OM 5:1-12{OM 7{OM 8:1-8{There is a vast difference between an innocent creature and a purged conscience; and the distinction is important. The knowledge of good and evil came in when man departed from God. In connection with Christianity a believer has an uncondemning conscience, a conscience fit for the presence of God in the light where God dwells, a conscience which the light suits. I would ask you, reader, Have you a conscience fit for the presence of God, where God is? This lies at the root of all practical Christianity. If it is not a settled question with you, you are not free to serve God: you must be occupied about yourself. There is a great difference between the consciousness of indwelling sin, or an evil nature, and "no more conscience of sins." We could not speak of no more consciousness of sin, i.e. of sin not being in us; but with reference to the conscience before God, through the work, the death, the blood-shedding of the Lord Jesus Christ, a believer is brought into the presence of God, in the light where God is, without a single stain or spot, though he has still the evil principle of sin in him. The carnal mind "is enmity" (not at enmity) "against God;" i.e. the nature of the flesh is in its essence "enmity against God;" but bow blessed the fact, "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit." The principle of Christianity consists in not only the fruits of the evil nature being gone, but that sin itself has been condemned in the cross of Christ. The believer knows that Christ has met every question, taken all condemnation and fear away, and that, as another has blessedly expressed it, "there is nothing between him and the bright throne of God, where Christ sits, but the love that put all his sins away." The wonderful traction took place between God and Christ. Our, acceptance is according to the infinite efficacy of the blood of Christ as God sees it, and as God measures it, and the infinite perfection of the One who did the work. It is not a question of you, or of what you think or you feel, or anything in connection with you, or your apprehension of all rests on God's estimate of the infinite preciousness and value of Christ's work as He estimates it. Take an illustration. If an Israelite obeyed the word of Jehovah, and sprinkled the lintel and doorpost of his, house, he went in with the sense of security, because the blood was there. God had said, " When I see the blood, I will pass over." Another Israelite also sprinkles the blood on the lintel and door-posts; goes in, and trembles and fears all night lest the destroying angel should not pass over. Which do you think is the most secure? Many would say the former, because they are mixing up God's value and estimate of the blood as He sees it with their own thought or feeling about it. Both are equally safe, because it is' the' blood which is the ground of the security of both. A sinner is convicted on the testimony of God; and the same God assures him that He has found in the death. of His Son a full divine warrant to meet him in perfect blessing according to His own heart.
There are two great subjects treated of in Romans. In chap. 5:1-12 the Holy Ghost is taking up the question of our guilt, our sins, the fruit of the evil nature. There is no experience in this first part of the epistle. It is very helpful to see this. Is anyone not settled as to the question of the forgiveness of their sins?. The reason is because they are bringing into it what God never intended should be brought into it; i.e. experience. Many a soul has doubts and fears and misgivings as to the question of peace, because they have mixed up the experience they have, or they think they ought to have, and put it in the place of simple recognition of and faith in the, testimony of the blessed God. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God." Many a one who is quickened has not the peace of Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1). What is peace? It is peace with God as God is, in all the unflinching holiness of His character, peace without one of His attributes being violated. That is peace, when there is not one single enemy left, not one solitary foe who could dispute our title to serenity in the presence of God. If a battle has been fought, and the victory gained, this is not peace; for after many a well-gained victory there is war again. A truce, however honorable or long, is not peace; it supposes impending hostilities. But if every enemy had been demolished, and there was not a foe left, there would be peace. "The Lord Jesus was delivered for our offenses, raised again for our justification." At His death every enemy, the whole array of Satan's power, was let loose, was met by Him and vanquished-sin, Satan, death, hell, the grave.
"His be the victor's name
Who fought the fight alone."
Through His death He has brought the believer on the same platform as He stands Himself; and faith connects us with it. What is faith? It is simply the hand stretched out for God to pat, all that is in His heart of love into. Faith is not feeling, or experience, or anything that goes on within. Faith gives God credit for being what He is, and accepts what He gives. "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." The believer is not a pardoned criminal. He is pardoned; but he is more. We are in the very favor of God, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. We have peace behind, favor under OUT feet, and glory before us. This is not experience, but possession.
Chapters 5: 7, 8. We find three things in each of these chapters; three distinct facts are stated in each.
In chap. 5 we get, first, justification on the principle of faith, and "peace with God " the consequence; second, introduction by faith into present favor with God, the very favor that rests on Christ; third, rejoicing in hope; and there is a fourth thing in the chapter (though this is not on my mind just now), we joy in God.
Chapter 7 describes the condition of a quickened soul under law, the searching power of the law. Three great facts are discovered experimentally, because now we get experience, realization, and feeling.
The soul learns first that in the flesh there is nothing that is good. "In me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." This is an humbling but real thing to learn. All are on the same platform here, all are in one plight, all are of one stock. Second, that we have another "I" in us, another principle, which is not the sinful flesh. Third, that this new "I" (if I may call it so), the new nature, has not power of itself over the old; that the old nature is too strong for it; therefore the soul must look for a deliverer "who shall deliver me?"
