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LIFE—ETERNAL LIFE

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 20, 1901

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 27, No. 12.

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LIFE—ETERNAL LIFE.

ALL the false religions of earth make man his own Saviour. They sometimes declare in words that it is God or Christ who saves, but in the next utterance we are told by the same ones that it is the divine in us that accomplishes the work. Evolution calls this power “the divine immanence.” “Christian Science” borrows the language of Scripture, and says “Christ in us.” But both of these systems, with others, make this “divine immanence” that which every person has by nature; he needs only to recognize it, that is all.
Satan in the beginning deceived man into sinning, by a great falsehood: “Ye shall not surely die; . . . ye shall be as God.” And the great pagan systems of the past and present, and much that is called Christian to-day, is witness of how far the lie has been believed. “Man can not die; man is destined to live forever; man must therefore be divine; and therefore man has that in himself which will prove his salvation.” In this way men reason, basing all the argument upon the old Edenic lie, supposing it to be Gospel truth. All that God has done for man is set forth as evidence of man’s power to do, and to man is given the glory.
According to all reason and natural observation, and, more than all else, according to the Scriptures of truth, man is sinful, and hence mortal. Once knowing the perennial life of God, he sinned and perverted that life. Righteousness turned to sin is life turned to death; and mankind have died, and died, and have been dying ever since. Man has been encouraged to save himself, has put forth mighty effort in trying, but has ever fallen as low or lower than before. He may change the form of his sinning, he may turn selfishness into another channel, but its essential nature remains the same. He has no power within himself of himself to save himself.
His hope for continuance of life lies in recognizing his own helplessness and obtaining power from a higher source. This God offers every one of earth’s children. Jesus reveals the whole secret in these words: “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” John 17:3. And the prophet: “Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” Jer. 9:23, 24.
How may we know Him? An important question truly! We really know only that with which we are in harmony. We may be able to recognize our neighbors, but between us and our friends there must be more or less of harmony of soul. We may have heard of some splendid oratorio, like Gounod’s “Messiah.” We may have heard it rendered by some grand chorus of singers. But we do not know it till our souls throb in unison with every note of the great creation.
We can never know one to whom we are antagonistic. Many a husband and wife have gone thru life miserably inharmonious, whose companionship would have been “one grand sweet song” if they had only become acquainted. Just so many hate God, are opposed to His Word and His law, because they do not know Him. They fix up their own human deity, hoping in that which ever disappoints, when the great loving God stands ready, longing to help them,—not with imaginary help; not by deluding the soul to a trust in what is not, but to help them with the infinite help of creative power and eternal life.
How we may obtain it is very simple: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Life comes by believing, not a nominal belief, but whole-hearted believing: “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
That is whole-hearted faith, isn’t it? It is believing that God’s ways of righteousness—and “all His commandments are righteousness”—are better than our ways of sin. It is believing so thoroly that all that we have is yielded to God. Our testimony is in harmony with our belief. Our confession is of His power. This is faith. The heart that thus yields to God comes into complete union with the divine flow and interflow of life. The pulsations of God’s great heart reaches his. The life-current from the great Fountain, which flows only as eternal life thru the righteousness of God, beats in upon the soul of the believer, lifting him above the gross world with its lusts, the flesh with its passions, the devil with all his wiles, and persecutions, and darkness, and blackness.
Eternal life in holy living is the privilege of the believer here. Eternal life in blessed healing of physical ills waits on faith. Her fountain is flowing freely. Yield the heart to God, open its doors, and receive.