Practical Religion.
Zion's Advocate, October 1901, Vol. 40, No. 10, Part 2.
6. A churchs influence for good depends upon the good character of its membership. The standard by which a church is judged by the community is the daily conduct of its members. The creed of a church may be orthodox, but if its members do not live right it will not be respected by the people, and it does not deserve to be. The doctrine and practice of the Old School Baptist church will never be attractive to the world at large, but she ought to have the respect of all around her, and she will have that if her members live as they should. The more orderly and pious the members walk, the higher will the church stand in the estimation of good, sensible people. Oh! should we not all prove our love for the dear old church of Christ by striving continually to walk orderly before the world! We sometimes sing, "I love thy Kingdom, Lord," but do we really prove it by our conduct? Let each one examine himself and set out anew to show his faith by his works.7. As Gods little children are brought out of bondage, delivered from the power of darkness and made to rejoice in a Saviours pardoning love,they look around for a home in which to live, where they can enjoy the service of their Master and the sweet fellowship of his people. The place for them is in the Old School Baptist church. But suppose members of that church whom they know are walking in the ways of the world. Will they be attracted to it by the conduct of such? Verily, they will not. They may join the church, and they should do so, but if they do, it will be in spite of opposing influences. On the other hand, if the members are all living so as to win their confidence and love, they will be drawn to the church by a desire to enjoy the blessed fellowship of those whom they believe to be the true children of God. Oh! may God help us all to live so that our light will attract the living who are wandering in the dark paths of disobedience and error!
8. Obedience makes our calling and election sure to us and to others; that is, we are assured ourselves that we are the called and elect of God by the joy we experience from the obedience we render to him, and others know this to be true of us when they see us walking in obedience to him and rejoicing in his service. None but those who are born again can really enjoy the true service of God, and if we enjoy that service we may know that we really love the Lord and have been chosen and called by him. We have known persons whom we thought to be children of God, yet as they remained out of the church and continued in disobedience, we were led to fear we were mistaken in them. We have seen these persons leave the world and become devout followers of the Lord, and we were thereby convinced that they were truly his children, predestinated unto adoption and called by his Spirit. As they continue on in the faithful discharge of christian duties, we are more and more confirmed in our favorable opinion of them, and our love and fellowship for them grows stronger and stronger. The only way we can prove our love for Christ and his cause is by obedience to him, by living lives devoted to his cause. "If ye love me," he says, "keep my commandments." How very touching is this appeal! May its sweet influence take hold of the hearts of our dear readers afresh, and inspire them anew to render more fervent and constant obedience to him who lived and died for his people.
Having considered the use of practical godliness in the christian system, we shall now try to speak of the nature of obedience. This part of our subject has been a matter of much controversy with our dear brethren, who ought to be of one faith, many of whom are of one faith when they understand each other properly. That we are not passive in obedience as in regeneration is so self-evident that it needs only to be stated, requiring no proof or demonstration. In fact there can be no such thing as passive obedience. In obeying one is necessarily active. To obey requires action on our part, voluntary action. It is absurd to say that one acts involuntarily in obeying. If a step could be taken that was not prompted by the volition of the mind it would not be a step in real obedience, for it would not be a step in willing service. Real obedience must be willing service, prompted by the free exercise of the will. Some say there is a time to be obedient. True enough, that time is all the time, after one obtains a hope. An old friend, who is a lover of the truth, and a child of God we believe, recently said to us that "he hoped the time would come when he could go to the church." We at once told him that time had come already. Every time the opportunity is offered to him is a time for him to obey and a time he can obey. To say we want to obey the Lord, but are compelled to wait till we are involuntarily forced to obey him, is unreasonable. This is the same as saying that we are never really disobedient, and never voluntarily obedient.
True obedience must spring from love which every child of God has. The love of God has been shed abroad in the hearts of all his children. This love is the true motive which prompts to acceptable service. It produces in the heart a desire to serve the Lord. When the first emotion of love to Christ throbbed in the heart of the persecuting Saul, he inquired, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" We must have the Lord with us and be assisted by his grace to be enabled to do anything acceptably, but the children of God have him with them, and his grace is ever sufficient for them all. He is never far from any of them, and who dares to say he is not ready and willing to strengthen them at all times for the service he requires of them? "He will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." "Without faith it is impossible to please God," but those who have that faith which works by love can please him. Paul says, "For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9,10. The inspired writer believed in a continual dependence upon the Lord, otherwise he would not have prayed as he did, yet walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing was for the saints of Colosse to do. A knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding comes from God, otherwise the apostle would not have prayed to God that they be filled with it, but obedience to that will is required of them. But they were not, in all things, obedient to that will. They had been subject to ordinances after the commandments and doctrines of men - ordinances which they were commanded to touch not, taste not, handle not. See Colossians 2:20-23. The warnings given by the apostle in this letter prove that they were still liable to be disobedient to the will of God. We repeat that those who have faith can please God. They that are in the flesh cannot please him, but they that are in the Spirit can, and they are in the Spirit who have the Spirit of God in them. See Romans 8: 8,9. Obedience is pleasing to him, while disobedience is displeasing to him. As to our eternal justification, we are only accepted in Christ and justified by his imputed righteousness. In this sense God is pleased with us only in his Son. But that our obedience is also pleasing to him none dare deny. The more obedient we are, then, the better he is pleased with us in this sense. Let us strive to please him in our conduct, remembering that we can do nothing without Christ, but that we can do all things by the strength he gives us.
J. R. D.
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