NOTES OF AN ADDRESS.
1. PRESENT SALVATION. "Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls." What an eternally momentous matter is the salvation of the soul! God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (Gen. 2:77And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7).) Though God only hath immortality, yet He is able to give immortality; thus man has perpetuity of existence, and must be either in glory forever with the Lord Jesus, or forever enduring the misery and torment of the lost!
And who can tell the unhappiness of a lost soul? Did not our adorable Lord most emphatically appeal to His hearers, saying, "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:3636For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36).) And yet how few seem to believe this? How seldom any are crying out, "What must I do to be saved?" Men know, as a fact of every day occurrence, that people die, and they arrange accordingly as to this life; but is not the old motto very common still, "Let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die"? little thinking that after death is the judgment. But about the soul, how few seem concerned as to whether they are saved or lost! Worldly with this world's wealth; clothed with purple and advancement and ease, with its passing honors and attractions, seem, alas! too frequently the objects which engross the heart. Thus people pull down their barns, and build greater, saying to their souls, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” But of such it is added," God said unto him, Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:16-2116And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16‑21).) How solemn this is, and yet how truly it portrays the condition of multitudes around us!
Nor does the picture end here; for our Lord did not leave His hearers in ignorance of the future miseries of a lost soul. He first referred to the ease, and pomp, and luxury of a man abounding with this world's wealth; clothed with purple and, fine linen, and faring sumptuously every day. All was suddenly stopped by the chilly hand of death. "The rich man died, and was buried.”
And what then? Had not his mortal remains been laid in a costly sepulcher? Had not many mourners followed his body to the grave? Had not wealth, and earthly honors, and all that man and means could do, been used to adorn the imposing funeral, and garnish the costly tomb?
But what then? While the body waits the resurrection of judgment, under the eye of Him who is "Lord both of the dead and of the living," where is the soul? Did not our Lord go on to announce the thrilling intelligence, that "in hell," yes, in the flames of hell, "he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom"? And, to give vent to his bitter anguish, "he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he nay dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." (Luke 16:19-2419There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (Luke 16:19‑24).)
This is the experience of a lost soul; and he is told that there is no comfort, no relief, no mitigation of his sufferings, and no escape from the torments of that flame.
“But this is only a picture," say some.
“gut a picture of what?" we reply. Surely nothing less than a divinely drawn illustration of the misery and suffering of those who have been seeking to gain the world, and have lost their own souls. This man obtained some of its "good things," no doubt; but he care for his body; he fed it sumptuously, and decked it with costly raiment. He cared not for his soul; and now he finds the torments of hell to be a never-ending reality. And we must never forget that God is able to destroy with never-ending destruction both body and soul in hell. What an immeasurable distance there is between a soul lost and a soul saved!
But, blessed be God, Jesus came from heaven to save, "to save sinners. (1 Tim. 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)) This was the outflow of purest, sweetest love. He came to save, save fully and forever, the lost. To this end justice must be satisfied, the demands of infinite holiness met, righteousness accomplished, and God glorified, so that the Father's eternal purpose may be accomplished in having those who believe in Jesus as "sons before Him in love.”
Jesus, the Son of God, therefore came into the world, and died to save, so that, cleansed by His blood, and raised up with Him, and seated in Him in heavenly places, all who believe might be eternally secure. The grace of God thus brought salvation, and that too in its fullest, widest sense; though at present they receive by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ the salvation of our souls. Their sins having been suffered for under the wrath of God by Jesus, and God having condemned sin in the flesh in Him who was made sin for us, and having given to them eternal life in Him risen and 'ascended, they are not only delivered, and that judicially in righteousness, from all guilt and condemnation, but have eternal life in the Son of God, who is now crowned with glory and honor.
All this has been done for us believers; the work has been accomplished, and we are saved in the way of faith. "Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls." The finished work of Christ is the ground of faith; the word of God the warrant for faith; Christ Jesus, who was on the cross, but now in the glory; the object of faiths and the soul's salvation now received the end of faith. How blessed, then, it is to be a saved soul! not only securely sheltered from coming wrath, but to have the certainty of peace made, sins forgiven, of being born from above, and now a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus! What praise and worship are due to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for bringing to us this marvelous salvation!
