1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
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1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

a2z.org
11.07.2015 Views

law of the land should be most complete--to the veryletter--that our good be not evil spoken of--that ourliberty in Christ and freedom from the Mosaic Law benot misunderstood to be a business or pleasure license, buta privilege and opportunity for the worship and serviceof the Lord, and the building up of the brethren in themost holy faith, "once delivered to the saints."WHO CHANGED THE SABBATH DAY?Often the question is asked, Who changed the SabbathDay to Sunday? The proper answer is that nobodychanged it. The seventh day (Saturday) is still as obligatoryupon the Jew as it ever was.The early Christians observed the seventh day for along time because it was the law of the land, which gavethem a favorable opportunity for meeting for praise,prayer and the study of God's word. In addition, thefact that Jesus arose from the dead on the first day ofthe week, and that He met with them on that day, ledthem to meet again and again on the first day, in hopethat He would again appear; thus gradually it becamea custom for them to meet on that day for Christian fellowship.In this way, so far as we know, both the firstday and the seventh day of the week were observed byChristians for quite a time, but neither was understoodto be obligatory--a bondage. Both days were privileges.And as many other days of the week as circumstanceswould permit were used in praising God and building oneanother up in the most holy faith, just as God's peopleare doing, or should be doing, in this, our day.Are we told that a pope once designated that the firstday of the week should be observed by Christians as theChristian Sabbath? We answer that this may be so, butthat neither popes nor any beings, not even the Apostles,could have right to add to or to take from the Word ofGod. St. Paul particularly warned the Church againstcoming into bondage to the Jewish customs of observingnew moons and Sabbaths as though these were obligationsupon Christians. The Son of God has made us free--free indeed. But our freedom from the Law Covenantof Israel enables us the more and the better to observe thevery spirit of the Divine Law daily, hourly, and to presentour bodies living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Godthrough the merit of our Redeemer.====================R5029 : page 164A FAITH FOUNDATION NECESSARY--JUNE 9.--LUKE 6:39-49.--"Be ye doers of the Word and not hearersonly, deceiving your own selves."--Jas. 1:22.

THE GREAT TEACHER in today's lessonemphasizes the necessity of knowledge andof a faith built thereupon. The blindleading the blind represent the ignorantleading the ignorant into difficulties, intothe ditch. In the mental blindness of thepast many Christians assumed that theMaster here taught that the blind leadersand the blind followers of our day wouldall fall into the pit of eternal torment, butnot so. The thought is that they will stumble and experienceinjury instead of reaching the desired destination.The destination sought by the Jews was fellowshipwith and relationship to God--His highest favor, mentionedto Abraham, saying, "In thy Seed shall all thefamilies of the earth be blessed." St. Paul says of thatpromise, "Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh,but the election hath obtained it and the rest wereblinded." (Rom. 11:7.) The entire Jewish race wasblinded and turned aside and fell into the pit--into confusion,darkness, separation from God. This was thevery matter against which Jesus forewarned them. Theywere following the lead of the Scribes and Pharisees andDoctors of the Law, all of whom were blind leaders whomisled their too trusting followers. The disciple or followerwill not fare better than his master or leader orteacher; he cannot hope for better results than hisleader.How important, then, that God's people recognize thetrue Leader, Jesus, that they hear His voice, and heednot the voice of others. In the present, in the ending ofthis Gospel Age, we have a condition of things very similarto that which obtained in the end of the Jewish Age.We have many great, learned and wise men in all thedenominations of Christendom, as the Jews had in Jesus'day in all their different sects. It is equally importantthat we take heed that we do not follow blind leaderstoday--in fact, it is much more important. Why shouldwe follow any of the creeds when now we have the Wordof God in such convenient form and when all are able toR5029 : page 165read it? Who cannot rejoice that recently thePope issued instructions that the Roman Catholic bishopsshould encourage Catholics to study the Bible? How itwould rejoice us to find the Protestant leaders similarlyurging the Word of God upon their peoples!Alas! on the contrary, we find that many of the greatand wise of the principal pulpits of the world are underminingthe faith of the people by telling them that theBible is not Divinely inspired, that Moses and theProphets did not write the books ascribed to them, andhence indirectly saying that Jesus and the Apostles weredeceived when they made quotations from the Old Testament

THE GREAT TEACHER in today's lessonemphasizes the necessity of knowledge andof a faith built thereupon. The blindleading the blind represent the ignorantleading the ignorant into difficulties, intothe ditch. In the mental blindness of thepast many Christians assumed that theMaster here taught that the blind leadersand the blind followers of our day wouldall fall into the pit of eternal torment, butnot so. The thought is that they will stumble and experienceinjury instead of reaching the desired destination.The destination sought by the Jews was fellowshipwith and relationship to God--His highest favor, mentionedto Abraham, saying, "In thy Seed shall all thefamilies of the earth be blessed." St. Paul says of thatpromise, "Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh,but the election hath obtained it and the rest wereblinded." (Rom. 11:7.) The entire Jewish race wasblinded and turned aside and fell into the pit--into confusion,darkness, separation from God. This was thevery matter against which Jesus forewarned them. Theywere following the lead of the Scribes and Pharisees andDoctors of the Law, all of whom were blind leaders whomisled their too trusting followers. The disciple or followerwill not fare better than his master or leader orteacher; he cannot hope for better results than hisleader.How important, then, that God's people recognize thetrue Leader, Jesus, that they hear His voice, and heednot the voice of others. In the present, in the ending ofthis Gospel Age, we have a condition of things very similarto that which obtained in the end of the Jewish Age.We have many great, learned and wise men in all thedenominations of Christendom, as the Jews had in Jesus'day in all their different sects. It is equally importantthat we take heed that we do not follow blind leaderstoday--in fact, it is much more important. Why shouldwe follow any of the creeds when now we have the Wordof God in such convenient form and when all are able toR5029 : page 165read it? Who cannot rejoice that recently thePope issued instructions that the Roman Catholic bishopsshould encourage Catholics to study the Bible? How itwould rejoice us to find the Protestant leaders similarlyurging the Word of God upon their peoples!Alas! on the contrary, we find that many of the greatand wise of the principal pulpits of the world are underminingthe faith of the people by telling them that theBible is not Divinely inspired, that Moses and theProphets did not write the books ascribed to them, andhence indirectly saying that Jesus and the Apostles weredeceived when they made quotations from the Old Testament

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