Law And Reformation
A strange and puzzling paradox has appeared in American life. On the one hand, we are seeing a tremendous resurgence of religion; on the other, we are witnessing flagrant sin erupting all about us. To the entire nation, the phenomena of Madison Square Garden and the Cow Palace, with evangelist Billy Graham as God’s instrument, is amazing; but how does one explain James Hoffa’s continuation as head of one of our powerful labor unions? Religious articles are appearing with greater frequency in secular magazines, yet the country is right now flooded with the vilest literature in history. Church attendance increases, children flock to Sunday School, but the Lord’s day becomes more secular, and juvenile delinquency remains our major social problem. We rejoice when we see many lives changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ; but corruption in national life affords little ground for joy. And while salvation is proclaimed in some places as a sovereign act of God, do-it-yourself religionists hold great popularity.
In the light of this current paradox, it becomes apparent that what our generation needs most is not more pep rallies, more evangelistic meetings, nor even more revivals as they are popularly conceived; rather our generation needs a reformation that will transform the life of individuals in the churches and in the nation. During the course of centuries, since the advent of Christ, there have been many revivals but only one Reformation. The Reformation came close to fulfilling that prophecy in Scripture which says nations would be born in a day. Protestant churches throughout the world give eloquent witness to the force and power of that great movement. True, much of this energy has been spent. We call ourselves the children of the Reformation, but somehow fail to perform its works. There is little expression of dynamic Reformation doctrines in the pulpits today; and the creative recovery of these vital truths is necessary if we are to have another reformation.
Some feel, of course, that the Church and nation are beyond reformation. We only await impending atomic, hydrogenic, or satellitic doom. But the God of the Reformation, the Creator of the atom and the universe, is not dead nor is his arm shortened. Christ Jesus is stronger than Satan, truth more powerful than falsehood, and in the presence of light, darkness will flee. The Lord of history can shape another reformation.
In his Word and in history, God has revealed the means by which he reforms the Church and society. Imperative among such means are the earnest prayers of God’s people and the proclamation of Jesus Christ and him crucified. Another means—if we are to witness a genuine reformation—is the preaching of the Law. And this has been greatly neglected in our day of superficial religion. People must be confronted with the Law and the Lawgiver—the holy and righteous God.
It has been said that the Reformation was born the day Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg. But this is not accurate. The Reformation was born in the tortured, self-accused soul of Luther as he was confronted with the moral Governor of the universe—the God whose law he had transgressed. Martin Luther had sought balm and healing for his wounded conscience in the rites of the Church and deeds of penitence. He relates that at times the emotion of his repentance was so agonizing that had it continued for more than 10 minutes his limbs would have turned to ashes. And the torment of the knowledge that he had broken the law of God drove him to the authoritative Scriptures where he learned of the redemption that is in Christ. And in the face of divine revelation, he came to Christ through whom he obtained forgiveness and a righteousness that was not his own. Luther experienced the truth of Galatians 3:24: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
A more powerful proclamation of the law is the desperate need today. The preaching of the Gospel, defined in the narrow sense of the Atonement alone, is not sufficient. People feel no need of the Gospel until they are confronted with the law of God. Men must be confronted with God in all the majesty of his being, and that means his holiness and his righteousness as well as his love. The conscience of the nation will only be awakened in the presence of the law—and then when awakened, it will feel the wounds of its own transgressions. The conscience must be lashed with forty stripes save one. The conscience must be scourged until it is raw and bleeding. And if that is not sufficient, the law must be woven into a crown of thorns and pressed into the brow of the nation. Until our people are scourged and pricked by the law of the holy God, we will never look to Him who suffered the curse of our transgressions for us. We never appreciate the glorious truth of Galatians 3:13: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.”
No reasonably discerning person will deny the superficiality of much that now goes on under the name of religion. Newspaper headlines fairly shout the corruption that is prevalent in the life of our nation. A vigorous proclamation of the law, and nothing short of this, is the requisite that will drive people to Christ who is able to cleanse from corruption.
