The North American Review has begun in its issue for June a new serial under the title “The Man Jesus.” While we cannot approve the discrediting of the gospel account of Christ’s birth or any other of the Bible-discrediting conclusions of higher criticism, some suggestions are made in the first number of this serial concerning Christ’s temptation in the wilderness, which are in accord, we believe, with the teaching of the Bible.
Christ is represented as going into the wilderness for prayer and meditation concerning plans and methods of advancing the interests of “the kingdom of heaven.” Christ’s first victory was expressed in the words, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” The kingdom was to be established by the preaching of the word of God, not by social reform.
The second victory was Christ’s refusal of the gift of the kingship of the world at the hand of Satan, who had wrested it from Adam. The kingdom was not to be political, nor was it to15be established through political reform. Christ refused the kingship of the nations of this world.
The third victory was the refusal to perform a wonder to prove his mission. The kingdom was to be advanced by teaching men God’s will, not by spectacular demonstration. “The kingdom of God cometh not with outward show.”
While Christ gained the victory in the wilderness, so that Satan left him for a season, yet he was later again tested on these same points. Satan is well satisfied if he can get us to try to do God’s service by wrong means. Many are sincere in the present-day attempt to make Christ king through Constitutional amendment and other political means. After the feeding of the five thousand, the people wanted to make Christ king, but he refused.
Finally, when brought before Pilate, Christ plainly said that though he was a king, yet his kingdom was not of this world. It is true that “the saints . . . shall take the kingdom” of the world, but that will be in the “new earth,” after the world that now is has been destroyed by fire. Of that kingdom there shall be no end. Let us not think to alter God’s plan of making “the kingdoms of this world” “the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ,” but let us see that we are prepared to be members of that kingdom of glory.