RELIGIOUS WORLD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19803, 3 December 1938, Page 8

RELIGIOUS WORLD

Tblp column will Vo conducted wnnkly Vy tho Gisborne Ministers' Association. The matter doos not pretend to be original, being culled from many sources, but It is hoped through It to give something of the Chrlßtlan vlowpolnt.

BRINGING MEN TO GOD

padre and the listener MirU&ler: And so Christ came to save all men and died to make atonement for their sins. Voice from congregation: Here! Hold on a minute padre. I’ve been sitting in this pew for umpteen years and I’ve heard you say that sentence till I’m sick of it. Can’t you say anything fresh? Minister: Yes. Christ came to save you and thought enough of you to die for you. Voice: Oh, yes. I know that, but— Minister: But what? Voice: But, well it all seems so dead and dry to me its —its not up-to-date enough. Minister: What do you mean? Voice: I mean, well nobody really believes that kind of stuff nowadays. I mean, well, nobody does. Minister: And why not? Voice: Well, it doesn't live, its antiquated, as dead as mutton; people are too much alive to-day to be impressed with that kind of ecclesiastical- jargon. Minister: What do you suggest in its place? Voice: You should give us something snappy and up-to-date. Minister: Such as? Voice: Oh, I don't know, that's your job. Minister: It's my job to try by God's grace to bring men to .Him. Voice: There you go again preaching all the time. Minister: You suggest that I should make it snappier? Voice: Yes. That's the idea. Minister. How? Voice: I wish you wouldn't keep on asking me questions. I started asking first you know. Minister: I am asking because 1 genuinely want to know. As I see it. men who do not acknowledge God in their lives are living apart from the only influence which will better them and are doing so because either they are not conscious of that which is keeping them in such a state which God calls sin, or because they will not admit their sin and recognise in Christ the one person through wli'. ni their sin can be forgiven. Voice: Oh 1 wouldn't put in like that. Minister: How would you put it? Voice: Well —I know some men who don't acknowledge God who are thundering good chaps. Minister: Judged by wliat standards? Voice: By the standards of decent men.

Minister: Has it ever occured to you, that the standards of decent men are largely conditioned by the standards of Jesus Christ accepted at least nominally by society; that the standards of our laws are large!,' based upon the teaching of 'religion Ilia! the standard of decent moral behaviour between man, and man and woman arc due to the Christianising influence of the gospel of Joses? Voice: Yes 1 will admit that.

Minister: And will you - further admit that without a high moral standard man would once agum descend to the habits ot' the lowest animals, without thought or consideration for his fellows. Voice: I suppose so. Minister: You will admit then that

there js right and wrong in the world, good and evil, a high moral standard and a low moral standard? Voice: Oh, yes, I will admit that. Minister: Well then, Christianity teaches that because of this imperfection man was and is not. capable of righting it by himself. If. a man wishes to advance in anything he must have a higher standard to aim at, without it man is lost and so we say that Christ came and lived a perfect human life and so made it possible for imperfect man to reach the perfect through Jesus Christ. Without this example men were lost. Christ died because the people, not recognising perfection, killed Him. Ilaj they recognised Him there would have been no need for the crucifixion, but they still have not recognised Him and that is why we use the expression, “that when men sin they crucify their Saviour over again.” Voice: Can you make that simpler? Give me an illustration. Minister: No illustration is adequate for this tremendous fact, but, let man represent a piece of steel. As it is, it is fine metal, if you wish to attract it upwards you may do so with another piece of steel equally fine, but with something added it has to be electrified or magnetised by a special process. Jesus was man, glorified by, shall we say a special process and by remaining faithful unto death, he made it possible for vou and me to be glorified or "magnetised” too. Is that clear? Voice: I think so, thank you. Padre, I'd like to go home now and have a good think if you don’t mind. Minister: Good night my friend.