But even that love could not have sufficed of itself to meet our case as enemies. God’s love was indeed great, but His wrath was just. The death and resurrection of Christ were necessary to put everything in its right place: neither wrath, on God’s part, against sin, nor enmity on man’s against God, is ignored. The daysman not only lays his hand on the alien sinner, but on the God of holiness. He is the Mediator, and reconciliation is accomplished. The ministry of this reconciliation was given to our apostle.
In 2 Cor. 5 we have this immense truth, that God was in Christ. In His character of Reconciler He thus in richest grace draws nigh to us, because, as sinners and without strength, we could not go to Him; God was in Christ; that is to say, when Christ was on earth He was “ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” Thus we learn that it is God who reconciles, and that man, the believer, is reconciled through the death of Christ. “ For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” All is based upon this truth of unspeakable importance.
God had set His love upon us where we were, and as we were, and in order to make us the expression of His own divine righteousness through all eternity, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us. Oh, most marvelous truth! Immeasurable grace! Infinite goodness! Man had no righteousness of his own, he had been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; he had been tested by the truth of God, and found to be only sin. But in place of executing the judgment due on the poor blinded slave of sin and Satan, He so wrought for Him in Christ, as to bring him back, and give him a place of nearness to Himself, according to His own nature and purpose, by redemption. Jesus died, His blood was shed, the believer is justified, reconciled, and made the righteousness of God in Christ. As the sin-bearer, He perfectly glorified God, blotted out sin, finished redemption, accomplished righteousness, and thus laid a foundation for the fullest and highest results of the purposes of His love. Throughout the countless ages of eternity, and before the myriad hosts of principalities and powers, in heavenly places, this mighty miracle of grace shall be displayed, and as children we shall be the objects of His complacent delight forever and forever.
The apostle now fairly reasons, that if, while we were enemies, Christ died for us, what will He not do for us now that we are His friends; and also, He who died for us being alive, and having all power in heaven and on earth, acts for us in the mighty energy in which He lives eternally? “ Much more shall we be saved by his life.” “Fear not,” He said to John in resurrection, “lam the first and the last; I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” There was nothing now to make John afraid. Christ had put away his sins on the cross, He had vanquished death and the grave, and He held in His hand the symbols of absolute authority over Satan and the realm of darkness. Every foe was now beneath His feet, and the Christian being in the risen Christ, and one with Him, every foe is beneath his feet, while he stands fast in his risen and victorious Lord. His life in resurrection is the pledge and security for the eternal life of all who believe in Him, as He Himself says, “ Because I live, ye shall live also.” John 14:99Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? (John 14:9); Rev. 1:17, 1817And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:17‑18).
Such are the blessed fruits of divine love—of the gospel of God. The believer is not only pardoned, justified, and reconciled, but he is associated with Christ as risen from among the dead; possessed of the same life, indwelt by the same Holy Spirit, standing in the same relationship to God the Father, blessed with the same inheritance, an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ. Nor is this rich roll of blessing all the fruit of that love, even that which may be enjoyed here on our pilgrim way. The apostle boasts of a yet higher privilege.
THE CHRISTIAN’S HIGHEST JOY.
Verse 11. “ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement”—reconciliation (see margin). Higher joy than this we can never have; it is infinite, yet we have already entered into it. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ—in virtue of completed reconciliation, a blessed, conscious, happy re-union with the living God is accomplished. This verse brings us back to the beginning of our chapter, where it is said that believers have peace with God, have access to Him, and rejoice in hope of His glory. But here we have arrived at the fountain head, looking through all the blessings conferred on us, and rejoicing in God Himself as the highest spring and object of them all. Yes! God Himself is the Christian’s joy, glory, and boast! It is not now merely in hope of the glory of God that we rejoice; nor is it in our tribulation, because of its effects, divine love being known in our hearts through the Holy Ghost given unto us; nor is it in the many blessings He has given us, but, better far, in Himself.
