4. S. S., Southampton. Your struggles for deliverance from sin that dwelleth in you, are representative. That is, they represent the condition of a great many. You have heard and believed the glad tidings of forgiveness of sins, and justification from them. And so far you have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. You now want to live Christ. And now, instead of having Christ as your object, you find yourself sadly perplexed and occupied with sin in the flesh. And this seems to hinder all progress in the truth. These are the symptoms; now, what is the remedy? Nay, first, what is the Lord’s object in all this? It is that self may be entirely displaced and Christ be all. You have not quite clone with self. Whether under law, or under grace, we cannot find one bit of good in self. “In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.” Is not this the cause?
Seeking something in self. We never can be satisfied with self. We shall, in that sense, never be satisfied, until we awake in His likeness.
And what is the remedy? Give up all thought of what He must be to you by what you are to Him. Take up the other side. Think what your Father is to you; what Christ is, and forever will be to you. Let go self, and rejoice in Christ for evermore.
5. J. J., Rankinston. It is not possible for sins to be on the believer before the judgment seat of Christ. All who will be there, when He appears, will be like Him. And there can be no sin on Him. (1 John 1; 3:2.) In that sense, the believer cannot come into judgment for sin. (John 5:24.) For a person to go on without confessing his sins to the Father, would be a grave sign, that he was no child of God at all. Still, there might be sin of such a character, as to be judged here in the government of God, with death of the body. But this is expressly that we may not be judged with the world. See 1 Cor. 11:29-3ยง John 5:16. May we say continually, “Hold thou me up and I shall be safe.”
6. Col. 2:20-22. If we be dead with Christ why should we be subject to the ordinances or rules of men? There seems to have been such a rule as is here referred to. “Touch not; taste not; handle not.” Why should they, since they were dead with Christ, be subject to such a rule or ordinance of men? Such rules are formed again in these days, by those who do not know what it is to be dead with Christ. Head men do not need such rules or pledges.
7. G. H. Toronto. Your questions will be found answered above.