5.09 - CHRISTIANITY, A NEW RELIGION

CHRISTIANITY, A NEW RELIGION

I want to join Brother Goodpasture in expressing personal appreciation and profound gratitude to all of those who have, in any way whatsoever, contributed to the success, to the interest, and to the pleasure of this meeting. So far as I know, all of the congregations of Nashville have had a part. I have appreciated the invitation from Central Church to speak at their noonday services. It shows a fine spirit. When I stand before an audience like this, I am made to exclaim: "What a wonderful opportunity! What a terrible responsibility! Woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel of God’s Son." As a basis for the study this afternoon, I read to you from Hebrews 8:8-13 : "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." Then again in Hebrews 10:19-20 : "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh." And one other, Ephesians 2:14-16 : "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby." I think those texts justify the announcement that "Christianity is a new religion." Let me say that Christianity is not something that has come down to us from generation to generation as a matter of tradition. It is not the outgrowth of some human philosophy, developed and formulated into what is called the "Christian religion." Nor is it a compilation of anything that has gone before. It is new in all of its phases and in all of its relationships. I submit to you some of the outstanding features wherein its newness lies. First of all, let me say to you that the religion of the New Testament is new in that it is the only religion that ever promised absolute forgiveness of sin. The very highest conception of pagan religion was to suffer some sort of selfimposed penalty in order to appease the wrath of some fancied God. They never had the idea of real forgiveness of sins. Under the patriarchal era of twenty-five hundred years, plus the fifteen hundred years characteristic of the Jewish system, there was no such thing as absolute forgiveness of sins. I know that from the time the smoke ascended from the altar of Aaron and blood flowed down inclined planes, the very best that they could expect was a rolling forward of their sins for just one year. That truth is so obvious in the Bible that real students thereof grasp it at once. Hebrews 9:22 : "Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission." Now hold that statement—"without the shedding of blood there can be no remission." Then in Hebrews 10:4 : "It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." There must be blood shed before sins can be forgiven. The conclusion is unavoidable, that without the shedding of the blood of Christ there never was a sin absolutely forgiven. When a Jew came to the altar on the day of sacrificing and presented his victim, he had assurance that all of his sins were rolled forward. But remember in those sacrifices there was remembrance made again of sins every year and at the expiration of that year, all of his sins stood against him in full force and effect. Hence, the necessity of offering another sacrifice for the coming year and on down the line. Now every Jew that kept up those sacrifices could have a well-founded assurance that when Jesus Christ died on the tree of the cross, all of them would be blotted out, never again to be remembered. Hence, the Bible says, Hebrews 9:15 : "For this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Christ, therefore, died for the sins of all that had gone before, and likewise to obtain eternal redemption for those who were to come after. There is definite assurance that under the Christian religion sins are wholly forgiven and remembered no more. Hebrews 8:12 : “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." Hence, when John said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!" he had in mind the Christ whose blood would be shed for the remission of sins. In our prayers we sometimes use expressions that are unnecessary. It is quite common to hear some brother say: "Lord, we know that we have done things we should not, and we know again that we have left undone things we should have done. Therefore, Lord, forgive us. Remove our sins from us, and remember them against us no more forever." The last petition could well be left out because, be assured, if God Almighty ever forgives sins, those thus forgiven never will be remembered again. I must evidence the same spirit if I be His. "If thy brother sin, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him." That ought to end the matter. We may forgive, but it is next to impossible to forget. Not only, friends, is Christianity new in that it offers absolute forgiveness of sins, but it is new in this respect. It is the only religion the world ever knew that offered eternal life to any man. The great question of the Old Testament was this—viz., "If a man die, shall he live again?" The ancients wondered why it was that with the coming of spring all things in the vegetable world burst forth with a new life. They wondered why the great king of day would drive across the arched sky to light up this old earth, pillow his head at night upon the placid bosom of the peaceful Pacific, and then rise again from behind the eastern hills, while human beings sank out of sight to rise no more. Their question v as unanswered by any theory of paganism. Neither in the patriarchal nor Jewish age was there a direct answer. Christ said to the Jews in John 5:39-40 : "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." The tragedy of our Jewish friends today is the deceptive thought that outside of Jesus Christ life eternal may be theirs. My friends, that is not so. Christ said: “I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." Not only that, but he said: “I go to prepare a place far you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also, and whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Hence, eternal life centers in Christ, and apart from him this world would be enveloped in darkness forever. There would not be one ray of hope or one crumb of comfort to mankind. Believe it, my friends, eternal life is in Christ and attaches only to the Christian religion, the "new and living way." But again, Christianity is new in that it is the only religion of which you ever read or heard that recognizes the fatherhood of God. Did you ever stop to think that before Christ came there was no such word as "mankind"? That term was wholly foreign to everything that went before. Unto the Jew everyone else was a Gentile or a dog, unfit for their association. Unto the Grecian mind everyone else was a barbarian. Unto all people the principle was that might made right. Paul announced a great truth absolutely new when on Mars’ Hill, he said: God "hash made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." Hence, he made known the universal kinship of the human family coming from a common Father. We can understand now why Christ said: "Our Father who art in heaven." May I suggest again that Christianity is new in that it teaches the real standard of greatness among men. When the mother of James and John, as well as other disciples, was so solicitous about the promotion and prominence of her boys, in asking that one sit upon the right hand and the other upon the left in his kingdom, Christ practically said: "Woman, you know not what you ask. Your idea of greatness is wholly foreign to mine. You ask the very opposite of what real greatness is." Then he said: "You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister: and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant; even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." From what Christ here said, you can see at once that the standard of greatness, as men count it, is wholly different from his standard. Ask any man who is the greatest man in the nation, in the state, or in the city. He will answer that it is he who has the greatest authority and who exercises dominion over his fellows. Christ said not so. Real greatness lies in service. The biggest man in all the land is the greatest servant of the people. Greatness is always characterized by meekness and humility. "He that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Christ "humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." "Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your servant." Members of the church and the world in general need to learn this important lesson. Christ set the example. He "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." Christianity is new in this regard—viz., its teaching is positive rather than negative. Review the Decalogue for just a moment. Every pronouncement was: "Thou shalt not." Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to any graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not covet that which belongs to another. Old Confucius put the golden rule in the negative form. Said he: "All things whatsoever ye would not that men should do unto you, do not that unto them." But Christianity is absolutely positive. The great question is never, "Lord, what will thou have me not do," but "what wilt thou have me do?" Of all people, members of the Christian church need to learn this difference about Christianity. Their attitude is: "Where did God ever prohibit?" "Where did God ever say, thou shalt not?" When a man asks me a question of that kind, I know that he has never yet learned the fundamental idea of Christianity. We live by what God said and we are not to live according to things not mentioned. Christianity is a positive system of religion. He has given unto us "all things that pertain unto life and godliness." His word is a "lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’’ Whatever that word speaks I must do, and it is dangerous to try to take advantage of its silence. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Thus spoke the Savior when tempted by the great archenemy of mankind. Think how the world reasons on almost every matter that arises and thus possibly duplicates the devil’s method. (1) Lord, don’t you like bread? Yes. (2) Do you ever have bread in your home? Yes. (3) Is there anything wrong in converting stones into bread? Not a thing. Then why don’t you do it? Has God ever said: "Thou shalt not turn stones into bread"? No. Modern reasoning would suggest that if you want a thing, if you have it in your home, if you see no wrong in it, and if the Lord has never specifically forbidden it, it is foolish to oppose it, and those who do are both prejudiced and mean. Think again how such reasoning would apply to Christ and how little and narrow he was. But now may I ask, Why didn’t Christ turn stones to bread? Now here is the answer, and it is fundamental. He no doubt would say: "Because I am not my own. I am under the will of my Father. I came not to do my will but His. When the Father wants me to have bread, He will tell me so, and that will be time enough." I am not governed by my desires nor by my pleasures. I am governed by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Let God’s word be authority. Such only is Christianity. Instead of raising the question, where does God say you must not? let us reverse that and ask, where does God authorize it? Where does the Bible command it? Let us not be wise above that which is written. In matters upon which the destiny of mankind depends, we must be governed by God’s Word. Brethren, if all of us will accept these principles and thus be governed, it will be next to impossible to divide us. There could be no unpleasantness. We would go forth as a solid phalanx against the forces of evil, and accomplish something worth while to the glory of God and to the salvation of the sons of men. Furthermore, Christianity does not consist simply in being good. A man can just be good and go to hell. Life does not consist in one’s just sitting around with folded hands and consoling himself with the assurance that he isn’t doing anything wrong. I would not give a dime a dozen for boys that have such an idea. I want a boy who has an ambition to do something and to be something worth while. I can see no reason for a man who is wholly negative to keep on living, unless it be to save burial expenses. Let us ask, Is the world better as the result of our being in it? Are we helping push forward the affairs of this world? If the church depended upon me, what would be the result of its movement? I may say: “I am just as good as I can be." If every member of the church were trying to be good and keep out of meanness, the whole thing would go to the devil. Let no one think that I do not appreciate the necessity of being good. I am trying to emphasize the fact that Christianity is positive, aggressive, active, and that its mission is to do good. When those on the left hand were consigned to eternal wreck and ruin, there was a reason given—viz., they did nothing. Did you ever think about the one-talent man? What had he done? You cannot bring a single indictment against him except he had done nothing. Christ cast him into outer darkness. Christianity is positive, aggressive. It means fighting against "spiritual wickedness in high places." Boys can fly kites, but only against the wind. Birds cannot fly, nor can the fishes swim, but for the resistance of the medium through which they pass. Christianity always will have its conflicts. Christ, the apostles, and thousands of primitive Christians were killed because they did something. "The world will hate you." Paul saw a crown of righteousness laid up because he had fought a good fight, he had finished his course, and had kept the faith. If I ever sweep through the gates into joys celestial, it will be because I have here practiced the principles of pure and undefiled religion; because I have worshiped God as it is written; and because I have been faithful unto death. Only those who do his will shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Christianity is also new in that it is the only religion ever known that proposes to make a man a new creature. Christianity is the only religion in the world that is missionary in spirit. All others are ethnic and are content when their own race has been reached. The religion of many countries has ended, while that of others is stagnant. These are some of the things characteristic of Christianity and which thus distinguish it from all other religions. In conclusion, let me beg of you brethren here in Nashville to stand together as a united body. Do not take out after some frivolous affair or some newfangled theory. Pay no attention to some fellow whose head is filled with wild theories. Give no heed to any man who tries to lead off into speculative fields. Rather let us all hark back to Jerusalem and be determined to speak the same things and to be of the same mind. And now, with an earnest prayer that these talks of mine may result in good, and that our coming together as friends, as neighbors, as brethren, may reunite us in stronger ties than heretofore, I am leaving you with a consciousness of having done the best that I could under the conditions that have prevailed. I am hoping that it may be mine to speak to you again some time here upon earth, but if not, I want to meet you on the golden happy shore where the faithful part no more.