This is grace, pure grace, grace to the poorest, grace to the vilest, grace to thee, my reader, if thou wilt only have it in God’s way. Man’s ability to meet the requirements of the holiness of God has been fully tried, but the plainer the truth, the clearer the light, the more did it bring out man’s darkness and opposition to God. And then grace came in—it was God’s due time—and Christ died for the ungodly. We can only be pardoned and saved through faith in the blood of Jesus. When God sees the blood of the slain Lamb, He is satisfied. He sees that which has blotted out sin, vindicated His character, verified His word, and met the whole need of ruined man. And now, observe, if thou art satisfied with it, trusting wholly to it, as the only answer to sin’s claims upon thy precious soul—the only discharge from that dread tribunal; thy soul is saved, and God is glorified.
There is nothing we are so slow to understand as grace; nothing so hard for our hearts as to be humble enough to see that grace only can meet our case, and nothing so easy as to get away from this lowly place. The natural feeling of the human heart is, not that there is grace in God for the sinner, but, “ I know that thou art an austere man.” So it was with the prodigal son—with every prodigal son and daughter: the thought of grace in his father’s heart never once entered into his mind, and therefore he reckoned on being received as an “ hired servant.” Bat how was he met? on the ground of righteousness or of grace? Had it been the former, he would have been condemned to the judgment due to his sins; but, as in the case of every penitent sinner, it was on the ground of pure, rich, free grace. Not a word was said to him as to where he had been, or what he had done, he was sheltered by the blood of Jesus. The Father knew every moment of his past history, but every offense was met, and all his sins cleansed away by the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s own Son. Faith, through grace, had triumphed in the prodigal’s return, and now grace shines in his acceptance. “ Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” All is grace, pure grace.
THE SINNER’S LOWEST CONDITION.
The former condition of those who are now rejoicing in God is set forth, as above, in the very strongest language. And this, no doubt, that divine love might be manifested in the fullest way to the chief of sinners; and that such may be encouraged to believe in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. But supposing for a moment that my reader is still unconverted, and that I ask him the following questions:—Can you believe that there is love in God’s heart towards you, notwithstanding all you have done, been, and still are? Do you believe that you may come to Him, believing in Christ, just as you are, and just at this moment, without any preparation on your own part? And do you believe that you will be received with open arms, embraced with the kiss of peace; sealed with the ring of eternal love; clothed with the best robe, the righteousness of God; and introduced to the Father’s house, all heaven rejoicing, as your home forever? Or, as in the case of the fallen woman at the feet of Jesus, in the house of Simon; do you believe that grace will meet you as fully as it met her? “ And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven; thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” And do you further believe that it is the death of Jesus that has opened the way for the love of God to flow forth in such streams of blessing? The heart that can amen these questions is surely taught of God, and savingly acquainted with His grace; I mean the heart that has felt their importance, and answers seriously, not lightly.
But no supposed case can exceed the alienation of heart from God which the description before us gives; and yet it was for such that Jesus died, not only to prove God’s love, but to open the flood-gates, that it might find a righteous channel in which to flow forth to the utmost bounds of human need. They were without strength, ungodly, sinners, under wrath, enemies of God. If such, then, is man’s condition by nature, the love of God toward us must be absolutely free from all motive, in us or of us. Hence, not only its perfectness, but its unchangeableness. It flows, not from promises made to us, but purely from what God is; and “ God is love.” The spring being in the depths of His heart who knows no change, all the blessings of that love are absolutely secured to the feeblest believer in Christ Jesus. Nothing in us called it out, nothing in us can drive it back; unless, indeed, it may be for a time, through our ingratitude and love of the world. Such was the painful experience of the blessed Lord when here amongst men. For His love He had hatred; for His goodness He had ingratitude; for His faithfulness He had a cross. “ This, for He was perfect love, was, I doubt not, the sense of what was expressed by Jesus in the words, ‘1 have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!’ The love was there, full, perfect, active in His heart. He showed it in all that He did, in all that it could be shown in, but as to the proper effect of its power, its true object, the reconciling man to Himself, it was, so to speak, driven back into Himself: blessed be God! unweakened, but driven back, finding no response in man’s heart, nothing to which it could attach itself there, in the selfish enmity which reigned there.”