Article April 10, 1909 Issue

WORKING OUT OUR OWN SALVATION

FRANK B. HOMANS

In speaking of a difficult problem, one requiring considerable mental labor, we often hear it said by earnest, well-meaning Christians, and also by those who are striving to be Christian Scientists, that they will leave it all with God, and take no further responsibility in the matter. They thus leave everything for God to do, and are surprised when they fail to realize the success they covet. God surely inspires us to work out good and grand plans, but in so far as our work is material it requires a human agent to carry it out. If we are good enough to hear the voice of Truth, we must be strong and wise enough to execute the demands of wisdom.

Moses received the message from God to deliver the children of Israel from bondage to the Egyptians, but it required forty years of ceaseless labor on the part of "the man of God" to bring the Hebrews to the promised land, and the story from Genesis to Leviticus tells us how occupied he was in this work. So, too, it required a great deal of energy as well as true wisdom on the part of Solomon to build the temple. If Jesus had stayed on the mountain or by the seashore, and put forth no effort to do God's work, he would never have consummated his great mission. If he had not started out in an earnest, determined manner to do his Father's business, he would never have accomplished what he did. Though, as he said, he could do nothing of himself, yet he was called to be an active and also a willing agent, in order that the material evidence of his life-work might be presented to human sense. Paul was called to preach the words and works of Jesus, and as we follow him in his activities we realize that he understood the call to mean very much more than just "leaving it all to divine Love." He felt called to work and to endure hardship and privations in order to advance the Cause. Our Leader's life as we have seen it for the past forty years is an object-lesson that every one may contemplate with much profit. God calls, God leads, but if we desire to accomplish anything we certainly must do the work that needs to be done if we would prove ourselves worthy of our summons and win success.

Overzealous reformers, blindly working out their own mortal opinions, may do more harm than the mistaken Christian who is waiting for God to do the work for him; but this fact should not offer any encouragement to the latter course. We must remember the rebuke of the slothful servant who buried his talent in a napkin. It is very easy to make the mistake of being led by our own desires, both to do too much in the wrong direction or not enough in the right, and we need to remember ever the prayer our Master taught, and say, "Thy will be done."

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