In chap. 8 we also find three things: First, the believer has life in the Spirit; second, the Holy Ghost is dwelling in him; third, God is for him. Different states of soul are touched by each of these truths.
I would before going on say again, I trust every one is clear as to the question of the forgiveness of sins; that Christ is the " propitiation " (3: 25) or mercy-seat, the spot where God and the sinner can meet. God can righteously meet me there. Faith takes what God gives as though He said, "I will do all the giving, yours is the receiving." It is not believing that I do believe; this is a serious snare. If you go out to examine the sky and the stars, are you occupied with your eye? If you are, you will never see the stars. You simply look at what is above you. The simple acceptance of God's testimony carries the benefit to the soul. What is wanted is simplicity. It is marvelous how simple people are in everything but in the things of God. When God makes the most blessed communications to us, we begin to reason and to question about them. In chap. 4 we get another thing; viz., what answers to the scapegoat. When speaking of the way any poor sinner may come to God, it is unlimited, as wide as the world. Any one may come; the blood is on the mercy-seat. "God is just, and yet the justifier." There is a full, free, perfect forgiveness for every one who believes. But in chap. 4 it is a different thing; viz., "Who was delivered for our offenses." We find in the account of the scapegoat that the sins of a definite company were confessed over his head. When substitution is spoken of, it is in connection With those for whom He was a substitute. If we speak of propitiation, it has the widest sense. Christ has offered His blood to God, God has accepted it; there is a full, free forgiveness for all who will come. The testimony on God's side is in raising Him,, from the dead, and we, being justified by faith, "have peace with God" in the integrity of His being as a God of truth, holiness, and righteousness. The question of sin was Settled on the cross. Everything that could interfere with the holiness of God, has been there disposed of. The believer is brought into nearness to God, and Stands in divine favor. Again I would say, this is not experience. You may say you do not feel it; but do you believe it? Faith carries me into what is absolutely true of me, what I am before God and as seen by Him. Do we believe the testimony? How many are always occupied with their frames and feelings! and this is what they feed on, and hence so little divine power. It is a question of simple faith in the testimony bf the living God. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater" ("witness" and "testimony" are the tame words all through).... "He that believeth not God hath made Him a liar." (1 John 5:9,109If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. (1 John 5:9‑10)) This is more serious than our losing blessing.
We will now turn to the different states of soul have already touched on in chap. 7. Most of the difficulties people have is because they are not delivered, which is distinct from quickening. The first thing to learn is, " that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." The soul has to be passed through humiliating exercises to learn this. Could you say before God you know that? Why then are you trying to repair it? I may discover I have done wrong things, but that I have a nature in me which is incapable of doing anything BUT wrong things is very humiliating. I must submit to the humbling fact I cannot do the right thing. Many a one is ready to say, " I know I do wrong things every day," who shrink from the fact they have no power to do the right things. Many of us know this doctrinally, but do we know it experimentally? Chapter 7 is experience. A person may have listened to the truth taught for, years, and yet not know chap. 7 experimentally. We have to be subjected to the exercises the soul passes through in chap. 7. to find out what is in us; viz., that there is " no good thing." Do you believe it? Do you know it? Have you gone through these ploughings and testings? or are you going through them? If you know it, you will never try to reform man in any way. Are you trying to remedy or to keep down such a state? You must learn you cannot do it. Again I ask, Is it a settled matter in your own soul that there is nothing good in you? I often hear it said, "I was overtaken, and tripped up to-day; but I will keep this temper down; I will not allow it to act." Of course it is all right not to allow its exercise; but if you only seek to correct it, this is what Job did, who, after going through all the terrible discipline of God's hand, comes to the point, "I. am vile. I will lay my hand upon my mouth," I will not let out anything further. But in chap. 42. we get a step further, Job is brought to this, not only to acknowledge " I am vile," but "I abhor myself;" and then he finds the relief of turning away from himself altogether, "Mine eye seeth thee." It is now no longer trying to keep down or to correct the old nature, or to get anything good out of it. This is the first lesson a soul has to learn practically in the experience of this chapter: the utter, thorough, and complete ruin, that there is nothing good in us; yet not merely saying it, but what we have learned deep down in the heart. There is even danger in seeking to get a character out of the owning of our badness. When I hear a person talking much about their badness, I begin to fear they know but little about it. If we really know in the depths of our hearts that "in me dwelleth no good thing," we shall not be seeking to get a character out of our own badness, or out of self at all; we shall find out the relief of turning our back upon it altogether as that which is good for nothing. How do we make this discovery? The law comes in for this purpose; it never could bring anything good out of the flesh. What was it made that which in itself is "holy, just, and good" powerless? "It was weak through the flesh." It brought out and exposed what the flesh is before God. "I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." We thus discover practically and experimentally there was nothing in US that answered to it. W. T. T.
(To be concluded in the next number, if the Lord will)