Second, the characters being developed in the two classes, while they may appear to men as similar, in the sight of God are as different as light and darkness are to men, as different as Heaven and Hell. Let it be remembered that character is dependent, not on the deed, but on the motive back of the deed (1 Cor. 13:1-3).
No unredeemed man can have that motive, because it springs from complete redemption through Christ (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). Hence, "they that are in the flesh cannot please God."—Rom. 8:8. Their motive power is all wrong and cannot be otherwise; hence their characters, however they may be developed, are all wrong in the sight of God. Jesus said, "Cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside may be clean also."—Matt. 23:26. The child who, from love, bears trials and burdens placed upon him by the father, the slave who, from fear of the lash, bears trials and burdens placed upon him by the master, the hireling who, from desire for the wages, bears trials and burdens, and the stoic who, from sheer force of will, or from a cold sense of duty, bears trials and burdens, because he must,—are developing altogether different characters. Even so, the child of God, redeemed and adopted, who, from love, bears the trials and burdens of life, the unredeemed one who, from fear of the law, from fear of Hell, bears the trials and burdens of life; the unredeemed one who, from what he hopes to gain thereby, a home in Heaven (as the hireling his wages), bears the trials and burdens of life, and the unredeemed one who, from a cold sense of duty, bears the trials and burdens of life, are developing widely different characters for eternity. Which shall it be in your case, reader?
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
HOMER S. BODLEY
The Fourth "R"
The Forgotten Factor in Education.