END
Christian Conscience On Election Day
Tuesday, November 4, is Election Day. Not only does it provide the citizenry an opportunity to exercise the privileges of political life in a republic, but it affords the Christian an opportunity to exhibit the fact that he is an active citizen of two worlds.
The pulpit has no license in the name of her risen Lord to commit the conscience of believers to the support of specific political parties and personalities. Every political party will be better for having in its ranks an energetic band of workers and leaders aggressively dedicated to the cause of truth and the good.
One of the distressing facets of contemporary American political life, however, is the fact that differences between the major parties more and more reduce to a matter of degree. Both parties today remain on the side of big and extravagant government, and neither has found the courage to challenge the coercive power of big labor, nor to rebuke the corruption of some of its leaders. Failure to fulfill party promises and platforms, moreover, has nourished a growing interest in some wholly new political effort.
In all this it is easy to become cynical over democratic processes. But it would be the worst error to neglect them, ultimately to see our liberties vanish away. A vote at the polls on November 4 is a good beginning; a vote cast in good conscience, even better.
END
The Christian Citizen In The World Conflict
The Christian Era in world history has contributed singularly to the betterment of the human race, though much remains to be desired both morally and spiritually.
Europe and America have most reflected the basic postulates of the Christian philosophy of life in their basic laws and mores. Our society has been immensely advanced in thought, in art, science, industry, social betterment—in fact, in every sphere of life. In many ways the whole wide world, to its higher good, has felt the impact of this way of life.
Today we are witnessing a violent clash between Christianity and communism. Some Christian leaders are prone to disassociate themselves from “both their houses” on the ground that the Christian West is growingly pagan and the Communist East is atheistic. We cannot deny that humanistic and pagan trends are quite evident in America. Certainly Christians must deal realistically with declension and seek with greater zeal to propagate the principles we most surely believe.
But Christian American citizens need not sell the nation short in this world conflict. The United States is the bulwark of world freedom and in association with her Western allies remains the world’s surest earthly hope of political and social well-being.
In a recent report of the U. S. Census Bureau, based on a sample survey in March 1957, it was stated that 109,700,000 Americans fourteen or older, class themselves as Protestants and 30,700,000 as Roman Catholics. Ninety-six per cent of our citizens professed a religious devotion, three per cent said they had none and one per cent gave no report.
It is also a matter of record that the majority of Senators and Representatives in the current Congress are nominal Christians. From the President on down through members of his Cabinet and other officials of the present Administration, the majority of its personnel is Christian. There is scarcely a department or commission of our Government of which the same could not be said. Representatives to foreign lands and in the United Nations are mostly of the Christian faith.
This, of course, does not mean the bulk of the citizenry are effective Christians in the New Testament sense. But it does mean that they are somehow wedded to our Christian traditions and have a respect for God and his Word as basic to the American way of life. These people are not enemies of Christianity. They deserve to be treated as friends of truth and righteousness in our present world conflict and to be “taught the way of the Lord more perfectly.”
We are witnessing a death struggle between two widely divergent civilizations and we believe that the Christian citizen should intelligently and aggressively, albeit critically, ally himself with all the forces committed to the perpetuation of those high principles which have characterized the Christian Era at its best. To be found on the side-lines simply in the scorner’s seat is unthinkable.
END
Quemoy—Don’T Let The Geography Confuse You
When one looks at Quemoy, close to Red China mainland and rather distant from the Nationalist stronghold of Taiwan, the tiny island may not seem worth all the risks of nuclear war.
But the basic consideration is not geography but principle. The attack on Quemoy was decided two days after the United States landed troops in Lebanon. The maneuver is part of a pattern of aggression.
West Berlin is comparatively small. Rather than submit to pressure, the West’s air lift defeated the Communist blockade with salutary effect on Russia. Standing for Quemoy could prevent a war, not start one.
END
