Holiness and the Second Coming of Christ
Charles Stanley
Table of Contents
Holiness and the Second Coming of Christ: No. 1
The Lord Jesus said to the Father, " Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17.) There is one truth, perhaps, beyond all others in scripture connected with holiness—it is the blessed hope of the Lord's return to take His saints. This is often little thought of by those who speak and write on holiness.
We must, however, carefully distinguish the sanctification we have, that is, all believers, through the one offering of Jesus for us, and the sanctification wrought in us by the Spirit using the truth.
In the former it is all for us, and of God, in His infinite grace, according to the infinite value of the blood of Jesus. We shall see this very distinctly, if we turn to 1 Cor. 1.
Corinth was a city of Satan, of great darkness and gross iniquity. Yet the Lord told His servant that of that place—sink of iniquity as it was—He had " much people in this city." (Acts 18:10.) And by the preaching of the gospel the Lord gathered them out to Himself; and thus the church of God was formed. Thus the apostle by calling addressed them: " Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints [holy ones] by calling." Yes, in Christ Jesus they were sanctified. They were constituted holy ones—they were holy. As children of the Father, they must have the same nature as the Father. " But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."
Thus, as to what they were in Christ, Christ was all, so that God can ever speak of them as sanctified in Christ Jesus. In Christ they are constituted holy ones by calling. And this is true of every one whom God calls by the gospel of His grace—he passes from death unto life. Nay, " Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new; and all things are of God.” (Cor. v. 17.) As to his standing, God does not see him in the flesh, or in his old Adam standing, but in Christ; Christ is his sanctification, therefore it must be complete.
But does this imply that his walk also is perfect? Far from it. Nay, these very persons who are addressed as sanctified in Christ Jesus, as holy by calling, are declared to be carnal, in the same epistle. (1 Cor. 3:3.) It would be utterly impossible to understand this, if we did not see the distinction between sanctification in Christ, and sanctification of walk. It is not that we must understand the word, " carnal,'' here as meaning sensuality, or persons practicing sin. No person practicing sin can think for a moment that he is sanctified in Christ Jesus. He that practiceth sin is of the devil. The carnality here spoken of was that which grieved the Spirit, and grieved the apostle. They were forming divisions in the church, and walked as men, showing that they who are sanctified in Christ Jesus may need much correction as to holiness of walk. No one can deny that the same persons are addressed as those that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, holy by calling, Christ Jesus made unto them righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption; and also as to walk: " For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men."
And further, before, or in order to rebuke them because of this low walk, he speaks of them thus: " so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the end; that ye may he blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 1:7.) Now, what a motive this is for all believers to seek unity, instead of division; one saying, I am Episcopal; another, I am Presbyterian, &c. If we were really waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ, and assured that He will confirm us unto the end blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, should we not be ashamed of our divisions? Thus the Spirit of God brings before us the riches of the grace of God to these Corinthians.
Read their previous character, in chapter vi. 9, 10. And then, "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (Ver. 11.) Do not reverse this order. Do you say. Justification is an imperfect thing, and after that comes sanctification? Depend upon it, God knows better than we do, and He says, washed, sanctified, justified. Thus, if you are a believer, you are washed—yes, whiter than snow—set apart to God; yea, accounted righteous before God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And " God is faithful."
Bead on, and you find that all this blessed certainty filling the soul, waiting for the Lord Jesus is the ground on which he rebukes them for their divisions. Thus the knowledge of the sanctification of every believer in Christy is not that he may sin, but that he may not grieve the heart of Christ. Do you really believe this? We are sanctified and holy by calling; therefore we should be holy in walk, and work, and devotedness to Christ.
We will now turn to 1 Cor. 15 Is not the great subject of this chapter the resurrection of those that are saved, that are Christ's at His coming again? " But every man in his own order; Christ, the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (Ver. 23.) Some had said that there was no resurrection of the dead. But the resurrection of Christ—which none could deny—had made the resurrection of ALL that are His an absolute certainty; just as His resurrection makes the fact of our sins being forgiven an absolute certainty. How wondrous! how blessed! If He be risen, we are forgiven. If He be raised in glory and incorruptibility, so must we be raised in glory and incorruptibility. “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." What an event! so near, and so certain! Mark, it is, " at his coming." And not only so as to the millions who sleep with Jesus, but also, " Behold I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” Yes, all, all in Christ who are alive when He comes. Death shall then, to us, be swallowed up in victory. Yes, “thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.'é Oh; all ye holy ones, sanctified in Christ Jesus, this is your glorious, soul-sustaining hope. Oh, think of that glorious moment! But what is the application of this blessed certainty as to our walk now? " Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." Weigh every word; could anything be more calculated to stir up our souls to devoted, steadfast, abounding service to our Lord, than the blessed hope of His coming again? Who can tell how near that day is!
