MY DEAR SISTER IN CHRIST, — In common with many others of the Lord’s people, I was greatly rejoiced to read the story of your conversion, which I felt convinced was a real work of God in your soul, and now I am very thankful to have the privilege of addressing some few words to you, in the Lord’s name.
First, I trust that you are absolutely assured of your eternal salvation in Christ, that “none can pluck you out of his hand,” and that “neither things present nor things to come, shall be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The word of God abounds in such assurances; but I press them because I know that those through whom it has pleased God to bless His word to you do not know what the salvation of God is, although “salvation” is their watchword. Your present acceptance in Christ, and your future glory with Him, do NOT depend upon anything in you, but wholly and solely upon God’s estimate of the finished work of His beloved Son. All believers are now “accepted in the beloved,” and “complete in him.” God “has made us meet for the inheritance of the saints in light.” “Our life is hid with Christ in God;” “Christ is our life,” and He has said “Because I live, ye shall live also.” Thus He gets the whole of the glory of our salvation, while we now know the peace which He has made by the blood of His cross. The Father has welcomed us with the kiss of love; the best robe (Christ) is upon us; “we stand in Him, in Him alone, gloriously complete.” And because His precious blood so perfectly cleanses, and He, the risen Christ, is our righteousness, God has sent down the Holy Spirit to dwell in every believer, uniting us to Christ Who is upon the Father’s throne, and to one another here as members of one body. “We are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones.” What a glorious, divine, indissoluble union is here! “These things write we unto you that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life,” and “that your joy may be full;” knowing this, out of a full heart you will praise, and worship, and adore His blessed name.
It is quite true that, although you have a new nature, which is of God, and delights in holiness, you have also the old nature, unimproved, and unimproveable; “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” But this old evil nature God has dealt with, condemning it in the cross of Christ, so that as to all that we were by nature, “we died with Christ,” and now are called to “reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,” but alive unto God. For this, His grace alone is sufficient, our strength is in dependence upon Him, and in watchfulness over self.
Then, thank God, He has made provision for failure; the One Who died for our sins, and was raised for our justification, “ever liveth to make intercession for us” and “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Blessed be God, the need of all this will soon be over; soon we shall be “with Christ,” and “like him, for we shall see him as he is,” but till then we shall not find self improved. Paul could say “I know that in me that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.” Thus we have a treacherous foe within, and many without, but greater is He that is for us than all that can be against us. “Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
And now we are “not our own,” but are “bought with a price,” and we are not to be guided by our own thoughts, or by those around us, but by the word of God. Everything that we do not find to be according to that word, we are to refuse; and everything that is written there for believers, we are to seek to follow.
The first thing for a convert, is to be baptized (Acts 2:41); and the next, obedience to that gracious word, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Acts 2:42), a most simple and blessed privilege for every child of God. We are not to settle down just where we may happen to be, nor to go where we think best, but in this, as in everything else, to say, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” And, thank God, in the midst of all the confusion, and multiplicity of sects, God has a path of simple obedience for His own, and if you seek His guidance absolutely, you shall unfailingly find it. “Where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Outside everything which practically denies the truth that “there is one body;” owning the sufficiency of His name, and practically acknowledging and acting upon the presence of the Holy Ghost in the assembly, and giving Him liberty to act “as he will;” coming together as those who are consciously redeemed by His precious blood, we can indeed remember Him in the breaking of bread, and worship in spirit and in truth. Here there is room for all who are His, and who are seeking to please Him, though so few, comparatively, are found in this simple and blessed place.
And now just a word as to what is before us, what is the proper hope of the Christian, i.e., His coming again to receive us unto Himself (Read John 14:1 Corinthians 15:51, etc.; 1 Thess. 1:9, 10; 4:13, etc.; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20).
Doubtless you have already proved the truth of those words, “They that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” and those others, “In the world ye shall have tribulation”— but thank God, the Lord Jesus could add, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world;” “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”
Oh! get into the depths of the infinite love of God, and dwell there. Christ died, “the just for the unjust, to bring us to God.” Thus God Himself is our “dwelling place,” and we are before Him in all the acceptance of Christ, and all the value of His finished work. “Made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
The Lord bless you abundantly, and lead you on into the deep things of His precious word, and ever keep your heart true to Christ, and your life fruitful to His praise, not to make your salvation more secure, but because He loved you and gave Himself for you.
G. DE M.