Religious Reality: A Book for MenRawlinson, A. E. J. (Alfred Edward John)
Religion
Religious Reality: A Book for Men
Rawlinson, A. E. J. (Alfred Edward John)
Theology, Doctrinal -- Popular works
The motive of His whole life was consecration to the will of GOD. He
was rich towards GOD, where other men are poor. The words were true of
Him, as of no one else, "I have set GOD always before me." His mission
among men He fulfilled as a work which His Father had given Him to do.
"Lo, I come to do Thy will, O GOD." He loved men, and went about doing
good, because He knew that GOD loved men, and meant well by them, and
desired good for them, and not evil. He was pitiful, because GOD is
pitiful. He hated evil, because GOD hates it. He loved purity, because
GOD is pure.
He delighted in friendships both with men and women: but you could not
imagine anything unclean in His friendships. He was not married, but
He looked upon marriage as an utterly pure and holy thing, taught that
a man should leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife so that
they twain should be one flesh, and recognized no possibility of
divorce except--and even this is not quite certain--on the ground of
marital unfaithfulness. He had one and the same standard of purity for
men and women.
He loved children, the birds and the flowers, the life of the open
air: but He was equally at home in the life of the town. He went out
to dinner with anybody who asked Him: He rejoiced in the simple
hilarity of a wedding feast. He was a believer in fellowship, and in
human brotherhood. He was everybody's friend, and looked upon no one
as beyond the pale. He loved sinners and welcomed them, without in the
least condoning what was wrong. He looked upon the open and
acknowledged sinner as a more hopeful person from the religious point
of view than the person who was self-satisfied and smug. He said that
He came to seek and to save those who knew themselves to be lost.
He chose twelve men to be in an especial sense His disciples--learners
in His school. To them He sought to reveal something of His deeper
mind. He tried to make them understand that true royalty consists in
service; that if a man would be spiritually great he should choose for
himself the lowest room, and become the servant of all; that the
privilege of sitting on His right hand and on His left in His Kingdom
was reserved for those for whom it was prepared by His Father; the
important thing was whether a man was prepared to drink His cup of
suffering, and be baptized with His baptism of blood. But He did speak
of Himself as King, He accepted the designation of Himself as the
Christ of GOD, and spoke strange words about His coming upon the
clouds of heaven to judgment. He held that by their relation to
Himself and to His ideals the lives of all men should be tested, and
the verdict passed upon their deeds. For making these and similar
claims He was convicted of blasphemy and put to death.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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