2. Now let us consider the second sense in which this word salvation is used in Scripture "Work out your own salvation.”
When a person is saved, he finds himself surrounded by everything that is opposed to his soul's blessing. "The world lieth in the wicked one." "The flesh profiteth nothing." Satan, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, and men are often the instruments of his evil purposes. Hence the believer is exhorted to "work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Peter said, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." (Acts 2:4040And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (Acts 2:40).) Again, the Spirit says to the believer, "Let no man take thy crown." (Rev. 3:1111Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Revelation 3:11).) "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy, and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (Col. 2:88Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Colossians 2:8).) "Put off the old man, and put on the new." (Eph. 4:22-2422That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:22‑24)). "Have no confidence in the flesh." (Phil. 2:33Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. (Philippians 2:3).) "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:77Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7).) Thus Christians are instructed to beware of men, to have no confidence in the flesh, to resist the devil, and to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. And surely these, and many other scriptures, show what snares and temptations surround the children of God, and what vigilance and strength they need to save them day by day from everything that would grieve the holy Spirit of God, dishonor the Lord Jesus, and damage their own souls.
It was to the Philippian saints that the apostle thus wrote to work out their own salvation. He addressed them as "saints in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:11Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (Philippians 1:1).) They were very dear to the heart of Paul.
He calls them his "brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, his joy and crown." When he was with them at Philippi, he so cheered and instructed them, so fed their souls with the "sincere milk of the Word," that he says of them they "always obeyed." But now he was absent from them, they were cast upon God for daily strength, and grace, and vigilance. Being without apostolic care and oversight, he exhorts them to be faithful in their daily walk and conflict, to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, and in doing so to realize the fact that, being God's children and His Spirit in them, "it is God that worketh in them, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
What can be more simple? And how destructive and blinding to apply such a scripture to the unconverted! As we have seen, it was addressed to saints. It was their own salvation which should exercise their hearts and consciences while passing through a scene entirely opposed to God, and having to grapple with things which dishonor the Lord and damage souls. For this, God was working in them. Being in Christ, and the Holy Ghost in them, born of God, children of God, they now had a power by which they could overcome; they could do all things through Christ which strengthened them. Hence they were exhorted to be imitators of Christ, to be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, shining as lights in the world, and holding forth the Word Of life, etc. (Phil. 2:15,1615That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. (Philippians 2:15‑16).)
Thus we see that those who have received the salvation of their souls, and are waiting for the salvation or redemption of their bodies, are now recognized as passing through a world where they are to shine as lights, and to save themselves from the many snares which surround them; to do this, too, not in a presumptuous and self-confident spirit, hut "with fear and trembling," because it is God that worketh in them both to will and to do of His good pleasure. There is nothing, then, in this passage to justify the feeblest believer having any fear as to his security; for the people thus addressed are 'saints," and "in Christ Jesus"; that is, they have been "perfected forever" by the one offering of Christ; they have passed from death unto life; they are accepted in the Beloved, and are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
3. We are waiting for "the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time," "the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body." This will be when the Lord comes. He will change our body of humiliation, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body. (Phil. 3:2121Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21).) Having received the salvation of our souls, and saving ourselves day by day from what is contrary to the Lord's mind (in obedience to His word), we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nothing can be clearer. Everyone knows that redemption is not now applied to the body. The bodies of believers are not different from the bodies of unbelievers; but when Christ comes, the bodies of believers will be changed in a moment, and then translated. The apostle says, "We (believers) shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Cor. 15:52-5452In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:52‑54)).
What a glorious prospect! How great this salvation, and how perfect! All of God, and all of His grace. "For the grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." (Titus 2:33The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; (Titus 2:3).) It is sweet, therefore, to see that our being bodily taken to glory to be with Christ, and like Christ forever, is all of the free favor, the rich, unmerited love of God to us. "We look," then, "for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ," and expect to be caught up to meet Him in the air, and taken bodily into the glory of God, and that entirely because God is rich in mercy in His great kindness tow and us in and through Christ Jesus.
And how full and simple is the testimony of Scripture about this! When it will take place we know not; but it is our unspeakable privilege to wait for God's Son from heaven. "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds; to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall be ever be with the Lord." (1 Thess. 4:16-1816For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑18)). What a triumphant future! What a great salvation!
But how appalling is the state of those who neglect this great salvation! They do not, perhaps, neglect to be virtuous, or kind, or to cultivate the proprieties of life, or respect for much that is called religion; but, alas! alas! they do neglect this great salvation. "How," says the apostle, "shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (Heb. 2:33How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; (Hebrews 2:3).)
Oh, dear souls, if you continue to despise God's gospel, and refuse this great salvation, how can you escape being left behind for judgment when the Lord comes for His own? How can you escape the eternal miseries of the lost? How can you escape being banished from God's presence forever? Oh, that you may receive the Lord Jesus Christ now! know Him who was dead and is alive again as the object of faith! and then it may truly be said of you, that you receive "the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”