THIS is the gospel of the grace of God, this is God’s new principle in dealing with man, who now stands before Him as entirely lost. All His past ways with man, dispensational and personal, down to the cross of Christ, only demonstrated man to be utterly estranged in nature, and hopelessly bad in condition; consequently, the love that was henceforth displayed must be absolutely free and perfect. Nothing was ever found in man to induce, but everything to hinder, the manifestation of divine love. But now all is changed. God retires into the rights of His own sovereignty. Grace reigns. But not on the ruins of law and justice; not in setting aside the claims of God, nor in lightly passing over the guilt of man; but through accomplished righteousness toward God, and eternal life to the lost sinner by Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20, 2120Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20‑21)).
This, we affirm, is the gospel on the divine side. The effects on the human side will be manifested in genuine faith, godly repentance, and a life of holiness. Would to God this were better understood; for when received in simplicity every question is settled. If I know that He loves me with a perfect love, after He has estimated all my sin and guilt, then I know that no evil can ever spring up in my heart that He knew not beforehand, and that He has not fully judged in the cross of Christ, and put out of His sight for ever.
But here it may be asked, Did God not love the sinner before the death of Christ?
Most assuredly He did. Perfect love always dwelt in the heart of God toward man. To speak of the death of Christ as exciting or procuring the love of God toward the sinner is a pernicious doctrine, and without the shadow of foundation in Scripture. On the contrary the death of the Lord Jesus is there represented as the expression of God’s love toward us, and the character or greatness of that love is revealed by the condition of those for whom Christ died.
Love, full, perfect, and active, always dwelt in God’s heart; and its grand object ever was the reconciliation of man to Himself. God never was the enemy of man, therefore He needed not to be reconciled; nay, rather, He “was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Cor. 5:1919To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:19)). Other texts might be quoted in proof of this rest-giving truth; such as, “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:9, 149In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)
14And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)).
Yes, what a mercy for us that this love was always there; and although rejected, it was not weakened. But the death of Jesus opened the way for its full revelation, and for the accomplishing of all the purposes of God’s grace.
There was no link between God and man in the flesh. For all. His love He had only received hatred. No response was ever found in the human heart to His most tender appeals.
But Christ in His death glorified God about sin; accomplished all righteousness; met the highest claims of heaven, and the deepest necessities of man. The law was magnified, and the promise established in His Person; and He laid a righteous foundation for the perfect display of the divine nature and character, and that in respect of sin. Now God takes His own place, and in Christ Jesus manifests what He is toward the sinner.
The apostle Paul directs attention to what we may call the first-fruits of perfect love, namely, the death of Christ as an object for faith out-side ourselves. “For when we were yet without strength, in clue time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)).
No more difficult truth for man to believe was ever revealed than this. It is so opposed to all human thoughts, feelings, affections and ways, that he cannot understand it. Whoever heard of love lavishing its choicest gifts on unrelenting but powerless enemies? “Thou shalt do this,” and “Thou shalt not do that,” or abide the consequences, man can understand. It is consistent with his reason. But for love (after it has proved that there is nothing in its object but hatred, and hatred too, unchangeable, and cruel as death) to say, “I have opened the flood-gates of heaven that my love may flow forth in unmeasured, unhindered fullness for your eternal happiness,” far transcends the loftiest thoughts of the human mind. That God should love the righteous, the good and the holy, excites no surprise but that He should love the unholy, the unrighteous and the evil, and give His own beloved Son to die the death they deserved, must ever shine forth throughout the countless ages of eternity as the wonder of all wonders.
But who could believe it? Even with this oracle of love, man has fastened on something to find fault with and complain of. He cannot bear the idea of being proclaimed powerless. He would far sooner believe that he is ungodly than that he is “without strength.” By trying, he hopes to cease being ungodly, and to become better, and he refuses to bow to the humiliating truth, that he is wholly impotent.
But this is where the gospel begins, and where man must be brought to if his soul is to be saved. He may struggle long against the truth, as many do, thinking they can do something, or at least feel that they are growing better by their own doings, such as prayer, reading the Bible, and attending to the means of grace. But no! God will wait till the awakened sinner bows to the result of his own history as written by God Himself, and owns himself powerless for good; morally and spiritually dead; condemned already, and lying under the guilt of the death of Christ.
This then, we repeat, is the gospel; not what man is, not what God requires of man, but what GOD is, after He has proved man to be both powerless and godless. This believed, the light of heaven fills the soul. The believer may. joyfully say, “God loves me with a perfect love, notwithstanding all I am and have done; Christ died for me, and all the benefits of His death are mine; now my salvation depends, not on my own consistency (though I ought to be consistent) but on the unchangeable love of God, and the eternal efficacy of the blood of Christ. I have simply to rest in His love, and to rejoice in the effects of the work of Christ, which fits me for His holy presence.”
But what must be the guilt of those who reject the Lord Jesus, full as He is of all grace and goodness; who reject God Himself in reconciling love? Everything in which blessing can be found is thus rejected, and the soul must eternally perish by its own suicidal hand. The very remembrance of such love, and so slighted; of such opportunities, and so neglected; must give vehemence to the flames that shall never be quenched, and vitality to the worm that shall never die.
May the Lord have mercy on my unconverted reader, and lead him to take his true place at the feet of Jesus, and to believe what is so plainly revealed, “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:66For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6)).
REAL goodness, worth, or merit,
Not one of us can claim;
From birth we all inherit
Sin, folly, guilt, and shame.
We have a sinful nature,
And, like a fruitless tree,
Though fair in form and feature,
No fruit for God have we.
For us who have offended,
The precious Saviour died,
And then on high ascended,
And there is glorified;
That we, no worth possessing,
Might, through His precious blood,
Obtain the wondrous blessing
Of perfect peace with God.