(Translated from the French of G. W-k.)
WE might be astonished to find the name of the Lord Jesus so often mixed up with certain movements of the day, if the Bible had not itself given to us the answer to the riddle-by teaching us that one of the constant wiles of the enemy consists in seducing man by means of the very words of God.
For what do we read in the early pages of the Bible. " And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:15-1715And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:15‑17)). " Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And He said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not at of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Gen. 3:1-61Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:1‑6)). And thus it is that sin came into the world, and death by sin.
There is a remarkable passage found also in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4:16-20, which has furnished the adversary with the means of practicing the same pass as that by which he was in Eden but too successful. " And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when He had opened the hook, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on Him" (Luke 4:16-2016And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. (Luke 4:16‑20)).
Just as the serpent formerly used the word of the Creator to ruin man and to estrange him from God, so has Satan availed himself of and still does, in our times, avail himself of the words just cited, relative to the mission of Jesus, in order to mislead into error and to draw aside into evil. He does so by a gloss which substitutes a meaning altogether different from the true one. By this means, which is his common practice, he avails himself of these declarations of scripture to give a coloring to the thought that Jesus is the patron of certain attempts at emancipation, and thus he seeks to give the sanction of the adorable name of Jesus to overt rebellion. is not the name of Jesus very convenient for many of those (whether in their speeches or their writings) who, while still the servants of sin, delude themselves with the fantasy that they are subject to no one; yet they resemble those Jews who pretended that they had never been in bondage, and sought to kill Jesus because He told them that the truth would make them free, and who were so little of one mind with Jesus that they said He had a devil.
The aim of Satan, I repeat, is to mislead men into error as to the true meaning of the liberty which Christ came to announce to the captive..I believe that the efforts of the enemy constantly tend to the confounding between that liberty and quite another thing, which the word of God calls lawlessness: in Greek the word is anomia, a word which describes " the state of him who has no law, who knows no law; licentiousness; independence of all authority"; it is often rendered by iniquity. This state of independence, this anomia, or lawlessness, is the sad spurious imitation of the liberty of the Gospel.
The mystery of iniquity was, even in the times of Paul, beginning to show its power, as he says in the second of his epistles to the Thessalonians, chapter 2 ver. 7. In other words, there are eighteen hundred years that, in mystery, iniquity has now been actively at work, and not without too sad success. This lawlessness will end in the manifestation of the wicked one, the man of sin or lawless one, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, as object of worship, so far as to take his place as God in the temple of God, exalting himself, and saying that he is God. Nevertheless God will again interpose, for the man of sin will be destroyed by the breath of His mouth, and be rendered impotent by the manifestation of the arrival or presence of the Lord.
The man of sin, who will pass himself off for God, will be destroyed by the presence of God, whose will it was to become man; the perfect expression of human pride will meet its defeat from the perfect expression of Divine condescension.
The coming or presence of the man of sin "is according to the working of Satan (or adversary) with all power and signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they may believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Multitudinous in number, and various in nature, are the results of this lawlessness. Let us endeavor first to see, in some small degree, what it has wrought in that domain of things which pertain to religion; here, especially, has it produced its most subtle and sad fruits. Yet, however specious the form under which they meet us, they cannot remain altogether undiscovered as fruits of lawlessness, at least where there is a spiritual perception, however little it may be in exercise.
The word states that "the true light" has given to all that receive Him, that is, to all that believe in His name, the power to become sons of God. "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:9-.13). Many denominations of professing Christians hold the doctrine of baptismal regeneration.
The word speaks of a worship in spirit and in truth, (see John 4:2424God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)). Many denominations- of professing Christians have liturgies and printed prayers.
The word states that the spirit distributes his gifts to every one severally as he will (see 1 Cor. 12:22Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. (1 Corinthians 12:2)). Almost all denominations of professing Christians make the exercise of these gifts in their midst to depend upon certain conditions, e.g. on a presupposed university education, and they, in their wisdom, predestinate such and such individuals to the ministry.
The word considers the saints and faithful in Christ (Eph. 1:11Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 1:1)) as having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, "Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Professing Christians speak of building churches, substituting the shell for the kernel or lifeless stones for living stones (1 Peter 3:55For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: (1 Peter 3:5)); of making churches,-now the Greek word ekklesia (church) means assembly—and the assembly of God (1 Thessalonians 3:15), it is for God to form, and connected with this is one of the most characteristic marks of the lawlessness of which we speak, viz., professing Christians have carried their independency of God so far as to fix the age at which children may be admitted into communion with Jesus and the saints.
The effects of this lawlessness show themselves also as to temporal powers. Thus, for instance, there is no power but what is of God, as say the scriptures (see Rom. 13:11Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1)). But do those who exercise that power always do so as holding it from God and for His glory; and are they always a terror to bad works.
The disciple of Jesus, though indeed in the world is not of the world (see John 17:1414I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:14)), consequently he belongs to no party in the politics of this world. While waiting for the kingdom of Christ, he is subject to the power that is, where he is, be it what it may; he honors and will always show respect to it; and he will also always yield it obedience, at least unless things contrary to his conscience and to his duty towards God be in question. On this account it was that when the authorities, temporal and ecclesiastical, at Jerusalem, had enjoined on the apostles, Peter and John, by no means to speak of or to teach in the name of Jesus, that Peter and John replied, " Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done" (Acts 4.19-21).
Having noticed some of the traits of lawlessness, let us now turn to the spurious imitation of true liberty.
