PROFESSION OR POSSESSION—WHICH?
By A. L. Hollenbeck
To live as if we were under little or no obligation to God, manifesting a greater interest in our own welfare than we do in the welfare of our neighbors, is to break the two great commandments, on which “hang all the law and the prophets,”—“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” and, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matt. 22:37–39. Not to love the Lord with our whole being is to step toward the enemy’s ranks; and the slightest movement in that direction marks us as disloyal to the Prince of heaven. And not to love our neighbors as we love ourselves is supremely selfish, and shows that we are servants of the prince of darkness. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Rom. 6:16. It is hypocrisy to appear to love God supremely and our neighbors as ourselves when we are at heart in rebellion against the government of heaven, and are cherishing feelings of enmity toward our brethren. We may write the letter of the law on the surface of our profession in ever so large a character, yet it is a dead letter, and it will remain so until the spirit of the law goes with it to give it life. It is the religion that comes from the keeping of the spirit of the law that is manifested in the professed follower of Christ when the people can see in him their Redeemer walking among men. A mere profession of the religion of Jesus Christ is far different from the real possession of it. One is a bare theory, the other is a real, living experience. The life and character of the nominal professor of Christianity appears to many to be what the life and character of the true believer really is in the sight of all. The one is false, and bears “nothing but leaves;” the other is genuine, and bears “fruit unto holiness.” Every promise in the Scriptures hangs on the commandments of God. Those who “mind the things of the flesh” are breaking these commandments, and they will lose all; but those who mind “the things of the Spirit” are keeping these precepts, and they will gain all. To the faithful, we would say, in the language of Paul, “God be thanked, that . . . ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you.” Rom. 6:17. And to those who are resting on their lees, we would say, “As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:19, 23. And again, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22:14.