THE believer’s acceptance in Christ by God the Father is perfect, nor can it be otherwise for this simple reason: he is “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:66To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)).
If the Beloved has made atonement for us, borne our sins away, and by doing so glorified God the Father, who raised Him from the dead, and thus accepted Him, that acceptance, needless to say, is perfect. Yes, the believer is accepted. It is not the believer who is to accept Christ. God has accepted Him, and, we repeat, he who believes is accepted in Him. The, believer, too, is reconciled (Col. 1:2121And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled (Colossians 1:21)); he “is saved” (Eph. 2:88For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)); he is made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:2121For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)); he has “eternal life” given to him (1 John 5:1111And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:11)); he shall never come into judgment (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)); he is “passed from death unto life.”
He may and will meet with correction if walking in a careless way, but judged finally he never will be. He shall “not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:3232But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32)). Yet notwithstanding the blessed and immutable truth of all this, the writer’s present object is not so much to dwell upon it, as to draw attention to the fact that the enjoyment of these precious things which God has made true of His children, yea, the “making of them sure” in a practical way, and a negligent and backsliding walk cannot possibly exist together. We most seriously draw the readers’ attention to this: a Christian cannot remain stationary! Onward, upward, and homeward he moves on (it may be feebly), otherwise retrograde he must.
It has been said, and we think with truth, that a Christian resembles a chicken. It belongs to the only order of animal which requires no nurse (we say not, no protection). From the beginning, the creature picks up for itself, and this is a sign of its health; let it fail in picking up, and we may conclude that health is defective. The Christian is exhorted to “add” to his faith, virtue (or courage), knowledge, temperance (self-restraint), endurance, godliness, brotherly love, and love.
We would notice in passing that doubtless there is a moral order in these; for instance, knowledge follows fortitude, or courage, in the order given, and it is easy to see that courage without knowledge might lead to rashness or to what is erratic, and so on.
Now we find with respect to these qualities, that if they be “in” us “and abound,” we shall be neither barren (idle) nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are solemnly instructed, that should these things be lacking, there is but one result, “He is blind,” and however spiritual and discerning he may formerly have been, now he “cannot see afar off.” Previously, he may have thought that there was one thing he never could forget, namely, his sins having been cleansed. Alas! now he forgets that he “was purged from his old sins.”
This is most serious. Though the absolute blindness of the unconverted will never again be experienced, yet as to all practical perception, he is what the Scripture says of one who has not added to his faith — “blind.” What an exemplification of this we have in Samson! See the results of the sleep upon the lap of Delilah, fit type of the world — blind and fettered. Yet remember that his name is written among the worthies “who obtained a good report!” But spiritual indolence and negligence lead often to disastrous results.
No Christian should entertain a question as to his calling and election being “sure” in the heart of God, where they cannot be made more sure; but they can be made more sure in our own heart, else why the grave injunction — “Wherefore the rather, brethren, be diligent to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things ye shall never fail” (2 Peter 1:1010Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (2 Peter 1:10)).
It is easy to perceive that believers in an unspiritual state would be likely to succumb to the assaults of the adversary, who would successfully attack one who had forgotten that he was purged from his old sins, and had lost enjoyment of eternal life. But if the believer is fruitful, and growing in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, he would not be in so vulnerable a state. Serious issues are involved. Our God has connected spiritual discernment with spiritual progress and exercise. Maturity (full age) is not arrived at without this. Let a man carry his arm in a sling for six months, and the result would be that he would lose the use of it. Remember, we cannot escape if neglect obtains. We need to go on, and to continue to go on, or we shall slip back. As we have already said it is impossible for the Christian to be more completely accepted than he is, but he may be more acceptable or agreeable to God (2 Cor. 5:99Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. (2 Corinthians 5:9)) It is encouraging to others also to observe your progress in the ways and work of the Lord.
What is more saddening than to see a blight upon progress! The scanty thought unenlarged, while perhaps those who ought to be teachers need to be taught “again,” scraping the surface instead of digging deeper into those things which are freely given to us of God.
“I am the Lord thy God who teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.”
May He give us to remember that it is by “reason of use” that our senses are exercised to discern both good and evil!
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things” (a new heaven and a new earth), “be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (2 Peter 3:1414Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. (2 Peter 3:14)).
W. R. C.