What beautiful words these are—“The dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-7978Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1:78‑79))! What a privilege it is to know the way of peace. It is God’s way, solely and wholly of His making, in Christ and our part in it is only to tread the firm road and to enjoy all the favor of God which shines upon it. First and foremost, in the consideration of the way of peace, lies the fact that it is all of God; when men turn to make peace, it is too evident “the way of peace have they not known” (Rom. 3:1717And the way of peace have they not known: (Romans 3:17)).
Our first concern in considering this way will be—The way of peace for the guilty sinner. A peaceful state of soul is not to be spoken of until the feet are upon God’s ground for the guilty sinner.
In the third chapter of Romans, we read this solemn statement, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Rom. 3:1919Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (Romans 3:19)).
“Guilty before God!” These three words should be deeply impressed upon our souls if we want to know the excellence of the way of peace! Indeed it is questionable whether anyone really wants to know the way of peace, until he has first learned that he is guilty before God.
God once looked at sinful man as under trial, and, when such is the case, the anxious question for man must be, “How will the trial end?” In the first three chapters of Romans, God shows us man as under trial, and in the verse we have referred to, we see how the trial ends—“guilty before God.” God judged the case of the godless, religious and philosophic man, and after considering the case from all sides, the holy Judge brought in this solemn verdict—“guilty before God.”
The Epistle to the Romans was written hundreds of years ago, the Word of God stands for eternity, and He has said of man, “guilty before God,” therefore to this present hour such is his position before Him.
The question then for us is: Do we really believe that this sentence relates to ourselves? Some professing Christians believe that it has to do with them, but in spirit say, “I really think I have turned over a new leaf, and am better than I used to be, and I hope yet to be acceptable to God.” Let us then test ourselves, and ask how many years have passed since we had the solemn conviction that we were guilty before God, because God has so spoken. What would the judge say of the guilty criminal, the case having been proved, who observed: “I will now begin and turn over a new leaf, and I will eventually be acceptable!” What should we say of him? Surely, that he was mad! Yet that is just what the sinner does who speaks about reform, or of changing his life or of becoming good after God has pronounced him to be guilty. The first thing we want to learn in regard to the way of peace is that, as sinners, we are “guilty before God.”
But if we are so dreadfully bad, and so hopelessly undone, surely there is no hope, no peace! Now God’s ways are not as man’s ways. The judge must condemn the man proved to be guilty, but God can proclaim full pardon instead of condemnation. He says, “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:22-2322Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:22‑23)), and therefore He can have mercy on all. There is no hope to amend matters, for, “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:2020Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)), but, though it be too late for man to improve his lost and hopeless state, God has in His mercy free pardon for the guilty. Now let us suppose that we are in a condemned cell and there is no hope, but that it pleases the President to say, “I will grant a free pardon.” It is no longer anything of ourselves that is our hope, but the sovereign’s proclamation. In this way the Lord God appears for the guilty sinner. He declares how he may be “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:2424Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Romans 3:24)), whom God hath set forth a mercy-seat. Whoever goes to this mercy-seat will not fear the judgment-seat. Everyone must confess to God, either at the mercy-seat or at the judgment-seat; every human being, either someday at the judgment-seat or now at the mercy-seat, must admit his guilt and meet the Lord Jesus Christ. The infinite, holy God now sets forth Jesus and His blood as a mercy-seat for the guilty. Jesus has died on account of our sins, and through what He has done, God pardons. God does not pass over, He does not wink at, He does not make light of our sins, but He pardons—He sees them all, to their fullest extent—and then He shows that the blood of His own beloved Son has glorified Him, the righteous God, on account of every sin, and that whosoever believes, He counts as righteous. This is the way of peace, that God has made for the guilty sinner to tread, and by faith treading that divine way we obtain pardon.
The pardon is unconditional.
We cannot be too earnest as to this. Man has nothing to do with the pardon whatever, except for stretching out his hand to receive it. If we were righteously in a condemned cell, our sins would have brought us there; and if a pardon were brought to us, it would not be our goodness that brought it to us; our only part in the pardon would be to receive it.
There was a man in a foreign land, who was condemned to death. The morning came and he was led to be executed. His friends had strained every nerve to obtain his release; unknown to him, they had obtained his pardon a few hours before the time settled for his death. Indeed, while he was being led to execution, a horseman was galloping as hard as he could to stop the execution. The man was already pardoned, even though he was being led to execution; but he did not know it, and he felt utterly miserable and hopeless. Just in time to stop the execution, the horseman arrived with the proclamation and the man was set at liberty. His liberty was due to the word of pardon, not to his feelings. In order to rest in God’s way of peace for the guilty sinner, we must thoroughly believe what God says. The way of peace cannot be found in what we feel, but in God’s Word.