Religious Ranting by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 15, 1885

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 39.

Religious Ranting.

By Editor

PERHAPS on no subject is there so much nonsense spoken, under a great show of wisdom, as on religion. Bible truth is rendered ridiculous by those who profess to teach it. In the eyes of intelligent skeptics the whole matter is made to appear like a senseless jargon, and the truth suffers, wounded by its professed friends. At one of our camp-meetings a publication was scattered broadcast, the writer of which had persuaded himself to believe that he had put a quietus on the doctrine of life only in Christ, as held by Adventists. The following paragraph presents a fair specimen of his reasoning:—

"Some of them insist that death (a ceasing to exist, as they call it), is the only wages of sin; nevertheless all may read the solemn truth foretold, that after death there shall be the judgment! If death were the only wages of sin, Christ the Saviour need not to have been a divine eternal person. Nay more, there was no need that a God of love should send his dear Son to be the Saviour of the world, for any one might pay those wages (death) for himself, the wicked man as well as the godly man; even the infamous Nero, who lived and died in his sins, after having been brought into existence again, because he died (and ceased to exist, as they call it), would have as good a title to God's heavenly paradise as would Abraham, who was justified by faith before God, and was called the friend of God."

The writer seems never to have learned that there is a second death awaiting the unrighteous after their resurrection. And how any one, with a Bible in his hand, dare even to intimate that death is not the wages of sin, we are at a loss to see. "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:23. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Eze. 18:4.

But most strange of all is the idea of the writer that, if the doctrine that death is the wages of sin be true, then there was no need that Christ should die, for each one could save himself! "Even the infamous Nero, who lived and died in his sins, after having been brought into existence again," etc. Now the apostles "preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead." Acts 4:2. And Christ died and rose again that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. Rom. 14:9. Christ is that seed of the woman, without whom there would be no future life nor future judgment. On what principle, then, or by what means, would this writer have Nero "brought into existence again" if Christ had not died? Does he hold that Nero could have resurrected himself? If he could, then he could have saved himself.

There is no truth made more plain in the Scriptures than this, that life and death are altogether in the power of Christ, and that life is given to the penitent, or innocent, while death is visited upon the impenitent, or unrighteous. But life and death, as a final reward and punishment, are not the present life "which we now live in the flesh," and the present death which all die in common, but eternal life and the second death. But whether present or future, temporal or eternal, they are life and death still. They are realities, not myths.

Will somebody explain to us why it is that the idea of receiving immortality through Christ is so repugnant to some people? Immortality is the dearest of all things to them, provided it is conceded that they have it in themselves. But they cannot bear to be dependent upon Christ for it! Now to us the value of immortality is enhanced by the thought that Christ died to redeem us from death, and to purchase immortality for us. And the Scriptures reveal the truth that "Christ is our life," and that he has "brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." And the paragraph quoted above is a specimen of the methods to which men will resort when they attempt to rob Christ of the honor of being the sole giver of eternal life. God has given a very solemn warning against a denial of the truth on this subject. "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." 1 John 5:10, 11.

And as Jesus is the sole author of a future life, so is the resurrection of the dead the sole means of conferring or of receiving a future life. "If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die." 1 Cor. 15:32. In this same chapter the apostle argues this idea at length. "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." 1 Cor. 15:16-19.

If the dead rise not, then is our hope confined to this life; then they which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished—they have no future life; then is your faith vain; then is not Christ risen; then is the preaching of the gospel but false witness for God. Yet very many who profess to preach the gospel make the resurrection a nullity; some by denying it altogether, as the Sadducees did, and some by overshadowing it with "another gospel," which gives life and immortality to all, irrespective of character, or of faith in Christ. It is sad to think to what extent "Jesus and the resurrection" are being denied, even by those professing to hold evangelical faith; how tenaciously men will cling to unscriptural error, if it is a popular one, and cast aside a plain Bible truth if it is not in favor with the world.