Now turn to 2 Cor. 5:9. " Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear [or, be manifested] before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done,, whether it be good or bad/' Mark, we do not labor to be accepted in Christ We have seen that all the Christians at Corinth were sanctified in Christ. Like all others who are in Christ, they were accepted in the Beloved. But we labor that? whether we are absent from the body (that is, have died), or still present in the body, when He comes, and are changed in a moment; we labor that we may be accepted of Him. If we compare this with 1 Cor. 3:11-15, we see that some may have walked so as to please Him, and have a rich reward; and others may be saved so as by fire, like Lot, and lose all their labor. But what a motive here again for practical holiness, for diligence in seeking to please the Lord, is the solemn thought of soon being manifested before His judgment-seat! Not, surely, for our sins, or we are lost. No, He is the blessed One who has loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood. But should that infinite love make us careless whether we do the things that please Him, or not? The more we know His love, and the certainty of His promise to come, and receive us to Himself—and the more we dwell on that scene of promise, not of dread to us; the more we shall desire to obey that word, " Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” And though we are sanctified in Christ Jesus, yet shall we seek, with all diligence, to walk in practical separation from the world. a Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." But let us ever remember, this diligence is not that we may be sanctified in Christ Jesus, but because we are holy by the call of God—sanctified in Christ Jesus.
May our God and Father use these divine certainties as motives to stir up our hearts for a separate, holy walk with Himself! How blessed to know we are not only thus, if believers, sanctified in Christ, but shall be confirmed to the end, blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not, then, live to please ourselves, not even in our religious matters, but to be accepted of Him in that day. Have we ever truly asked the question, Am I doing that which is pleasing to my Lord? What will He say to me before His judgment-seat? All must be manifested there. How exceedingly important then, for practical holiness, is the coming of the Lord! We shall find it increasingly so as we examine other scriptures.
Holiness and the Second Coming of Christ: No. 2
We will now turn to Phil. 3:17-21: " Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an en-sample." Paul had been attracted to Christ in heavenly glory. He longed for the resurrection from among the dead, when he knew he should be perfect; that is, conformed to the glorified Christ All else was as dung to him. He calls on the whole assembly at Philippi to be thus minded, and be followers of him. (" For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame; who mind earthly things.") He does not say. There are many such amongst you, the assembly, at Philippi, but with weeping he tells of such as had already come in amongst the general professors of Christianity. Neither do these seem to have been guilty of such sins as would have subjected them to discipline. What had they done? By their walk, minding (setting their hearts on) earthly things, they had denied all real identification with the cross of Christ. Now this minding earthly things, proved they were not Christians at all; for their end is destruction—yea, they are enemies of the cross of Christ.
What a searching word for our hearts. One man may say, " May I not set this aside, and mind earthly things, and possess as much of the world as I can get?" No; remember it is written, " whose end is destruction." Others may say, " May we not mind earthly things, and sit in the world's parliament?" And professors may say, " May we not mind earthly things, and take part in the world's politics? Are we not members of its commonwealth?" And thousands more may sky," May we not set our hearts on the acquisition of wealth?" God tells us all such are the enemies of the cross of Christ. u Whose end is destruction." Do we believe God? And if we do not, will that alter the fact, "whose end is destruction "?
If such be the case, (and can any deny it?) then what is the mark of true holiness? And what marks those who really are true Christians? Let us hear the apostle: u For our conversation [commonwealth] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." It is a remarkable fact, that, not until the sanctifying hope of the Lord's return had been practically lost—yea, for the first three centuries—there is not a single fact on record to show that true Christians ever took part in earthly politics. All true Christians acted on this principle of heavenly citizenship.
Failure there was, but the true heavenly character of the Christian was not denied as now. And it is no less remarkable, that the revival of the great and blessed truth of the coming of the Lord in these days, has been accompanied with the felt need of holy separation from the world. Beloved reader, if that hope is lost to your soul, you are sinking into minding earthly things. Remember, the end of this path is destruction.
No man can serve two masters. Our commonwealth is in heaven, the world's commonwealth is on earth. The world, having killed the Prince of life, is ever expecting in vain that a better day is coming to them. True Christians look for the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior—that very Jesus, Savior, whom the world still rejects and hates. Are you quite sure that when He comes, He will come as your Savior? Are you waiting for Him from heaven? Can you say you arc not of the world, even as He is not of the world? When the soul is first awakened to wait for the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, he is lifted out of politics and minding earthly things, like a man when lie is drawn out of a pit.
What a test these few verses are to every one of us. Though the apostle was perfect in Christ as to his acceptance in Him, yet, in this epistle, the eye of faith is fixed on that perfection we shall have in complete conformity to Christ at His coming. Who shall change (or transform) this vile body, or our body of humiliation, into conformity to His body of glory, &c. For the present our commonwealth is in heaven. We wait for the Lord Jesus as Savior. Then we shall be like Him, transformed into conformity to His body in glory. Oh, the separating, sanctifying, holy influence of this blessed hope!
