God's Plan with MenMartin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Religion
God's Plan with Men
Martin, T. T. (Thomas Theodore)
Salvation
Because of this failure to consider the motive back of the deed, many
books on morals and ethics are absolutely pernicious. In comparing the
morals and ethics of Christianity with the morals and ethics of
heathen religions, they fail to take into consideration the _motive
back of the deed_. Two young men are trying to win a young woman in
marriage; their deeds, outwardly, are the same; the one is prompted by
pure, manly love for the young woman; the other has his eye on her
father's bank account. You drop your handkerchief as you are passing
along the street; a man from pure kindness picks it up and hands it to
you. Again you drop it, and another picks it up and hands it to you,
but his motive is that he may win your confidence and pick your
pocket. Four sons are equally dutiful, in outward deed, toward their
fathers; one, that he may get all the money he wishes from his
father; the second, from a cold sense of duty; the third, from fear
that his father might kill him or disinherit him if he were not
dutiful; the fourth, from tender love for the father. In these four,
many authors see no difference, or make no distinction, and yet they
profess to be teachers of morals and ethics! Four men, outwardly, are
living the same moral lives; one, hoping to get to Heaven by it; the
second, from a cold sense of duty; the third, from fear of Hell; the
fourth, from love because One died for him (2 Cor. 5:14, 15), and
redeemed him from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13), from all iniquity
(Titus 2:14). Only the last one will ever enter Heaven; only the last
one is really a Christian, redeemed (Heb. 9:12), saved (Eph. 2:8).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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