Volume 1 	            Lawrence, Kansas    		November 1961	  	     Number 11

Bro. Richard Riggins speaks at the Carrollton, Missouri radio station on Lord's day mornings. Many of his lessons deal with the great need in our present life for a complete adherence to the doctrine of Christ, as taught by the apostles. To most people this is commendable and above reproach. To others, it means the playing down of grace and love.

One passage recently offered by Bro. Riggins is found in 1 John 5:3. "For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous."

God's love for man caused him to send Jesus Christ, his holy Son, to become the redeemer of the world—John 3:16. All Bible-loving men can see and appreciate this gracious act on the part of God, the Father. Yet this gesture of love would have been worthless in benefiting man if Jesus had disobeyed his Father. The greatest lesson we can learn about Christ is that he learned obedience. "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered"—Hebrews 5:8. If Christ could not have made salvation possible by anything short of obedience, how can we become acceptable to God by anything short of complete obedience to God?

In reality Jesus died because he loved both God and man. Christ most vividly brought the proof of God's love for man by his death on Calvary's tree. It then follows—Christ did the complete will of God. This very action made the love of God known to man. We then as sinner or saints are to obey the will of God. Man's full obedience in belief, repentance, and baptism, as well as public worship or in Christian living, establishes the proof of our love. Our obedience can never destroy Love or Grace. Compromise in doctrine can never result in love toward God or man. It is true that much religious "soft soap" appears that passes for love, but no item of Bible teaching will sustain the act of compromise as being right with God.

Dear sinners in the world or brother in Christ, the plea of the Bible is a plea of Grace, Love and Obedience. May all men heed this word of truth, and live for Christ here in order that we may live with him eternally in heaven.