If we turn now to another scripture, we shall see the same effect of this blessed hope, not only as to earthly politics, and minding earthly things, but as to lust and sins in general. But first mark, in the scripture we have been considering, it is not looking for the Judge, or the Lord, to judge us for our sins, that has this sanctifying effect, but looking for the Lord as Savior.
It may be solemnly taken for granted, that of those who deceive themselves by mere profession, whilst, by their worldly walk, they deny the cross of Christ, and mind earthly things, their end is not to wait for the Savior, but destruction. The minding of earthly things is not a fall, or the failure of a true Christian in the hour of temptation—the thing which he abhors, and deeply repents of; but minding of earthly things characterizes a man—it is willful—he delights in it—he defends it. It thus proves he has not been born of God. He is not a new creature, and delights only in the ways of the old nature. And, as to being dead with Christ, he is an enemy to such a thought. May the Lord awaken thousands of such, who are hastening on to eternal woe.
Now, will you turn to Col. 3:1-5. Here is the same truth more widely applied. With real Christians all is absolute certainty. As to themselves, they are " buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." (Chap. 2:12.) They are quickened with Him—all trespasses forgiven. (Chap. ii. 13.) They are dead with Christ. They need no ritualism to improve what is dead. (Chap. 2:20.) Yes, as to all thought of improvement of the flesh, they are dead with Christ. But not only so, " If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection [or, mind] on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."
What a contrast this is to the enmity against the cross of Christ, by minding earthly things. But surely true Christians, being dead with Christ, and risen with Christ, and their commonwealth being in heaven, they will delight to mind, to set their mind and heart on, things above. And then, mark the still further divine certainty: " When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Have you, beloved reader, this blessed certainty? When Christ shall appear in glory, will you be one of the glorified saints that shall appear, or be manifested, with Him? Is this divinely certain? We know some would say, Such a certainty would lead you to be careless as to holiness of walk—yea, would be license to sin. How differently the Holy Spirit uses this very certainty at the appearing of the Lord. Yes, note, He is not speaking to a backslider in a low condition of soul, but to you and the writer, if dead with Christ, and risen with Him; and because we have this blessed divine certainty of appearing with Christ in glory, He says, " Mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetous-ness, which is idolatry." Yes, the most advanced Christian, complete in Christ, holy and beloved (ver. 12), has these members, or tendencies, in himself, and needs to mortify them; for, if not walking in holy dependence on the Spirit of God, there is not one of these sins, or those named afterward in this chapter, into which he may not fall. But if the believer, though, as to his standing in Christ, dead and risen with Christ, has not still this evil nature to contend with, or, as scripture expresses it, these members on earth, then there would be no meaning in the exhortation to mortify them. If that sinful nature be either made good and holy, or eradicated, then there would be no such members of evil to mortify. Instead, then, of false views of perfection, the coming of the Lord, and the absolute certainty that when He appears, every true Christian will appear with Him in glory, is made the very basis of exhortations to holiness, every one of which exhortations would have no meaning, if the believer had not in himself the tendency to do these very things.
Before looking at other scriptures on this subject, we would press the reader to well examine these facts. If you know that you are identified with Christ in death, dead with Him; and more, if you be risen with Christ; and further, if you have the certainty that when He shall appear, you will certainly appear with Him in glory; then remember that this is the very reason why you should mortify every evil desire that may arise. And surely there cannot be a greater motive for holiness.
Holiness and the Second Coming of Christ: No. 3
We will now turn to 1 Thess. 1:9, 10. The gospel, as preached by Paul for three weeks, had the most blessed effect in this Gentile city. (See Acts 17) He could now say," how ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." Holiness is a nature separate from all evil. Such was Jesus here below. Such were the effects of the gospel, and such the connection with the coming of Jesus from heaven. They were born of God, had the divine nature, turned to God from all the evil and iniquity of idolatry. From all false gods they were separated, to serve, in this new nature imparted to them, the living and true God. This is holiness. Turned to God from all evil, the eye lifted up to heaven, waiting for His Son. No other hope or expectation; as Paul says, further on, " For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" (Chap. 2:19.)
What a test of true holiness—holy separation from all evil—waiting for Jesus from heaven. Now if this were more the condition of our souls, should we not shrink from anything unsuited to Christ? Could we be waiting for Him from heaven at the concert, the shows, the bazaars, and amidst the follies of Christendom? How separating that blessed hope! Would it make any practical change in your behavior, if really waiting every day for Jesus, if your eyes and ears were fixed upwards, and you heard Him say, " Surely I come quickly”? Do not talk of holiness, if you are saying in your heart, " My Lord delayeth his coming." Do you believe the gospel which they believed when they heard it, that Jesus must needs suffer, and rise again, and that this Jesus is the Christ? Has His precious blood washed you whiter than snow, and fitted you for His presence in light? Are you ready to meet Him? Are you expecting Him—waiting for Him? Lord, grant us more of this practical holiness. Yes, Thou art coming quickly, who loved me, and gave Thyself for me!
