God's Plan with MenMartin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Religion
God's Plan with Men
Martin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Salvation
One may be moral, of deep piety, and yet if the motive power of his
life is not this love, he is lost, not a real Christian. God's word
makes this plain, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a
clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am
nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though
I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me
nothing."--1 Cor. 13:1-3. Two of the mightiest preachers of all times,
men whose tongues were those nearest to angels in preaching, Chalmers
and Wesley, after years of most powerful preaching, came out and
stated that during all those years they were lost, not Christians.
Why? They had not been really redeemed from all iniquity (Titus 2:14);
they had not been forgiven most; the motive had not been the motive of
him who is forgiven most,--"Though I speak with the tongues of men and
of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a
clanging cymbal." Why? Because eloquent, powerful preaching cannot
redeem from iniquity, and God has said plainly, "Apart from shedding
of blood there is no remission."--Heb. 9:22. Men may write great books
explaining the mysteries of God's word, commentaries, Sunday-school
lesson helps, instructions to Christians; yet if the motive power of
their lives is not love based on the fact that they are forgiven most
(Luke 7:43), redeemed from all iniquity (Titus 2:14), they are lost,
not real Christians,--"though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am
nothing." Why? Because there is nothing in understanding all
mysteries, and all knowledge, in writing commentaries and other
helpful books, to redeem from all iniquity. And God has said plainly,
"Apart from shedding of blood there is no remission." The great
capitalist, the multi-millionaire, may turn philanthropist, and spend
all his wealth in building schools, or libraries, or houses for the
poor, or in feeding hundreds of thousands in times of widespread
drouth; the Catholic nun or Protestant or Baptist nurse may give her
life in the epidemic in nursing the sick; and the heroic fireman give
his life in rescuing others from the flames; yet they are all lost,
unless the motive power of life is love, produced by the fact that
they are forgiven most, redeemed from all iniquity,--"Though I bestow
all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not love, it profiteth me nothing." Why? Because there is
nothing in giving away money to care for the poor, nor in giving up
life for others, to redeem from iniquity. And God has said plainly,
"Apart from shedding of blood there is no remission."--Heb. 9:22.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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