WE daresay our readers wonder, as they see the above title, to what little word we are about to refer. Well, it is a very weighty one in human conversation, though, if taken by itself, having scarcely any significance. It occurs very often in Scripture, and in many connections of deepest moment for all. It is the word No.
Let us dwell briefly upon a few passages.
Firstly, in the book of Psalms we read, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psa.53:1). The words “there is” are in italics, and not there. It is simply “no God.” The fool, i.e, the man who is foolish in contrast to the one who is wise, says in his heart, “No God.” Not with his lips; maybe he is not bold enough for that (though there are many now-a-days who go even so far), but in his heart. And this God reads. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Who can know it? God; only God. Nothing is hid from Him. He is reading your heart at this moment. What does He read? Perhaps you rebel against such a pointed question. Then it is clear you are one of those foolish people.
It is utter folly to keep away from God. To say “no God” now is to come before Him in your sins very shortly. You must face Him then; there is no getting out of it Strange that men should want to get rid of their best Friend. God is for us, not against us, though against sin. But you fear the light, that is what it is. But He is love as well as light. Have to do with Him now, judging yourself, and confessing your sins, and He will meet you just as you are, and save you for His own glory. To say, “no God,” to shut Him out from your heart, and to cleave to this world and its follies and lusts, is to love death and eternal woe.
But perhaps you are not so foolish as to say “No God,” but are rather one that owns Him, and His authority, having been brought up to do so. You go every Sunday, perhaps, to church or chapel; you have daily prayers at home; you are upright respectable, and respected, and seek in all things, to do your duty. You are not a careless world ling, but a religious professor, and you think God is merciful, He gave His Son to die, and so on, and you hope that if you do the best you can it will be all right in the end. But what is all this (and are there not tens of thousands in such like condition?) but a mere external acknowledgment of truth, and your own righteousness the ground of your hope for the future. What saith the Scripture? Here this important word “no” comes in a second time. “There is none righteous, no not one.” Dear reader, we must be plain with you. If the above is your confidence it is false; you are going on every day blindfold down the broad road straight to the lake of fire. God’s righteousness is now revealed, and He will have none of yours. You must submit yourself to His. And where will you find it? Alone in Christ.
And what is necessarily the condition of souls, who either shut out God or trust in their own righteousness? “No peace” (Isa. 57:21) “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23) The only truly righteous before God are those who are so accounted on the principle of faith, and walk in faith practically here below. The rest form part of the world that lieth in the wicked one; are amongst the wicked. Doubtless there are great moral differences in one sense, but when it is a question of standing before God, and title to His glory, “there is no difference.” All are sinners, ungodly, enemies, without strength, wicked; and “the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isa. 57:20, 21). Every unconverted heart is a complete stranger to it.
Now, is this your case, dear reader? If so, where will you turn to obtain peace? There is but one true answer to this momentous question, where we have already pointed you. To Christ. “I, even I, am the Lord: and beside me there is no saviour” (Isa. 43:11). Seeing the way that thousands seek to save themselves, or trust more or less to some other foundation, one would think that such a scripture had never been written. Alas, how many are trusting in their own religiousness, or morality, or to some institution of Christianity instead of to Christ! And how many are adding somewhat, or something to Christ, as a kind of makeweight. But what could be plainer than the precious word, “But beside me there is no saviour.” This is the blessed declaration of the Lord Himself, the One who could say, “I, even I, am the Lord.” He came into the world as the Saviour, saying plainly, “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). He is the “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).
But this is not all. Since we are sinners, to put away our sins He must die. “Without shedding of blood there is no remission.” “Hence he gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:6). He laid down His life. His precious blood was shed. And now He lives again, the risen and exalted Christ on God’s throne. This is He who is declared to be a Prince and a Saviour. There is no Saviour beside Him, and no remission of sins but through His precious blood. Have you believed on Him?
No peace is your portion both here and forever, without an interest in Christ. It is not enough to know that He is the Saviour, or that His blood was shed, you must believe on Him. “Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43). Christ hath made peace through the blood of His cross (Col. 1:20). “Who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 4:25, vs. 1). Have you?
Moreover, He not only died for sins, but for sin itself. The whole judgment of God fell upon Him both for sin and sins, so that not only are our sins forgiven when we believe, but it is our privilege also to know deliverance now from the dominion of sin itself. God looks upon the believer as having died with Christ to sin, and as being alive again in Him, whom He raised from the dead, and we are exhorted so to reckon. (Rom. 6:1-12). What is the result? There is now therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. What a wondrous change, completely delivered both now and forever from all condemnation. Christ Himself has taken the believer’s place on the cross, and borne our judgment once for all, and we now are in Him, who has passed from under it, and out of death, and is gone into the blessed presence of God as Man.
“No condemnation!” O my soul,
‘Tis God that speaks the word,
Perfect in comeliness, art thou
In Christ the risen Lord.”
And this being our blessed case through faith, it is our privilege to enjoy the love of God. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
The writer was once visiting a person who was living in what John Bunyan calls “Doubting Castle,” and to meet her case, quoted the above text, adding the question, “Do you know what that means?” She paused a moment, and then replied, “I suppose when I love God perfectly, I shall get rid of my doubts and fears.” “Yes, certainly you will, but as that will never be until you arrive in glory, you must make up your mind to doubt the remainder of your life here.” Our readers may easily picture the blank look of astonishment upon her countenance. “Now just look at it the other way for a moment. (Souls always begin with themselves, until they learn better.) Think of God’s love instead of your own. It is his love that is perfect, not yours. Yours will never be, until you are in heaven. But think of His perfect love expressed in the gift of Christ to die for us, and now flowing from the glory where He is. Believe and enjoy that, and all your fear will be banished forever.” It was quite a new thought for her, and it is to be hoped that she learned to look at it thus, and to enjoy it in forgetfulness of self.
If any of our readers are in such like case, may you do the same. You will never enjoy assurance as long ag you look in. You might as well look into an ice-well to find warmth, as into your own poor heart to find love to God. But think of God’s great love to you; believe it; take Him at His word about the finished work of His Son, and you will have peace with Him, and the Holy Ghost will shed abroad God’s love in your heart, and you will love Him spontaneously without effort in return. And “there is no fear in love.”
Lastly, if left here for a while, we are responsible, as saved ones, to bring forth fruit in our lives to the glory of God. The only power for this is the Spirit who dwells in the believer. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, ... But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:19-25).
E H. C.