Soon we shall meet the Son from heaven, even Jesus. Being holy by calling and the new birth, we long for that moment when we shall be unblameable in holiness before God. And the more power this hope has in our souls, the more we love one another. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”
This is the blessed state of spotless purity of all believers at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We may see and mourn over many failures in ourselves, and in one another, now; but the more we think of that unblameable holiness in which we shall all eternally share at His coming, the more we shall love one another. Does it not make us long for His coming? How intimately, then, are connected holiness and the coming of the Lord! If we are holy by new birth, holy by calling, and about to be with Him unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father—yes, before God, even our Father—what motives are these for holiness of life now! Surely nothing can be more sanctifying, then, as to practical walk, than the coming of the Lord. When He shall be manifested, we shall be manifested with Him in glory, unblameable in holiness.
We will now notice, in these epistles to the young assembly of the Thessalonians, two very distinct aspects, or events, in the coming of the Lord. First, His coming for believers; and, secondly, His coming with them in judgment; and the practical application of both. However much it may have been overlooked, yet, it is certain they will come with Him. "At the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (Chap. 3:13) " Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." (Chap. 4:14.) But, before this can take place, He first comes for them. “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain, unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up, together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (Chap. 4:15-17.) What comfort and rich consolation as to those that are asleep! We shall not be changed in a moment, and taken to meet the Lord, and leave the bodies of the saints in the grave; no, they shall rise first at that assembling shout. Then we shall be changed, and caught up with them, to meet the Lord in the air. " Wherefore comfort [or, encourage] one another with these words." What motives to encourage each other in holiness—separation from all the abounding evil! We know not the moment; it may be before we lay down this paper. It is the next event to faith. No one can show us a single thing that must take place before this event. Just think: this day we may be, with all the saints, caught up to meet the Lord. The more our souls dwell in faith on this, the more shall we seek holy separation from the world, which is hasting fast to judgment.
2nd. After this the Spirit brings before us a very different part of the subject—the day of the Lord. "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape," &c. (Chap. 5:2-8.) Yes, we learn from the lips of Jesus, that these shall be taken with as great surprise as the inhabitants of Sodom. " The same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed;” or, " as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." (Luke 17—read 24-30.) Yes, this is the certain doom of this deceived world, with all its politics, religiousness, and iniquity.
What a voice there is in all this to the Christian! a But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." " Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch, and be sober.” You will notice, that every precious precept that follows is based upon, and connected with, these solemn truths, however much they have been disregarded for centuries. See how the apostle sums them up, and connects them with the coming of the Lord. "Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Chap, v. 22, 23.) Yes, if, in our inmost souls, we are expecting the coming of the Lord Jesus, surely we shall wish to abstain from all appearance of evil. We shall long, individually, to be wholly separated from evil of every kind, whether sensual, intellectual, or ecclesiastical. The very God of peace sanctify you wholly. This is evidently practical separation from all evil. This is very different from self-righteous pretensions to sanctification in the flesh. Such persons never pray to be separated wholly from all evil, but will generally mix with ecclesiastical evil, without a desire to be wholly separated from it.
But if the coming of the Lord be distinctly our blessed hope, and we really believe, further, that the Lord is about to come in judgment on a sleeping world, we shall pray, for ourselves and for others, to be found in all things well-pleasing unto Him, acceptable to Him, when He comes. And^ so far from self-righteous pride, there will be deep, humble dependence on God: " and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of OUR Lord.” Yes, it is our Lord that is coming. We do not, then, need and desire merely to be preserved from outward gross sins of the body, but we need preserving in our inmost springs of thought and desires. Yes, waiting for Jesus, may the meditation of our hearts, and the answer of our lips, be alike acceptable to Him, whose face in glory we shall soon see.
The apostle says elsewhere, " Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." Blessed as it is for us, sanctifying as it is to us, who believe God, to dwell on the coming of Christ to take us in one moment away from this scene, to be forever with the Lord; yet we feel it is due to all classes of men—especially unconverted professors—to dwell a little more fully on the terrors of the Lord at His coming to them; indeed, we shall find this to be largely brought out in the next epistle (2 Thess. 2). The Lord keep us from mere intellectual or reasoning occupancy with these subjects. Whether He speaks in the whispers of His love, or with the voice of thunder, may the people of God be awakened from their long, long slumber! Jesus said, " While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." Lord, let the midnight cry be heard—" Behold, (he bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him."
