1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org 1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org
former self had wronged, and then start out anew. This, of course,applies specially to wrongs such as that against the railroadcompany mentioned, and would not, in my judgment, apply to anydebts contracted for your sustenance and clothing: these should bepaid in full, as they were personal favors which you contracted foryour necessities.In this connection, too, it should be remembered that the veryobject of this reckoned cancellation of former liabilities is, that youmay be reckoned henceforth a "new creature" in the service ofanother--Christ. Therefore if your time future shall be spent in laborfor earthly wealth or superfluous comforts or luxuries, thusrenouncing virtually the new life of sacrifice, now proposed andcommenced, THEN you would be no longer free from the abovementionedobligations: for inasmuch as your former self wouldthereby be revived, brought to life again, its debts and obligationscome to life also. In either case, you are accountable for those debtsand wrongs so long as you live to human aims and ambitions; andonly freed when you become dead toward these and alive in theservice of God as a new creature. Nothing but death cancels such anobligation so far as man is concerned. Your responsibility endswhen you have made restitution to the extent of your ability at thetime of your reckoned death. Christ, to whose service you giveyourself, agrees to cancel all your debts of every kind, to God andman, which you are unable to settle when entering his service. Andin the blessings of the Millennium, he will far more thancompensate the world for all such obligations of those who enteredhis service. This line of reasoning harmonizes with that of theApostle. Compare Rom. 7:4 with Gal. 2:18-21.Nor would we advise you to publish or expose the errors of yourformer self as you would not expose needlessly the faults of anydead man. Send what money you have to send privately to thosewhom you alone know that you have wronged. When you came totheR805 : page 8Lord you confessed to him, and have representatively confessed tothe Church also, as we are exhorted "confess your faults to oneanother."This rule is recognized in our civil laws. A debt or a crime, so far asman is concerned, cannot reach us beyond death, and whatever hepossesses may be claimed by his creditors; but his offspring are notheld responsible. The Apostle's words are in place here asindicating your duty. "Let him that stole steal no more; but ratherlet him labor with his hands, that he may have to give." The case ofZaccheus was commended by Jesus, not because of thedispensation, but because true repentance must always beaccompanied by restitution for the wrong to the extent of one'sability. Had Zaccheus not made restitution it would have been proofthat his repentance was not sincere, for he had wherewith to repair
the wrongs done. In your case you must do the same; i.e., makerestitution to the extent of your ability; then you are free from allthe remainder if you are never able to do more, BECAUSE OFservice to Christ as his steward and servants, possessing only time,money and talent, reckoned his and being used in his service. Maythe Master bless you, and own and abundantly bless your endeavorsto serve him according to your covenant. May you be not only deadto self and the world reckonedly, but I pray that the spirit of truthmay more and more vivify or quicken your mortal body in God'sservice (Rom. 8:11), and thus may you be prepared for the fullnessof the divine nature when the present mortal body shall give placeto a spiritual and immortal one, in which you can serve the Lordperfectly.R805 : page 8====================QUESTION COLUMN.Ques.--Since Jesus taught in the Jewish synagogues, should notwe remain in and use what opportunities we can find for advancingtruth in and with the various sects of today. Paul was a Pharisee,should not we be joined to the sects also?Ans.--The Jewish Church was composed in God's sight of Israelitesindeed, but the Nominal Jewish church included the whole nationand embraced various factions or sects. The SECTS were not theJewish Church, nor did Jesus or the apostles ever belong to thosefactions. Paul was indeed a member of the sect of the Pharisees, butfrom the moment of his conversion to Christ, he never affiliatedwith them, and only once owned the name when his life wasapparently in danger, and his faith must have trembled. Then he didnot lie, since the membership in the Pharisee sect was not so "tight"an affair as is membership in modern sects. He needed not toformally disconnect himself, and might without untruth refer eitherto his birth, or as in this case, he did refer to one feature of thedoctrine of the Pharisees which was noted, and which agreed withthe truth of the Gospel, viz., the doctrine of "the resurrection," andas touching this question, Paul held the views of Pharisees, thoughin a wider and more positive degree than they.The Lord's mission was twofold, viz., to Israel and to the World; toIsrael first was he presented to give the true Israelites the privilegeof becoming "Sons" (spiritual), and to as many as received him, tothem gave he liberty to become the sons of God--as many asbelieved on His name, which the Pharisee and Sadducee sectsREJECTED.As a matter of fact, the Nominal Jewish church was flourishing andwealthy in Jesus' day, and the members many, while the TRUEJewish Church, as God regarded it, was small--few, poor anddespised among them. Thus, "wheat and chaff" were together until
- Page 405 and 406: eceive the message of redemption an
- Page 407 and 408: since heard and accepted have had t
- Page 409 and 410: As our Redeemer he bought us. His s
- Page 411 and 412: R792 : page 7But that their covenan
- Page 413 and 414: truly while all were under "the cur
- Page 415 and 416: the re-engrafting of the original b
- Page 417 and 418: R794 : page 8====================H.
