Bible Review V15: October 1916 - March 1918 - Iapsop.com

1917 DOING THE TRUTH 461
one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and
tremble." We observe that tho they believed in God
they remained devils still. For one to know and believe
in the virtues of a system of truth, if that knowledge
and faith does prompt to a life according to it, is to know
and to believe in vain.
This prompts the question, "Can
faith save him?" Also it brings the answer, "Faith without
works is dead. "
These things are so obvious that it seems almost childish
to state them, and yet when we consider how few
there are out of the myriad millions of profest Christians
who make it the business of their lives to know, to understand,
and to live according to the teachings of the
Lord Christ, it seems as if the vast majority of the people
think that if they only say, "Yes I believe," that the
work is done. The Christian people do not believe the
teachings of the Christ. Few if any of his statements
are accepted as true, save in the vaguest and most general
sense. Few ineeed believe his state ment, "Strait is
the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it." The Christian teachers
have informed the people that it is an easy thing to he a
Christian, to find the way and follow the Christ into the
regeneration. And so into the churches they fiock
saying, "Credo;" white men, yellow men, black men by
millions.
Yet we hear the warning words of the Christ, "Strive
to enter in, for many I say unto you shall strive and shall
not be able. "
But lest these words discourage some he
further admonished, "Nevertheless, strive." Apparently
the Master would convey the idea that all effort
in the right direction is good.
It is not for one to say to another, "you are," or, "you
are not able to find and to enter in thru the gate," but
rather it is for each profest follower of the Christ to