To the Editor of the "NonrH-CHINA Dany News"
Sm.—In reply to TRUTHSEEKER under the heading "The Second Birth" in your issue this morning. I would ask your correspondent to consider quietly the. issue. Commonsense should teach Trurusrexer that, as he suggests, out of 50,000 people someone could be able to answer his query, A steady-going established morning Paper like the "North-China Daily News," is efficiently serving a large public, not only by the paper itself but via the radio as well. The news-Paper is read by people of all shades of opinion and this fact itself might prevent me from asking such a question.
There are hundreds of Christian workers right here in Shanghai who would be only too pleased to answer his question. So far as I can gather the best answer to the question is found in St. John 3. There Christ Speaks of the Second Birth to a Pharisee, one who understood "the Scriptures" or "the Writings." Christ did not introduce anything new in so far as He simply developed the truth as Nicodemus the Jew under-became proselyte, in the he for all mankind? I would say yes lestion is, 4s 1t necessary
in view of the fact Christ states in verse 16. I take that to be still part of the discourse. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. "Whosoever" tend: to destroy the idea of one favoured people. St. Paul in Romans 3. asks the question "What advantage then hath the Jew? Much every way, because unto them was committed the oracles of God to them pertained the adoption," etc. Further down in the chapter, verse 23, there is no difference (that is between Jew and Gentile) for all have sinned; and come short of the glory of God. In chapter 10 and verse 9 of the same writing (Romans) we have: "For there is no difference (again between Jew and Gentile) for the same Lord is rich unto all who call upon him for whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." So there in a nutshell without any trimmings we have the whole matter. Relationships are important and sometimes we find a readjustment necessary. Our relation to God must of necessity be readjusted. God's wish and design is that we should be His children. Birth or adoption suggests relationship. "As many as received Him (that is Christ) to them gave He the power or right or dignity to become the sons of God even to them that believe in His name" (St. John 1-12). If this answer satisfies TRUTH-seeker then I am quite pleased.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.