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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 17, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 29.

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Editorial

By Editor

The Comfort of the Gospel

THE gospel is Heaven's message of glad news. Its purpose is to reconcile man to his gracious Creator and Redeemer. To the rebel against the government of Heaven it offers free pardon on condition that he lay down his arms and submit to the righteous government of God; to the sick and suffering it promises surcease of pain and sorrow, to the discouraged and heart-broken a renewal of hope, to those whose ideals have been shattered new objects of ambition. The Saviour declares through his prophet:—
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." Isa. 61: 1-3.
What a revelation the acceptance of this blessed gospel has proved to thousands of souls! What a revolution it has wrought in human lives! What new hopes it has inspired in anguish-filled and grief-stricken hearts! It will do all this for those who do not yet know its power.
Dear reader, have you found in the gospel a solace and comfort? Have you found the Lord Jesus Christ a precious portion to your soul? Have you so entered into companionship with him that you have heard his words of pity and tenderness and comfort, that you have felt the support of his strong arm, the throb of his loving heart?
O, there is a beauty, a preciousness, a joy in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ for every one who will accept it in childlike simplicity. To experience the gracious provision of a loving father, the watch-care of an elder brother, the loving companionship of a trusted friend, a refuge in times of danger and distress, an assurance and strength which nerve the arm for all life's conflicts,—this is the knowledge of God vouchsafed in his gospel to his children.
Without this knowledge the gospel of Christ becomes a mere theory—a lip service—and Christian service a mere form. But with this experience the life knows stronger, deeper impulses than those of sentiment or emotion; it is moved by a higher enthusiasm than that of sordid ambition. The new life in the soul—the Christ-life formed within—creates new viewpoints, gives to the mind new estimates, and affords endurance through the knowledge and power of him who, though invisible to the natural eye, is seen through the eye of faith, and who is grasped and laid hold of by the hand of faith.
In this Christian experience, this sweetness of communion, there is power in the time of trial. Others may deny God, but we have tasted and seen that the Lord is indeed precious. We have proved the depth of his love, the strength of his friendship. We know in whom we have believed, and this knowledge holds us and keeps us in the hour of temptation. Let us realize that this definite, living experience in the Lord Jesus Christ may be ours.