Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

alone."us."Whoeversin."experience."adversary."enticed."a degrading, demoralizing ingredient.This is directly contrary to the teachingof Scripture. Speaking by the inspirationof the Holy Spirit, Paul says, "I know,and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus,that there is nothing unclean of itself."(Romans 14:14). The contention thatany material thing is evil or contains atendency to evil is an assault againstthe integrity of the Creator. Paul says:"Every creature of God is good. . . "(1 Tim. 4:4). There is nothing in strongdrink which of itself is evil or habitforming.The evil is in the human heart,and the habit-forming tendency is an ingredient of fallen, sinful human nature.The tendency to indulge in strong drinkis just one manifestation of the inherentpower of sin to bring men into bondageand to control their appetites and actions.With all due courtesy to Mr. Hill'sexpressed opinion (above), the Editorfeels bound to say that he does not consider that alcoholic beverages are God'screatures (declared to be good), but arethe works of the devil's henchmen forsnaring the souls of the innocent, anddestroying the temple of God (the human body). As for such beverages notbeing habit forming let the 6,000,000habitual drunkards in the U.S. give ustheir personal testimony.PRAYER MEETING TOPICFor November 10, 1954HOLINESS IMPERATIVE:I John 3:6-10Comments by M. S. McMillan, D.D.Psalms:15:1-5, page 2524:1-3, page 5432:1, 2, 5, 6, page 74103:9-12, page 244References:The categorical imperativeof holiness: Matt. 5:44-48; Rom. 6:20-22; 1 Cor. 3:17; John 15:6; Eph. 1:4;5:27; 1 Pet. 1:15, 16; Heb. 12:14; Rev.21:27.Since all are sinners and since withoutholiness no one can see the Lord or getinto heaven, when and where does onebecome perfectly holy? Roman Catholicism says, in purgatory. God says, Rom.6:23; 7:24, 25; 12:2; Eph. 1:4, 5; 2:20,21; 5:26, 27; Col. 1:21, 22; 1 Cor. 3:11;15:51-53."Christ executes the office of a priest,in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice,and to reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for"Justification is an act of God's freegrace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins,and accepteth us as righteous in hissight, only for the righteousness of Christimputed to us, and received by faith"Sanctification is the work of God'sOctober 20, 1954free grace, whereby we are renewed in thewhole man after the image of God, andare enabled more and more to die untosin, and live unto righteousness.""Blessed is he whose transgressionis forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessedis the man unto whom the Lord imputethnot iniquity." (Ps. 32:1, 2).A KEY TO THE INTERPRETATIONOF 1John 3:6-10. Keep in mind thatthe apostle is combatting the teaching ofthe Gnostics, that, First, "The moralprecepts of the Scriptures are not to betaken literally." Second, that, "Manythings commonly regarded as bad, thetrue Gnostic would not shun, but seek, asa means of enlarging hisThird, that, "There is no real evil in sin."Quotes from the Pulpit Commentary.The above should explain why theapostle John affirms, first, that all menare sinners, "If we say that we have nosin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth isnot in us"; "If we say that we have notsinned, we make him (God) a liar, andus"his word is not in (1 John 1:8, 10).Second, John tells the origin and thesinfulness of sin. "He that committethsin is of the devil; for the devil sinnethfrom the beginning." "Whosoever is bornof God doth not commitDO THE ASSERTIONS OF 1John3:6-10 MEAN: First, that the commission of a single sin proves that when onecommitted that sin, he was not abidingin Christ? that he had not seen Christ?neither known him? that he was of thedevil and that he was not born of God?Does that prove that all those things weretrue of Peter when Jesus said to him,"Get thee behind me Satan: thou art anoffence unto me: for thou savorest notthe things that be of God? and whenPeter committed the great sins of thethree fold denial? and when Peter was somuch to blame that Paul withstood himto the face? Does it prove that all thosethings were true of James and John whenJesus rebuked them and said, "Ye knownot what manner of spirit ye are of. Forthe Son of man is not come to destroymen's lives, but to save them." Were allthose things true of all the disciples whenthey were disputing over who would begreatest in the kingdom of heaven? Wereall those things true of Paul and Barnabas when the contention between thembecame so hot that theycould no longerwork together?IS THE PROBLEM SOLVED BYTHE WILLIAM'S TRANSLATION? Itreads: "No man who continues to live inunion with Him practices sin. No onewho practices sin has ever seen Him orcome to know Him ....practices doing right is upright. Just as Heis upright, Whoever practices sin belongsto the devil, because the devil has practiced sin from the beginning. This is whythe Son of God appeared, to undo thedevil's work. No one who is born of Godmakes a practice of sinning, because theGod given life principle continues to livein him, and so he cannot practice sinning."(Foot note, Christians cannotpractice sinning, but may sin") "This isthe way to distinguish God's children fromthe devil's children. No one who fails todo right is God'schild."End of the quotefrom William's translation, put out bythe Moody Press. It seems to harmonizewith the statement of Jesus that "Bytheir fruits ye shall know them." Andwith the teaching of 2 Cor. 6:14-18 aboutseparation from sin beingessential tosonship. And with Gal. 5:19-25 on theworks of the flesh and the fruit of theSpirit.SIN NEVER PROCEEDS FROMGOD. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannotbe tempted with evil, neither temptethman"any (with evil). "But every man istempted, when he is drawn away of hisown lust, and Surely the lustwhich draws one away has its roots inthe corruption of his whole nature. "Thecorruption of his whole nature,commonlywhich iscalled original sin: togetherwith all actual transgressions which proceed from it."ALL SIN DOES NOT PROCEEDFROM THE CORRUPTION OF MAN'SWHOLE NATURE. When man firstsinned he was still in the image of Godin knowledge, righteousness and holiness,he was still holy, harmless and undefiled.All sin proceeds from the devil. "He thatcommitteth sin is of the devil," two ofwhose names are "the tempter" and "theThe devil gets a mighty assist from the corruption of man's wholenature but the devil did not have thatassist in his first temptation of the firstAdam who yielded to that temptation,nor in any of his temptings of the secondAdam who was tempted in all points likeas we are yet without sin. One is of thedevil just to the degree that he practicessin. One is of God just to the degree thathe practices righteousness. And differentpeople practice sin and righteousness todifferent degrees. The conduct of some ofthose who build on Christ is likened togold, silver and precious stones. Theconduct of others who .build onChrist is likened to wood, hay, andstubble, and the test of fire will tryevery man's work of what sort it is.Those whose work stands the test ."shallreceive a reward", those whose work isburned "shall suffer loss: but he himselfshall be saved; yet as by fire." Becausehe has built upon the foundation, JesusChrist. (1 Cor. 3:11-15)."Didst not thou sow good seed inthy field? from whence then hath it tares?He said unto them, An enemy hath done253