Holiness and the Second Coming of Christ: No. 5
In dwelling on holiness, it is important to keep before our souls the infinite grace of God, or our treacherous hearts would soon turn practical holiness into as great bondage as going back to the law for righteousness.
How perfect is the word of God! The divine Author well knows our every danger. Mark the beautiful order in these verses. Grace; practical righteousness; connected with the blessed hope of the Lord's return. Why should we seek to reverse this divine order? Are we wiser than God? How often do we seek to win the favor of God by works of righteousness! Then, again, how much human talk of holiness, without the slightest connection with the coming of the Lord! Who can say it is not so? Now mark the order, then. First, grace; secondly, righteousness of walk; thirdly, the coming of the Lord.
" For the grace of God that bringeth salvation for all men hath appeared." The grace of God. This is not a quality infused into us, but the absolute free favor of God, that does not come, seeking some fruit in us, as was the case under law, but bringeth or carries with it, salvation for all men. Thus the folly of seeking salvation by works is exposed by a single sentence. Oh, think what the free favor of God carries with it: forgiveness, redemption, justification, sanctification, eternal life, eternal salvation—and all brought to all men; everything provided—no price as a condition, all grace, all free, justified freely, without money and without price. And men will not have it: no, they will seek to merit salvation! Has not God freely, in pure free favor, given His Son to die the atoning death of the cross? Has He not raised Him from the dead, for the free justification of all who believe? Does He not freely proclaim, through that blessed Son, free forgiveness of sins? Does He not declare all who believe are justified from all things? Do you believe God? Mark, it is not the grace of man, but the grace of God, that brings, that carries with it, all you need. All is from God to man. Oh, is it not wonderful to be justified freely, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus? And think of the joy the Father has in receiving the long-lost son. What a welcome the grace of the Father gives him! It is the very intensity of the free, unconditional favor that produces true repentance.
But you say, Would not such free, unbounded grace as that, bringing salvation, and demanding nothing as a price for it, produce ungodliness of walk? Let us mark the second truth in order.
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.” Now, is not this the very opposite of all mere human teaching? Suppose we said, You must give up your ungodly habits, you must give up drinking, and all your evil ways and lusts; you must be an abstainer, and lead a sober, godly life, in order that you may attain to the favor of God—nothing could look more reasonable to men, but would it be in accordance with this scripture, or in flat contradiction? Would it not be to shut out the true gospel of the grace of God altogether? It is the free favor of God that brings salvation with it, that teaches us to deny ungodly lusts of every kind, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, according to God, in this present world.
All this is practical holiness, and there cannot be holiness before we are born of God. How utterly vain the struggle. They that are in the flesh cannot please God. But the salvation which the free, unconditional favor of God brings to us, meets our every need—not only clothes us with divine righteousness, all sins being forgiven freely, but gives us a new nature; and, still more, the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. And thus, having the Spirit dwelling in us, we can now walk in the Spirit, and bring forth, in our practical way and life, these holy fruits of the Spirit.
No; a true knowledge of the free favor of God, in all its divine sovereignty, does not lead us to practice sin, as some assert; but teaches, and produces in us, these fruits of practical holiness. Is it really so with you, dear reader? Or, are you deceiving yourself, by seeking these fruits in the supposed perfection of your old carnal nature? Do you say, I am rather perplexed, I scarcely know. I read books on holiness, and I try to be holy. Yes, you may do all this, and really forget, or deny, the free grace of God that brings you all you seek.
But the next, the third truth in these verses, will at once test your supposed holiness, whether it is according to the word of God, or not. Yes, the third comes in order: " Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ.” See how closely holiness of walk is connected with this looking. What deep reality looking for that blessed hope gives! Yet how many talk of holiness who practically ignore that blessed hope—nay, deny it altogether, and only believe in a general judgment! Do you think it is the will of our Lord that we should lay aside the scripture, and be guided by the traditions of men? Did He not severely rebuke the unbelieving, foolish Jews for doing the very same thing—by their vain traditions making the word of God of none effect?
Then, in plain words, Have you received the grace of God, the free, unmerited, unconditional salvation, that God, in His free favor, brings to you? And can you say that that love of God to you, who only deserved eternal wrath, teaches you? Has it had this effect to lead you, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, you should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope?
Let us dwell on that blessed hope. Jesus has said: " In my Fathers house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:2, 3.) It is Jesus Himself that thus speaks out His hearts love to you. Is this your blessed hope? In a moment—it may be, the next moment. " We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." " For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive, and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, το meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thess. 4:16, 17.)
Is this our blessed hope? It is not merely, Do we believe He will come again?—the devils believe that—but, is it the hope of our hearts? Is He, the coming Lord Jesus, the one commanding Object of our hope? Behold the Bridegroom! Is it not time to see about the state of the lamps?