- Page 419 and 420: would have been the same (i.e. perf
- Page 421 and 422: R795 : page 1VOL. VII.PITTSBURGH, P
- Page 423 and 424: Christ our Lord. (2 Cor. 4:6.) Pulp
- Page 425 and 426: The doctrine, in accord with both r
- Page 427 and 428: "Who would write a bulky treatise a
- Page 429 and 430: Scripture, which from their astound
- Page 431 and 432: It is small, but it is empty,And th
- Page 433 and 434: Christ? It implies first that our W
- Page 435 and 436: the blind and impotent in Judea, an
- Page 437 and 438: manner. The earnestness of the serv
- Page 439 and 440: While the offered prayer is to God
- Page 441 and 442: therefore never consciously rejecte
- Page 443 and 444: distinctly states that men who have
- Page 445 and 446: will be estimated both by God and m
- Page 447 and 448: to give a "Gospel address" on Sunda
- Page 449 and 450: denunciation is uttered in Matt. 21
- Page 451 and 452: under favor, yet it is our privileg
- Page 453 and 454: held that the wicked would be cut o
- Page 455: me to think of restoring, and in do
- Page 459 and 460: Jesus fulfilled its requirements an
- Page 461 and 462: R806 : page 1VOL. VII.PITTSBURGH, P
- Page 463 and 464: unto God," workmen needing not to b
- Page 465 and 466: He saw that he could no longer spri
- Page 467 and 468: has had to be done by letter so far
- Page 469 and 470: page 2Topeka, Kansas, Nov. 2, 1885.
- Page 471 and 472: How then doth David in spirit [i.e.
- Page 473 and 474: sit thou, etc." It is well that we
- Page 475 and 476: annihilated --as to need another Fa
- Page 477 and 478: according to his own purpose and gr
- Page 479 and 480: unto them, is found only in one sec
- Page 481 and 482: to death. Abraham, the recipient of
- Page 483 and 484: unite with Catholics, or try to, it
- Page 485 and 486: The Church of Rome has taken advant
- Page 487 and 488: never be built in to the glorious s
- Page 489 and 490: that Jesus declared, Few there be t
- Page 491 and 492: and war, and blood-shed, and tumult
- Page 493 and 494: destructive trouble is represented
- Page 495 and 496: ====================page 8Red Oak,
- Page 497 and 498: dilemma of painful doubt and indeci
- Page 499 and 500: y the ransom. This liberty will be
the wrongs done. In your case you must do the same; i.e., makerestitution to the extent of your ability; then you are free from allthe remainder if you are never able to do more, BECAUSE OFservice to Christ as his steward and servants, possessing only time,money and talent, reckoned his and being used in his service. Maythe Master bless you, and own and abundantly bless your endeavorsto serve him according to your covenant. May you be not only deadto self and the world reckonedly, but I pray that the spirit of truthmay more and more vivify or quicken your mortal body in God'sservice (Rom. 8:11), and thus may you be prepared for the fullnessof the divine nature when the present mortal body shall give placeto a spiritual and immortal one, in which you can serve the Lordperfectly.R805 : page 8====================QUESTION COLUMN.Ques.--Since Jesus taught in the Jewish synagogues, should notwe remain in and use what opportunities we can find for advancingtruth in and with the various sects of today. Paul was a Pharisee,should not we be joined to the sects also?Ans.--The Jewish Church was composed in God's sight of Israelitesindeed, but the Nominal Jewish church included the whole nationand embraced various factions or sects. The SECTS were not theJewish Church, nor did Jesus or the apostles ever belong to thosefactions. Paul was indeed a member of the sect of the Pharisees, butfrom the moment of his conversion to Christ, he never affiliatedwith them, and only once owned the name when his life wasapparently in danger, and his faith must have trembled. Then he didnot lie, since the membership in the Pharisee sect was not so "tight"an affair as is membership in modern sects. He needed not toformally disconnect himself, and might without untruth refer eitherto his birth, or as in this case, he did refer to one feature of thedoctrine of the Pharisees which was noted, and which agreed withthe truth of the Gospel, viz., the doctrine of "the resurrection," andas touching this question, Paul held the views of Pharisees, thoughin a wider and more positive degree than they.The Lord's mission was twofold, viz., to Israel and to the World; toIsrael first was he presented to give the true Israelites the privilegeof becoming "Sons" (spiritual), and to as many as received him, tothem gave he liberty to become the sons of God--as many asbelieved on His name, which the Pharisee and Sadducee sectsREJECTED.As a matter of fact, the Nominal Jewish church was flourishing andwealthy in Jesus' day, and the members many, while the TRUEJewish Church, as God regarded it, was small--few, poor anddespised among them. Thus, "wheat and chaff" were together until
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