Editorial August 18, 1917 Issue

Loyalty to God

William D. McCrackan

Loyalty to mortal belief breaks the divine plan. The more conscientious humanity remains to its own limited enactments, to the laws of the world, the more certainly will it fail to reach spiritual life. There is no salvation in conformity to the commonly accepted conventions of society. There may be mortal ease for a time in such conforming, but stagnation and inevitable death closes the vista of this view. Every one must meet the test of loyalty to God as opposed to submission to mortal mind. Which shall it be? "Ye cannot serve God and mammon," said Jesus, but he went much farther in his demand than the world can possibly go, for he substituted for the prescribed human relationship a divine sense of relationship between God and man and man and man.

"While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Loyalty to God therefore involves what may seem to be disloyalty to mere human arrangements, but it proves to be the most salutary as well as the most lasting of arrangements. "The world first" is the motto of the conventional religionist, and this latter point of view if pursued to its logical conclusion would banish spiritual inspiration and make prayer superfluous. A practical Christian must necessarily go counter to the world's beliefs about everything. He may wish to temporize at times, to mitigate the shock of his obedience to God rather than to mortal mind, but he cannot continue to do this and grow heavenward. Disobedience to spiritual inspiration brings either stagnation or open rebellion. In no case can the world save those who trust it for help.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial
Rest
August 18, 1917
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit