Blackheath, August, 1875.
My Beloved Friends,
Permit me now to call your attention to the believer's standing. Fewer words will be necessary on this subject; but I am anxious to place it before you, because, until it is understood, there can be no due appreciation either of our relationships or responsibilities. Indeed it would not be too much to say that much of the feebleness of the Christian life, and much of the uncertainty of walk, and the want of separation from the world, which are so often deplored in professing Christians, may be traced to an imperfect knowledge of the position which the believer occupies before God in Christ.
To begin then at the beginning. “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)). That is, peace with God is the inalienable inheritance of every one who is justified; for it is the peace which has been made “through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:2020And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)). It is not therefore experience or attainment which is spoken of; but that which belongs to every believer, whatever his feelings, the moment he is justified. And consequently, if we do not enter into the enjoyment of this peace, it is owing to our insufficient acquaintance with the grace of God, through, it may be, bad teaching or unbelief. But it is of the first importance that every believer, whatever his feebleness or timidity, should know that everlasting peace with God is his portion through the precious blood of Christ.
There is however more than this. We read on: “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand.” Again, be it observed, this is not experience, but the position into which every believer is brought in Christ Jesus — a position of perfect acceptance, in which the full favor of God rests on him; not on account of what he is in himself, or of any experience which he may have, or of any attainment he has made, but solely on account of what Christ is and has done on his behalf.
If I refer you to another passage, this truth will be more distinctly apprehended. Turning then to the Epistle to the Colossians, we read, “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in [your] mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Col. 1:21-2221And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (Colossians 1:21‑22)). Now, mark two things. First, that God had reconciled these believers (“And you hath, He reconciled”); and secondly, that we have three words to indicate the perfect character of this reconciliation. The first is “holy” — a word that expresses in the strongest possible way the perfect meetness of the believer for the holy presence of God. Then we have “unblameable” — a word which will be best understood by a reference to another passage. In Hebrews we read, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God” (Heb. 9:1414How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)). The word here translated, “without spot,” is the same as “unblameable” in the Epistle to the Colossians; and hence we gather that the believer, as to standing, is before God what Christ was in His offering up of Himself; namely, without spot Lastly we have “unreproveable” — more exactly, “without charge” or “accusation”; that is, one against whom no charge can be brought, according to the apostle's words elsewhere — “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?” (Rom. 8:3333Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. (Romans 8:33)).
Combining then these three expressions, we are taught that, as to the believer's standing before God, it is absolutely perfect; for the words we have considered show that God regards His people in Christ as holy, without spot, and with every question that might have been raised against them so completely settled, that no possible accusation against them can be substantiated. And remember that this standing is that of every believer; that it is not at all a matter of experience or attainment, but it belongs to the babe in Christ, as well as to the young men and fathers; because indeed as soon as we believe we stand before God in all the perfectness, fragrance, and acceptance of Christ. It is therefore what He is, and not what we are; and what He is, so are we in Him before God.
But we may go farther. In the Epistle to the Romans we read, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you” (Rom. 8:99But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9)). These words must be very carefully noted. “Ye are not in the flesh.” What then is this reference? It is to the believer's standing, the result of his death and resurrection with Christ. Thus, if you will attentively read from chapter you will find that believers are regarded as having died as to their old nature with Christ. Take one or two passages: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into Nis death?” (Rom. 6:88Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (Romans 6:8)); “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him” (Rom. 6:66Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)); “Now if we be dead with Christ” (Rom. 6:88Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (Romans 6:8)). As we learn elsewhere also, they are regarded as “risen with Christ” (Col. 3: 1); and hence believers are reminded that they “have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new” (Col. 3:9-109Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:9‑10)). The truth taught then is that, as to our standing before God, we are not in the flesh, because our old man was judged and crucified on the cross, but we are in the Spirit. That is, “it is the Spirit that characterizes our position before God. In His sight and before Him we are not in the flesh. This indeed supposes the existence of the flesh; but having received the Holy Ghost, and having life of the Holy Ghost, it is He who constitutes our link with God. Our moral existence before God is in the Spirit, not in the flesh, or natural man.” In other words, we are, as to standing, not in Adam at all (and going beyond the passage just considered, we may add), but in Christ, and in Christ where He is.
We may support these statements by one or two more passages. In the Ephesians we find as follows: “But God, who is rich in. mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 4-6). All these verbs are in the past tense — God hath, quickened, hath, raised us up together, and made us Sit together; and therefore we are here directed to something which has been accomplished on our behalf And what is this? Our perfect standing in Christ. Yea, we are taught that already in Christ we are seated in the heavenly places, and that this is our true place before God. If we were in the flesh, this scene in which we move would be our place; but because in Christ we have died out of it, and have been raised up together with Christ, our true place is in Christ where He is — in the heavenly places. It is on this account that the apostle says elsewhere, “If any man be in Christ, a new creature [creation]” (2 Cor. 5:1717Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17). Read the context.) For we have died in Christ to the old, have been brought clean out of it, and have risen with Him into the new creation — where everything is perfect according to the perfectness of God. Hence the Apostle John is able to say, “As He is, so are we in this world”; as Christ is before God, so are we in Him, though in this world, as perfectly accepted, because His acceptance is ours.
“So near, so very near to God,
I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son
I am as near as He.”
You will bear in mind that I have been dealing with the standing of the believer. Of course out place of service is here in the wilderness; but while this is true, let us never forget that we belong to another creation than this, because we are seated in Christ in the heavenly places. “Our citizenship is in heaven, whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:2020For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20)); and when He comes He will receive us unto Himself, that where He is we — then made like unto Him, conformed to Him in the glory — may be also.
I am the more anxious that you should fully apprehend these truths because of their designed influence upon our walk and conversation. Once see that we are a heavenly people, and you will also perceive that our true place and standing before God should determine the character of our walk; that, in a word, our walk should be in correspondence with our position in Christ; that separation must be written upon all that we are, and upon all that we do — separation unto God. If believers were more familiar with the character of their standing, they would see the utter incongruity of many of their associations; they could not have fellowship with the men of the world in politics, and so-called philanthropic movements — with so many things in short which grieve the Spirit of God; but they would enter into the language of the apostle, “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more” (2 Cor. 5:1616Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (2 Corinthians 5:16)); they would understand his appeal, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and' I will receive you, and. will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:14-1814Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (2 Corinthians 6:14‑18)); and they would seek grace day by day to comply with the exhortation” If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col. 1-3).
Believe me, beloved friends,
Yours affectionately in Christ,
E. Dennett