The World's Great Sermons, Volume 09: Cuyler to Van Dyke
Religion
The World's Great Sermons, Volume 09: Cuyler to Van Dyke
Sermons
We say this was His revelation. Undoubtedly it is true that Christ
came to reveal God to man. But undoubtedly it is just as true that
He came to reveal man to himself. He called Himself the Son of God,
but He called Himself also the Son of man. His nature was truly
divine, but His nature was no less truly human. He became man. And
what is the meaning of that lowly birth, in the most helpless form
of infancy, if it be not to teach us that humanity is so related to
Deity that it is capable of receiving and embodying God Himself? He
died for man. And what is the meaning of that sacrifice, if it be
not to teach us that God counts no price too great to pay for the
redemption of the human soul? This gospel of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ contains the highest, grandest, most ennobling doctrine
of humanity that ever has been proclaimed on earth. It is the only
certain cure for low and debasing views of life. It is the only
doctrine from which we can learn to think of ourselves and our
fellow men as we ought to think. I ask you to consider for a little
while the teachings of Jesus Christ in regard to what it means to be
a man.
Suppose, then, that we come to Him with this question: How much is
a man better than a sheep? He will tell us that a man is infinitely
better, because he is the child of God, because he is capable of
fellowship with God, and because he is made for an immortal life.
And this threefold answer will shine out for us not only in the
words, but also in the deeds, and above all in the death, of the Son
of God and the Son of man.
1. Think, first of all, of the meaning of manhood in the light of
the truth that man is the offspring and likeness of God. This was
not a new doctrine first proclaimed by Christ. It was clearly taught
in the magnificent imagery of the book of Genesis. The chief design
of that great picture of the beginnings is to show that a personal
Creator is the source and author of all things that are made. But
next to that, and of equal importance, is the design to show that
man is incalculably superior to all the other works of God--that the
distance between him and the lower animals is not a difference in
degree, but a difference in kind. Yes, the difference is so great
that we must use a new word to describe the origin of humanity, and
if we speak of the stars and the earth, the trees and the flowers,
the fishes, the birds, and the beasts, as "the works" of God, when
man appears we must find a nobler name and say, "This is more than
God's work; he is God's child."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account