Christ is the revelation of God, because He saves us from sin. Many of the men and women whom the The preacher meets to-day are or have been doubt- preacher's sympathy. ers. All are sinners. He must speak out of his own heart to theirs. His word must have the comfort which can only come from one who has been comforted, the peace which can only be declared by one who has sought and found it in the experience of reconciliation with God, the sympathetic power which can only flow from one who knows both the burden of iniquity and the blessedness of forgiveness through Christ. The gospel for a world of sin cannot be preached by any except those who need it for themselves. An angel could not deliver it aright. Its language is always in the first person plural, drawing the speaker and the hearers into a brotherhood of penitence and forgive ness. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ Himself did not come to preach this gospel. 1 Romans v. 8. He came to live it. It was when the Apostles Peter and Paul and John had seen Him delivered for their offences and raised again for their justification that they began to understand and preach this gospel for a world of sin. Ever since it has had but one message. 66 Through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." 1 "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself." 2 66 "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."8 1 Acts x. 43. 22 Cor. ii. 19. 8 1 John ii. 1, 2. II THE SIN OF THE WORLD THE sins of the world are many. The sin of The solidarthe world is one. Below the It is like the grass of the field. separate shoots and blades, which stand up individual and distinct, as if each one grew by itself, there is a network of branching roots and fibres, knotted together, interwoven, tenacious, spreading far, and propagating itself more swiftly the more it is cut and divided. The separation is on the surface. The unity is underground. But before we can have any idea of what sin means, either separately in the individual or collectively in the race, we must give some thought to the problem of evil, starting not from the point of view of philosophy, but from the point of view of experience, 13 ity of sin. |