free to live as one of God’s family with the knowledge that our sins are forgiven. A man one day this week knelt on the floor of my room in the city and made his peace with God He now has to untangle many twists in his relationships with others, but because his relationship with God is now right he faces the task and the discipline with courage and hope. It may be that few to-day would use the law court as an illustration of what salvation means. But t feel that Paul had a wisdom in these things greater than any other I have known or heard of, and I am humbly content to sit at his feet. However you may explain salvation, there is one thing certain—that to be saved means you are set free from your own sins that condemn you