WORKERS TOGETHER WITH GOD.
By G. H. Heald, M.D.
The Father is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Those who go down to destruction must therefore do so against the will of God. If there was one thing He could have done to prevent their eternal ruin which He has not done, His love for them would not be infinite. But He "so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The gift of Christ was for every person. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" The love of God is vested in the Gospel, which is the "power of God unto salvation." And His love will save every person that His power can save. Is, then, the power of God limited? There are some things which God, by His very nature, can not do. He "can not lie;" He "can not deny Himself." He has given man, in common with other created intelligences, the right of choice. "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." "Whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey." "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God." To invade this right of choice would be to deny Himself. God asks of His creatures only willing service. Satan introduced into the universe the system of compulsory service, which pervades all earthly governments and all organizations erected by man. Every person who is in the service of Satan, has yielded himself to Satan; and every one who is in the service of God, has yielded himself to God. For man possesses a citadel for the mastery of which two opposing forces are struggling; and he must choose to be occupied by one or the other. He will either yield himself willingly to God, or he will be compelled to yield to the enemy. God in His love brings every force at His command to bear on the life of each individual, in order to induce him to choose life; but man has the power to reject all this—and be lost. Among the agencies used by God are the Word (1 Thess. 2:13), the Holy Spirit (Gen. 6:3; Rom. 8:26), angels (Heb. 1:14), and human beings (2 Cor. 5:20). All of these agencies, except man, work only in harmony with the will of God. Human co-operation is necessary in the work of God. If all were faithful to their duty, the result would be great gain of souls to the Master; but now how many are lost through the neglect of the professed people of God! And what account shall we give for the men and women whom we might have enlightened and did not? Would not this failure to co-operate with God be "holding the truth in unrighteousness"? There may be some souls struggling in the balance between the forces of good and evil, whom some act or word of mine may cause to make the final choice. "The influence of a thoughtless word may affect a soul's eternal destiny." Ought this not forever to banish the plea for indifference, that "God will care for the honest in heart; and if we do not reach them with the truth, somebody else will"? Some one else may, and take our crown; but think of the possibility that we may be the only one through whom God could impress a certain individual, and the awful consequence of our neglect. Should we not consider every individual who comes in touch with us in any way, as sent by God to receive truth from us? As ambassadors of Christ, dare we refuse any the light?