Article December 16, 1922 Issue

Signs of the Times

with contributions from R. F. McWilliams, Edward Lyttelton

[From the Daily Herald, Calgary, Alberta, Canada]

Dealing with the two most vital questions of the day, world peace and joy of living, Rev. Jonas Collins has taken as his text, Romans 14:17, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." The speaker showed that the purpose of the apostle was to take the mind of the Christians in Rome from matters of minor importance to underlying and abiding principles. This is a great need to-day, for people to dwell less upon the transient and superficial and more upon the abiding and fundamental. . . . The kingdom of God is, in its main essence, righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Wherever righteousness, peace, and joy are found, there we have the kingdom of God. Christians, therefore, should not make the mistake of looking up into the clouds for Christ and his angels to appear in order to bring in the kingdom. The kingdom is already here; it must be spread from its present beginnings, and is to be found in righteousness, peace, and joy. The kingdom begins, then, in human hearts. What is righteousness? For the individual it consists first in getting right with God. It means that the inner life of man must be right with God. Then righteousness also means right living—the practice of justice, honesty, truthfulness among men. Then, as the result of righteousness in human life, there shall be peace. Peace can only come as the result of righteousness, and this applies to the individual and to society. . . . How can we avoid great world upheavals when men are not living righteously? So long as men ignore the rights of one another and act greedily and oppressively, there will be violence. Peace is the fruit of righteousness. Whence comes joy? . . . Said Jesus to his friends: "Your joy no man taketh from you." The world needs the kingdom of God. Men must catch the vision of Jesus; they must seek to get right with God, and practice right in their everyday relations. Then the world will live in peace and joy.

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