Magyar Egyház, 1975 (54. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1975-10-01 / 10. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 9 tainty of faith and joy in Christ do not belong to the nature of the religion of Christ, and think it is presumption to glory in the certainty of salvation. Hence they never try to arrive at a certainty of faith. Others, however, say that certainty of salvation is the very nature and essence of the Christian faith, and claim that where there is no certainty there is no Christian faith. But the truth lies in the middle of these two extremes. Glad certainty is a privilege which we have as children of God, and to become certain of salvation is a duty which every Christian should seek to fulfill. The joy of believing, however, is often lost resulting in discouragement and darkness. When, for instance, we read the Psalms, how dark are the hearts revealed to us. The cries that come to us from those who wrote the Psalms are not the cries of the godless but of those who trust in God and hope in His mercy. Every discouraged Christian should seek to bring his will into harmony with that of God. It is when we do this that Jesus comes to us. And when we obey His word and trust in His promises we shall find again the joy of trust. But we must trust Him not only as our Saviour, but also seek Him while He may be found. It is often dark for those who suffer from righteousness sake. The Christian knows that he must, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom of God. Every life has its lights and shadows. We all like Paul have our own peculiar thorn in the flesh. Sometimes it is poverty, sickness and persecution which we have to endure. Often it is dark in the lives of God’s saints when trials and troubles come which are undeserved and uninherited. And yet we come to see the blessings in trouble and find the silver lining in the dark cloud of affliction. We, as the followers of Christ, must carry the cross; for the cross is not merely a means of correction, but a means of education and a blessing in disguise. Although there are many troubles and trials in this life, Jesus can and does help us, for He comes to us through the waters of trouble, and He alone can still the storms of passion. When Jesus therefore comes let us not go farther, but bid Him come into our ship, for where He is there is no darkness, but light and life and salvation. Christ is the hope of the sorrowing in the dark hour of death which enters our homes and brings darkness and grief with it. The sisters of Bethany complained to Jesus: “hadst thou been here our brother would not have died.” It was dark for Mary and Martha because Jesus had not come to them. This same sorrow comes to all of us, for when our loved ones leave us the light of our lives seems to go out. As long as we sorrow without hope for them, darkness is around us. But how different when Jesus comes! As at Bethany when He comes He brings light and life. He turns the darkness of our grief into tho light of hope, and in the darkness of our sorrow He brings the light of comfort and consolation. But He is able to turn our sorrow into joy, and give us beauty for ashes. For those who mourn Jesus alone brings true comfort. Even when there seems to be no hope, He brings hope and cheer into our lives. For we know that those who sleep in Jesus are not lost to us, for they have only left us for a little while. Christ is tre resurrection and the life, and we who remain are only waiting for the redemption of our bodies. Here we w^lk by faith, there we shall walk in the light of our Lord. Let us remember that Jesus is the light of the world, and that only in His light shall we see light. He lets the light of His truth shine in our hearts by faith. His forgiveness drives away the darkness of our sin and guilt, for His blood cleanses us from all sin. In Him was light, and He was the light that shineth for every man that cometh into the world. Let us bid Jesus to come unto us so that He may lighten our darkness and defend us from all the dangers and troubles of this life. ☆ ☆ THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY The father, the mother and the children make a family. Families make up the population of a city, and the people of all cities constitute a nation. According to this plain fact nothing plays a more important role in the life of a nation than the individual families. Destroy a family or let a family lose its God-ordered characteristics, and let this happen to thousands of families in a nation . . . CAN THAT NATION BE A HEALTHY NATION? Let us see now what makes a true Christian family: HUSBAND AND WIFE. In a true Christian family husband and wife love each other. (Without this love there is no marriage.) Both a Christian husband and wife know that they are not perfect, therefore in their daily prayers they ask God to preserve their love and give them strength to help and forgive one another. PARENTS AND CHILDREN. True Christian parents regard their children as the most precious possession of their lives. After birth, children solely and entirely depend on their parents. According to the law of God no one but the father and mother are
