TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH by E. Macomber

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 23, 1861

TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH.

By E. Macomber

He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son.

What are we to overcome? Paul writing to the Romans says in chapter xii, 21, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Then we are to overcome evil. There is much in the world practiced by those that profess to be followers of Christ that is evil. If we follow not our Saviour we are not Christians, and if we are not Christ's then we are not Abraham's seed and we come short of the promise of inheriting all things. We cannot overcome unless we subject ourselves unto Christ and follow him. Then we can overcome for he has promised to help us in every time of need, praise his name! Whatever Christ our Lord has commanded us, we can accomplish; for he that commands can give strength to perform.

We read in Matt. xvi, 24, that Jesus said unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Now if I should teach differently from what the Saviour has taught I should not follow him. If I should say that such as follow Christ shall not inherit all things I should deny what he has promised. If I should teach that we should not have bodies like unto Christ's most glorious body, I should contradict my Saviour; for he says we shall have, as recorded in Philippians iii, 21. If I should teach that Christ, when crucified, suffered only in body, or the casket only suffered and his soul went immediately to his Father, I should deny Christ's words as recorded in John xx, 17: "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God."

Again in Isa. liii, 12: "Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death." If I did not believe that the Son of God died for me, I should only have in this world hope, and I should be of all men most miserable.

Again, I hear some that say they have been commissioned to preach the gospel, and say to me that there is an intermediate state, that is to say, a sort of prison-house for departed spirits, and quote 1 Pet. iii, 19: "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison."

But this is contrary to the inspired word; for we read in Eccl. ix, 5, that the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. If we expect to overcome evil with good we must use the good word of inspiration to overcome the evil that contradicts God's word. Again if I should teach that the blessed Saviour would not come in a great many years I should contradict the word of the Lord in Matt. xxiv, 29: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken." The last signs are being fulfilled and soon will be seen the visible sign of the Son of man. Therefore I should overcome the error of declaring that my Lord delayeth his coming.

Again, the Lord has declared that he is Lord of the Sabbath. Then the Sabbath is the Lord's day. Some teach that the Sabbath day is the first day of the week; but the word of the Lord says in Exodus xx, 10: "But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." Now if I should teach men that the first day was the Sabbath, I should do so without any scriptural authority. We should be wise to overcome an evil like this, because we should overcome evil with good; and the word of the Lord is good and will thoroughly furnish us. But when we teach for doctrines the commandments of men, we are evil doers.

Let us keep his commandments, and we shall be overcomers of evil with good. The Lord will help if we try with sincerity; for he has promised. Amen.

E. MACOMBER.

New Shoreham, R. I., March 22, 1861.