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3:1-3.
The one who is thus redeemed and adopted as a son of God not only
purifies himself because prompted by love to the Saviour for redeeming
him from all iniquity, but because he is born again, and this new
nature leads him to hate sin and to love holiness. "Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."--1 John 5:1.
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by
the word of God which liveth and abideth forever."--1 Peter 1:23. This
is no mere theory, no mere theological dogma. Cases innumerable
throughout the Christian era could be cited, where the most wicked men
and women in a moment have been completely changed by simply being led
to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour, as their Redeemer from all
iniquity.
In the author's work as an evangelist he has seen the most debased,
hopeless men and women revolutionized morally, not by gradual
processes, but in a moment, by leading them to repentance and faith in
the Saviour as their complete Redeemer from all iniquity. And the
moral revolution was not temporary, but permanent. Science cannot
account for these moral revolutions brought about in a moment.
Infidelity cannot account for them. God's word does account for them,
that they have been born again, born of God, and have been taken from
under the law and have been given a new relation to God and placed
under a new motive power. In a city a great mass-meeting for infidels
was widely advertised; a large audience assembled. The leader asked
all the men in the audience who had once been down in the depths of
sin, everything gone, hopeless, and had been led to accept the Saviour
as their Redeemer from sin, please to arise. Between three hundred and
four hundred well-dressed business men and workingmen arose. The
leader then asked all who had been down in the depths of sin,
everything gone, hopeless, and they had then been led to believe in
infidelity and it had made better men of them, please to arise. One
lone man staggered to his feet and he was drunk! Science and
infidelity cannot explain this difference. God's word does explain it.
There is no other explanation.
It may be objected that many who profess to be thus redeemed from all
iniquities, to be born again, do not continue to live better lives.
God's word explains every one of these cases: "They went out from us,
but they were _not of us_; for if they had been of us, they would have
continued with us; but they went out
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