And there is not only the blessed hope of being caught up, changed in a moment, to be with the Lord Himself, there is also " the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ/' To this world He was and is, the despised Nazarene, the rejected King. But He is coming, and He will appear glorious, the great God. Oh, think of this, ye deniers of His true divinity! He comes, the great God! He comes with the myriads of His saints and angels, to execute judgment on an ungodly world! Men may deride this; but He is coming. He will be revealed, at His appearing, the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ.
Blessed hope for those who are washed in His blood, who can truly say, " we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins." Yes, they look " for the great God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Did He give Himself for this purpose? Then He cannot fail.
What encouragement to faith! How sanctifying the blessed hope! Nothing could present a more powerful motive for real holiness and godliness of walk. Not only what we shall be—blameless at His appearing—but even now zealous of good works. What is this world, with all its lusts and pleasures, its honors and ambition, its approval or hatred, to those who are looking for this blessed hope?
Can you say, I am looking for my Savior, Jesus Christ? Is He really your Savior? Does He whisper those tender words of love to you, I will receive you to myself? Pass on, then, ye fleeting sands of time; I shall soon see and forever be with Him I love—with Him who gave Himself for me. But do not, we beg, vainly dream of holiness and perfection, if saying in your heart, My Lord delayeth His coming.
Remember, then, the divine order of this scripture, and the indissoluble connection there is between holiness and the blessed hope. The grace of God, the free favor that bringeth, not seeketh, salvation, has the first place; then practical holiness, but that formed by the power of the object—the coming of the Lord Himself. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus 2:11-14.)
Holiness and the Second Coming of Christ: No. 4
We will now look at the Second Epistle to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ. These young believers had evidently been alarmed by the crafty ministers of Satan taking advantage of the persecutions through which they were passing, to represent to them that the day of the Lord was come; and even so early, to pretend that they had apostolic authority for the alarm. (See chap, ii. 1, 2.) We often forget the power that Satan began to wield by this very pretension, and has continued to use against the true saints of God ever since. Oh, how the servant of Christ had to denounce them: " For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light " &c. (2 Cor. 6:13-15.) And in this Epistle he says, " For the mystery of iniquity doth already work." (2 Thess. 2:7.) Pretension then to apostolic authority is a sure mark of the mystery of iniquity.
Satan is always defeated in the end, and this attempt of his ministers is the occasion of the Spirit bringing out the fact of our being first gathered up to meet the Lord. " Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our being gathered together unto him." Nothing need shake them, or alarm them, as to the terrible day of the Lord; for they must first be with the Lord, as he had taught them in the First Epistle.
And more, when that terrible day should come, they would be in perfect rest. u And to you who are troubled, rest with us; when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power." (2 Thess. 1:7-9.) Remember also those words, "And they shall not escape." No, if not saved now, there is no escape then. And all this surely coming at the very time men shall be saying, Peace and safety.
No escape, and the punishment, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord. They have refused the glad tidings of His grace in forgiveness of sins, and now there is no more forgiveness. Forever, driven from His presence, in everlasting woe. This, however, is not, and cannot be, the portion of His holy ones. " When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day." What a contrast! Yes, He will be glorified in all His saints. Oh, that dying thief, sinner up to the hour of his death! Not one day's good works to present. Shall not our Jesus be glorified in him? In like manner will He be glorified in every sinner redeemed by His precious blood. " And be admired in all them that believe." Where will the despiser of His sovereign grace be then? Yes, the myriads of His saints, all those that believed, will be manifested with Him in glory. The crushed, the hated, the persecuted, those who have suffered cruel deaths at the hands of wicked, proud Pharisees, all, all believers will come with Him in glory. Glorious day for them; terrible day for all who have rejected the glad tidings of eternal redemption through His blood.
But what has all this to do with present holiness and practical righteousness? " Wherefore/' the apostle says on that very account, " also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power." Oh, wondrous calling, to come with Jesus in glory; but what is the distinct object of this prayer? "That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." This holiness is a very different affair from self-righteous perfection in the flesh.
If we are not waiting for the Lord from heaven, how can there be " the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified”? And is it not the free favor, the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ, that sets before us this blessed hope? What motives for holiness, for entire separation from the world about to be judged by the personal coming of Christ in flaming fire! What effect would this have upon you, reader, if you were really expecting this terrible and near event? And what effect if you were expecting your Lord this day? How different everything would look!
Chapter ii. If we carefully read this chapter, describing, as it does, the terrible increase of wickedness, lawlessness of man, until headed up in the wicked one, and his destruction by the coming of Christ, we see the awful contrast between those who have rejected the truth and those chosen of God from the beginning to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. One company in that day believe a lie, that they all might be damned, or condemned, everlastingly lost; the other have the sure prospect of obtaining the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. What then is the effect as to practical holiness? "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." They were thus exhorted to hold fast the entire teaching of the apostle.
