History in the Gospel
It is now frequently assumed, and even positively asserted, that the teaching found in the
Gospels is contrary to that in the epistles. Could there be a greater proof of the blinding power of man's bias, and of his incapacity of seeing anything that is divine, even when plainly written? To teach the need and value of His death, Who declared himself that he came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many, may be taken as the purpose of His service, seeing it is so stated. He proved His power and His willingness to deliver man from the consequences of sin in this world. But the deliverance that brought man to have to do with God was not desired. Man was happier and freer with the robber and murderer in his midst, than with the Savior God.
The principles of the kingdom of God, the character of the righteousness required, were enunciated, but who was there to welcome them? To confuse the ground upon which an entrance into the Kingdom of God is at first offered, and that ground upon which the kingdom is afterward established, is fatal, and contrary to the plain teaching of the Scripture itself. For the blessings of the kingdom did not come on the principles of Matt. 5 It was actually opened by the preaching of the Gospel—and the keys to open it Were committed to Peter. (To open the Kingdom was not to build the Church—as another has said, ''People do not build with keys ") The path of the Lord ended on earth not in exaltation to the kingdom, but in His being lifted up upon the Cross. His presence was the lust test with which the heart of man was tested, and it chew firth the final proof of what man's heart was.
Nothing is more inscrutable to man, or confounding to his reason, than the existence of that teaching which proves its divine purpose, and yet is the result of actual facts, past and present.
Immanuel,—God With Man.
We have had man's history as the result of God having to do with him. In the Gospels, we have the results of God with him. And again the witnesses agree. The heart of man has no more desire for God Himself than it has for 116 ways. Of course the religious among men resent this assertion.—" No Sir,"—was the answer of an old countryman, when asked if he had ever known himself to be an enemy of God, " I have always had a liking for Him." Whatever the difference in mind that education may make, the heart thinks alike in all sorts of men. How little the heart of man knows itself'! Few dare say openly that they hate Christ, it is hardly respectable to do so. But have they received the Christ of God? If' enmity against God has not yet been known, neither can His reconciliation to Himself by the death of His Son be known. In the history of Him who was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, centers the revelation of what God is, as well as of what man is.
Ruin Too Amongst Christ's Followers
But the ruin of man's heart and his need of Divine grace's nowhere more clearly proved than in the history of the little company of those who were followers of Christ, and especially of the most zealous of their number. They all forsook Him. And he who once had gone forth with the message from Him, " Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven," (Matt. 10:3232Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32)),—was himself found cursing and swearing, denying that he knew the Man. What does this teach? He who thought that being a disciple was his title to be with Christ, learns in the most humbling and yet preciously practical manner, (with this result, that it leaves no bitterness) that his one and only title to be found with Christ when He comes in glory was the sufferings and death he had once taken upon himself' to depreciate as the Lord's portion in this world. True it is that Peter did confess his Master on earth, even unto death, but it was as the-disciple who had learned to know the value of that Master's death, for him, not as the disciple with exceptional devotion in him. It is-he who speaks of the trial of faith—the trial of the heart was over, it had been manifested, the trial of man was over, his character was out—but the trial of faith was precious while waiting for the return of Him Who, not being seen, is loved and known. It is he who speaks of the power and glory of the Living Word which abides, while the glory of man blossoms and falls. The Word had proved itself divine. He himself had become the evidence of its truth,—but there was more. He had by it tasted that the Lord was gracious. He had been born again by the Word, in the hour of his deepest need, when he found himself exposed without a shred of righteousness wherewith to cover himself. His faith could not fail, for it was dependent on the faithfulness of his Lord and the power of the Lord's word.. His confidence had been weaned from himself and won for God.
But what a dark, solemn contrast is found in the end of him who betrays his Master. He, too, is exposed, but faith he has none, and the only salve he can think of for the agonizing consciousness of his sin, he seeks from man; to the priests he makes his confession, “I have sinned." (This is the only instance in Scripture of human priests hearing confession.) Their heartless answer (Matt. 27:44Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. (Matthew 27:4)) may well be contrasted with that to the same confession to God in Job 33:27, 2827He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; 28He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. (Job 33:27‑28).
In the New as in the Old Testament, Scripture is proved to be interpreted, as a whole by the facts of the Gospel, and as a whole to be incapable of any intelligent interpretation at all without them. One objection alone remains to be noticed, that of" positive contradictions in what is positively and definitely taught.
The Epistle of James
The doctrine of justification by faith is called Pauline, and is said to have contradictions elsewhere; and this has even been urged by some who profess to believe that the revelation of God is somewhere in this book.
A fair example of this alleged contradictory teaching may be found in the book of James, which the great champion for justification by faith, failing to reconcile the truth therein with his doctrine, promptly denounced as " the downright strawy epistle" and cut it out of the canon of his Scriptures,—certainly failing, in this instance, to give evidence by his works of his own faith And yet it is James who insists on, and puts a test to, the reality of faith, beyond even Paul, if that be possible. James insists that it is useless for a man to say he has faith unless he shows it by his works. His works must testify to his faith as did those of Abraham, and Raba, and the works referred to are certainly not of the kind from which a religious or popular reputation would be obtained. But one thing is plain,—in doing what they did they made it certain they believed God. That could not be-denied.
Is Faith Seen in Works?
And let it be asked, do the works of the popular religionist give evidence that he has believed the Gospel, and knows that Christ has been raised for his justification, and that, being justified, he has peace with God? Is one thing certain from his works, that he has believed God? Not that he is religious, moral, or, as it is popularly called "doing his best," fir with all this he may be giving the strongest evidence that he has not believed God.
Let it be remembered that in James the word of God declares that there must be works to testify that God has been believed; in Romans that, " If thou shalt confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shall 'be saved. For with the heart man believed' unto righteousness." Romans 10:9, 109That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9‑10).
The Divine Power and Authority of the Scripture
Any word that proves itself divine proves also its claim to authority. The messages of God had been accompanied at various times, especially when introducing a new testimony, by acts of divine power which confirmed their authority. But in the character of the message lay its strength. The heart and conscience recognized in it the rightful claims of God.
This was preeminently the case with Him who declared Himself the Son of God. His work bore witness to His mission and His message, but there was even deeper evidence, and that was in His word. By His word He Himself was revealed; as He said in answer to the question, " Who art thou?" “Even altogether that which I said unto you from the beginning." Even to the present day, it is certain that never man spike as He spake. The words from His lips were divine. And never was the authority of His word more divinely manifested and perfectly vindicated than at the time when the chief priests and scribes and elders came to ask, " By what authority quest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?"
The leaders in religious learning made common cause to approach the Lord and question Him as to the authority of His words and works; and in the very power of the reply given they receive their answer. The cloak of religiousness is stripped from their rationalism, which thus stands exposed to all in its moral degradation and contemptibility. They appeal as if asking for what was reasonable and true, and as the result of the answer drawn from their own lips they stand convicted of being governed by fleshly expediency and self-esteem alone. "Was the baptism of John of heaven or of men?" It had been the baptism of repentance. Was the call to repentance by John the Baptist of heaven or of men? “They reasoned with themselves, saying, if we shall say of heaven, he will say, Why then believed ye him, not? But and if we say, of men, all the people will stone its for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. And they answered that they could not tell whence it was." An answer that proved their hearts false before God and man. They stood, convinced and confounded before Him they thought to confound, for He was there in grace.
Will the unsaved reader ask himself,—If such is the power of the Word of Christ in grace, what will it be in judgment?