In the sixth chapter of the Epistle of Paul. to the Romans, we read, " For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." What is the lesson which Paul here teaches us? Simply that we find ourselves in one of two conditions; each of which has an end proper to it. We may be in the bondage of sin and free from righteousness, with death before us at the end; or, we may be servants of God and free from sin, with eternal life in prospect.
In both of these conditions there is supposed a liberty; in one case 'tis a freedom which leads unto death; in the other, a freedom which leads unto eternal life. That which leads unto eternal life, is the true liberty which the Son gives us, Jesus said to the Jews, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house forever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8.34-36). The Lord spake to Jews, but what He said is, without controversy, applicable to Gentiles, "for," as Paul reasons," Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference" (Rom. 3:2222Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)).
It is then to the Son that we must apply, in order to be set free, in order to be in truth free men;-free from the law, free from the curse from which Christ redeemed us, when He was made a curse for us; in Him, we died indeed to the law, in order that we might belong unto another, even unto Him who is risen from the dead, in order that we might bring forth fruit unto God; -free from the affections and lusts of the flesh, " For they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." And, remark, by the way, that it is the consciousness that it is so, which, by the grace of God, gives to us, who are Christ's, the power to contend against the flesh with its affections and lusts.
To speak as a man, what is it which withholds the man of honor from doing such or such a thing; is it not the thought of what might be said about him: it becomes my family, my rank, my position to abstain from this or that. Well, in like manner it is the position which Christ has won for us, which gives the Christian liberty from, and strength against, sin and lust.
In Jesus the Christian is already set free from the elements of this world; he does not receive, as though he were living in this world, ordinances according to the commandments and doctrines of man, "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using); after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh" (Col. 2:20-2320Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21(Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh. (Colossians 2:20‑23)).
In saying this, I do not mean to suggest that such or such an act, as fasting, for example, is to be absolutely rejected, evidently this is not the case. It is but a foolish formality if it be done by reason of a human appointment, but if it is a fruit of the spirit of life, it is acceptable to God. There are children and there are full grown men in the faith. Their rule is, " Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand" (Rom. 14:3,43Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. 4Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:3‑4)). The same may be said as to marriage (compare 1 Tim. 4:1-51Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:1‑5); 1 Cor. 7:11Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (1 Corinthians 7:1); and Heb. 13:44Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4)).
The Christian is not under the law, but he is subject to the law of the liberty which is in Christ, and he is deeply responsible to adhere to it (see Gal. 5:11Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1)). In Christ everything resolves itself into liberty.
Another sort of liberty, which Jesus gives, is freedom from the wrath to come. "For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and 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 delivereth us from the wrath to come."
Christ, again, delivers us from the second death. "Blessed and holy," says the Book of the Revelation, 20:6, "is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." The second death will take effect on all whose names are not found written in the book of life (ver. 15), and consists in being cast into the lake of fire.
Lastly, as our last instruction, in connection with the liberty of the children of God, what further does the word of God teach us? "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:20-2320For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:20‑23)).
The whole of the creation which now is groans under a state of things, which is the result of the first Adam's disobedience. A new creation will enjoy a state which will be the result of the obedience of the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. They who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, enjoy, but only in hope, that other state of things, that liberty in Jesus Christ, which will be revealed in His glory, when they who have the first-fruits of the Spirit will come with Jesus (1 Thess. 4:1313But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)); for they will previously have been caught up to meet the Lord in the air (ver. 17), those of them that slept having been raised, and those that are still alive transmuted (1 Cor. 15:5252In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:52)).
Regenerated in spirit and soul, the Christian waits for the deliverance of the body. He waits for an actual entrance into heaven, where already his citizenship is (Phil. 3:2020For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20)), where, by faith, he is already sat down, in Christ Jesus, as one of his members (Eph. 2:66And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Ephesians 2:6)). Seen from such a height, the politics and the religion of this world appear in their true proportions, and are but dimly seen. The Christian has not many things to be careful about (Luke 10:4040But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. (Luke 10:40)), he knows the crowd is ever found where the dead are to be buried (Luke 9:6060Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:60)). He has that which the world cannot give; and a hasty glance, however imperfect, o'er the heavenly Canaan weans from all that is around. One moment's enjoyment of the liberty of the world to come makes him comprehend what is the danger of that which the children of this world call liberty. The Christian lives among men, as did Lot, who, from day to day, vexed his righteous soul by that which he saw and heard of their lawless actions (see Greek, 2 Peter 2:88(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) (2 Peter 2:8)).
And as to man, in his natural state, the prince of this world holds him under the most fatal delusion, far from Christ, by the persuasive thought that lie is free. No, unregenerate man is not free; he is not his own; he belongs to Satan, together with all the creation which the enemy, in the true character of a usurper, has subjected to himself. And in order that man and the creation may one day be delivered from the bondage of corruption, there was the needs be of nothing less than the intervention of God Himself manifest in the flesh, of the manifestation of the Son of God, who came that he might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:88He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)) and bring life and immortality to light (2 Tim. 1:1010But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: (2 Timothy 1:10)).
The natural man is fleshly and sold under sin (Rom. 7:1414For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14)); with the flesh he serves the law of sin (Rom. 7:2525I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:25)). But God has found the means of redeeming him; the price is the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:1919But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:19)). He that believes shares the efficacy of the blood; "He is justified freely by the grace of God, by means of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."
The solemn question-question of life or death for every child of Adam, then is-" Whom do I serve?" For the Spirit of God says in scripture (2 Peter 2:1919While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. (2 Peter 2:19)), "Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." Let us not deceive ourselves, we follow him whom we serve.