One word as to tradition. The scriptures were not yet completed. Perhaps these two letters to the Thessalonians were the only Epistles of the New Testament as yet written, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And mark, these young converts had only had three weeks' instruction from the apostle. (Acts 17) Further, by reading these two epistles, so full in every chapter of the blessed hope of the second coming of Christ, we may judge with certainty what was the character of his oral teaching or traditions. He says, " Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?" (Chap. ii. 5.) Now because they were to hold fast the inspired teaching of the apostle, whose whole soul was yearning and waiting for his Lord from heaven, and who had no other hope, is this any reason why we should receive and hold fast the traditions of an apostate Christendom which has entirely lost the hope of the Lord's return—nay, traditions in flat contradiction of the inspired scriptures?
If our hearts are waiting for the Lord from heaven, we shall gladly hold fast all that is in strict keeping with the word of God. And may He enable us, at whatever cost, to reject whatever is not in accordance with His word.
" Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.” Thus the effect of the free favor of our God and Father in giving us such a blessed hope, is not only to separate us from this evil world, but to comfort our hearts, and to stablish us in true holiness in every good word and work. And again, "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ," or, the patience of Christ. As He dwells in the unchanging love of God, patiently waiting until we are caught up to meet Him, so we, abiding in the same love, arc waiting in patience to see His face. Jesus waits the Father's bidding, we wait His call.
How very close, then, is the connection betwixt true practical holiness, and waiting in patience for the Lord Jesus from heaven! If this is not the ease, we are sure to become earthly minded. " And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom, go ye out to meet him.” What was the effect of this cry? " Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps." Immediately it is the question of oil. Have you got the Holy Spirit? All practical holiness is by the Spirit of God dwelling in us. And the presentation of the Person of the Bridegroom awakes the most searching inquiry. Are we ready to go to meet Him? Is there a single thing we are doing that we should be ashamed of if we met the glorious Bridegroom this day? Surely there is no time to delay. The inquiry is imperative. Have you got oil in your lamps? Are you quite ready to meet your Lord and Bridegroom?
Remember, all ye mere professors, “And the door was shut.” In vain the cry then, " Lord, Lord, open unto us." Will you ever hear Him say, " I know you not"? It is Jesus Himself who says, " Watch, therefore." It will, no doubt, be true to the remnant of Israel; is it not also true at this moment, in the midst of all the sports and pastimes of the professing church? Jesus says to us, " Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. “To the Jews in their tribulation, there will be distinct signs, that the coming of the Lord is at hand. To us there are no such signs; Jesus counts on us waiting for Him, to take us to Himself. (Compare Matt. 24:15-30 with John 14:1, 2.)
He speaks to our hearts, " Surely I come quickly.”
" The night is now far spent,
The day is drawing nigh,
Soon will the morning break
In radiance through the sky;
Ο let the thought our spirits cheer,
The Lord Himself will soon appear."
Holiness and the Second Coming of Christ: No. 6
If we examined every scripture in the New Testament that speaks of the corning of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we should find it connected, with practical holiness. If we look at 1 Pet. 1, those begotten by God the Father unto a living hope, and kept by the power of God, may, whilst here, be in much heaviness through manifold temptations. But it is a that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise, and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ; whom, having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." Now, is not the blessed Person and appearing of our Jesus the one commanding object here set before the tried saints? It is most painful to see how His blessed Person and appearing are set aside by many who talk of holiness and perfection, and work themselves up to such a state of supposed holiness by faith, so that they say they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, but it is in themselves.
Is it not astonishing that the human mind can be so deceived as to suppose it is rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory in the attainments of supposed holiness? Rejoicing thus in self is self-righteousness, or self-holiness. It is just putting self in the place of Christ and the glory of His appearing. No, no, it is not in our own holiness we thus rejoice—it is in that blessed coming One, " whom, having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Do not say we misrepresent; we have heard one of the greatest teachers of modern holiness so misapply this scripture. Nothing could be more false or dangerous to our naturally self-righteous pride. Another scripture was similarly misapplied to our attainments in holiness, until " we are changed from glory to glory"—our sanctification becoming so complete from glory to glory. But all is self; our perfection; all root of sin gone. Now it is this careless manner of partial quotation of scripture that is the method of teaching false doctrine, and cannot be too strongly condemned. Let us turn to the scripture. " But we all, with open face, beholding.... the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18.) Now, is this transformation effected by beholding our own perfection, or holiness, or attainments; or by the transforming power of the Spirit, in beholding the glory of the Lord? Let us beware of all teaching that thus puts self in the place of Christ. The consequences must be disastrous to all true practical holiness.
But to return to 1 Pet. 1 What effect, as to practical holiness, is expected from the fact of our being begotten by God our Father; and being found unto praise, and honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ; and our joying in Him, not ourselves, with joy unspeakable and full of glory? " Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (Ver. 13.) Nay, it is on this very ground, as obedient children, the exhortation to holiness is based. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation: because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
Oh, how sadly this is often quoted, to prove righteous perfection in self, entirely ignoring its connection! The all-transforming, glorious object, the Person and offering, the coming of the Lord, and our unspeakable joy in Him, is all set aside, and self put in its place.
Is not this a most serious mistake? How is it with you? Are you seeking unspeakable joy in your own holiness; or have you found it in Christ? Have you learned that looking for this grace, at the coming of the Lord, is the great truth to gird up your loins; and that you may be like one waiting for your Lord? How often our Lord Jesus impresses the truth of His coming upon us! Let us listen to Him, though all men set it aside.
You will find the same connection between giving all diligence, and the coming of the Lord Jesus, in 2 Pet. 1 You only need to read it in the presence of the Lord, in dependence on the Holy Ghost. Mark, also, the solemn warning: 46 Knowing this, first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?” (Chap. iii. 3.) Can it, then, be true holiness, where the Lord's coming is treated with indifference? There is not only the blessed side of this truth for the saints of God; but read the awful warnings of this chapter (2 Pet. 3): " Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."
We will now turn to that striking scripture on this subject, 1 John 3:1-3. First, we contemplate the love of the Father. " Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." Wondrous free gift of God to us! What love, to be brought into this relationship to the Father—the children of God! " Beloved, now are we the children of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be [or, has not yet been manifested], but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." How inseparable is true holiness and the full manifestation of what we shall be at the coming of the Lord I He is the all-absorbing, supreme Object of hope. We shall be like Him. This does not yet appear, is not yet manifest. Can any man say he is now like Christ? Can he say he is pure, sinless, holy, as a man down here, as Christ is, above all heavens? That he is accounted so, reckoned so, is blessedly true. Such is the glory of His grace, wherein He has taken us into favor in the Beloved. But have we not continual conflict with an evil nature, tendencies, or whatever we may call the flesh? This never was, and never can be, so with Christ, the Holy One of God. But the word is plain: “Every man that hath this hope in him [in Christ] purifieth himself, even as he is pure." Let us not deceive ourselves. If a man has attained to perfection in the flesh, and is as pure as Christ is pure—for that only is perfection—then, if he is thus pure, plainly he cannot purify himself. Can the glorified and risen Christ purify Himself?
Leaving, then, all these false thoughts of perfection, let us look at the true thought in this precious scripture. We know, then, that a glorious day of manifestation is near. Christ shall be manifested in all his purity and glory. And we, poor redeemed sinners, now the children of God, shall then be like Him—we shall see Him as He is. What, then, is the effect of this absorbing hope in Him? What is the effect, we ask, on every man that hath this absorbing, transforming hope in Christ? " Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." Christ is the standard, the rule of his life, his perfect copy; and he seeks to imitate Christ. Thus, with open face, he beholds the glory of the Lord, and is changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Yes, we are now the children of God. It is not yet manifested what we shall be. We know that when that manifestation shall take place, " we shall be like him," and we shall see Him as He is. Ob, blessed certainty!—to see Him as He is, to be like Him. What can we desire more? As to that eternal future, there is not one thing more to desire. To awake in His likeness is eternal satisfaction. There is one thing, however, every man desires now that has this hope in Christ—it is to " purify himself, even as he is pure," to be more and more, and still ever more, like Christ here below. And this is not that we may become the children of God, but because we are now His children. For " Whosoever is born of God doth not practice sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." " Be ye, therefore, followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.” Being born of God, and having full redemption through the blood of Christ, u Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
The sons of Aaron were first redeemed from Egypt, before their consecration, and even then the blood was put upon the right ear, thumb, and toe. Even so with us—we have redemption through His blood. Then are we sanctified, dedicated by that same one offering, that same precious blood. Then the seal of the Spirit, as the witness of the eternal efficacy of that blood. Thus the oil and the blood are upon our ear, thumb, and toe, or ear, hand, and foot—our thoughts, actions, and walk all consecrated to God, by virtue of that blood, in the power of the Holy Ghost. Thus are we waiting for the coming of the Lord, the day of the redemption of our bodies.
Beloved reader, we call your attention to a few of the closing words of Revelation: " For the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I comb quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."
" He which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly." The next moment this repeated promise may be fulfilled. The Spirit is awakening the church to the holy desire. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth, say, Come.” And grace still flows out in all its fullness. " And let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely." Can you in spirit look up to heaven, and thus speak your heart's desire to the Lord Jesus, in that one word, " Come?" There is one Spirit, and He imparts this one desire in the hearts of all that compose the bride. The Bridegroom says, " I go to prepare a place for you." Now He says, " Surely I come quickly.'' "Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus." C. S.